whitewall tire

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Whitewall tires on a 1957 Ford Thunderbird

Whitewall tires or white sidewall (WSW) tires are tires having a stripe or entire sidewall of white rubber. Early automobile tires were made entirely of natural white rubber, however, the white rubber did not offer sufficient traction and endurance so carbon black was added to the rubber used for the treads. Using carbon black only in the tread produced tires with inner and outer sidewalls of white rubber. Later, entirely black tires became available, the still extant white sidewalls being covered with a somewhat thin, black colored layer of rubber. Should a black sidewall tire have been severely scuffed against a curb the underlying white rubber would be revealed, it is in a similar manner that raised white letter (RWL) tires are made.

The status of whitewall tires versus blackwall tires was originally the reverse of what it later became, with fully black tires requiring a greater amount of carbon black and less effort to maintain a clean appearance these were considered the premium tire; since the black tires first became available they were commonly fitted to many luxury cars through the 1930s. During the later 1920s gleaming whitewalls contrasted against darker surroundings were considered a stylish, if high-maintenance, bit of "flash", still too flamboyant for those with conservative taste. The popularity of whitewalls as an option increased during the 1930s, automobile streamlining and skirted fenders eventually rendered the two-sided whitewall obsolete. The single-sided whitewall remained a desirable option through the 1970s, becoming a hallmark of "traditional luxury".

Beginning in the early 1950s whitewall width began to diminish as an attempt to reduce the perceived height of the wheel/tire, during the decade increasingly lower vehicle heights were in vogue. Finally in 1957 the production version of the ultra-exclusive Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was fitted with whitewalls that were reduced to a 1" wide stripe floating on the tire sidewall with a black area between this stripe and the wheel rim. Wide whitewalls generally fell out of favor in the US by the 1962 model year. They continued as an option on the Lincoln Continental for some time thereafter but most common were the 1"-3/4" stripe whitewalls. During the mid-1960s varieties on the striped whitewall began to appear, a red/white stripe combination was offered on Thunderbirds and other high-end Fords and triple white stripe variations were offered on Cadillacs, Lincolns and Imperials. During the 1970s the ostentatious vehicles emerging from Detroit inspired an increase in whitewall stripe width (1 5/8" plus) while full-fledged wide whitewalls had made a return within the pimpmobile culture.

Although wide whitewalls are virtually non-existent on modern automobiles, they are still manufactured in original bias-ply or radial form by specialty outlets and/or classic car restoration companies such as Diamond Back Classics, Coker Tire, Lucas Classic Tires, and Vogue Tyre Company. Some companies manufacture wide whitewall inserts - the Portawall inserts are usually sold through VW Beetle restoration companies. Portawalls [1] can be used with radial tires, but the use of innertubes are recommended to stiffen the softer sidewalls of radial tires.

Modern trends toward more minimal styling, and large rims favoring low-profile tires leave little room for a whitewall. The Lincoln Town Car, and it's sibling Mercury Grand Marquis are the only vehicles offered today with a factory whitewall option, with a narrow white stripe.

Gallery

Other cars with whitewall tires:

1904 Auburn with very difficult to clean tires	1913 American Underslung featured all white tires during its era	1938 Chrysler Royal C18	Whitewall tires (with thick white bands) on a 1947 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
1950s Rambler American with vintage aftermarket "curb feeler" mounted behind the front wheel to help reduce scraping the whitewall tire against curbs	1959 Saab 93	1958 AMC Ambassador with correct wide white side wall tires for the era	Narrow stripe white wall tires were common throughout the 1970s and 1980s