Anyone Make White Tires at home?

[Model T Ron]

I decided to try painting some old black tires with white rubberized paint just see how it would hold up. Has anyone done this in the past? I am not sure why the photo shows up so small but if you click on it it will open up. Thoughts and opinions welcome

Ron

[Wayne Sheldon]

A very good friend did that many years ago. Looked great for awhile. However, it began to get a bit flaky as the tire flexing and getting warm on long drives at high speed (we used to drive model Ts much faster!). He would repaint it a few times, but each time looked less and less good. The tread surface of course wears through quickly, leaving the low spots white. That really doesn't look bad though. It doesn't look much different with real all-whites with soiled tread. They look good going down the road! I know because I followed him for many miles in my T! And they look good in photos. That being one of the best reasons to do that. The photos look especially good with period surroundings in black and white pictures.

All in good fun!

[Model T Ron]

Thanks Wayne
The photo is a few weeks old taken just after I got the wheels back on my 1915 Touring. I expected the threads to turn black leaving the low spots white and they did after about 50 miles but in my opinion it just looks like I drove through fresh black top. I will try to get a photo of what it looks like now when it warms up a little in the afternoon. Flaking is a concern but I used Plasti-Dip rubberized paint after giving the tires a quick sanding. After the Plasti-Dip dried I gave them a coat of Krylon mat white as Plasti-dip would quickly turn yellow with UV exposure. From what I researched the Plasti-Dip should help with the flexing/flaking problem but time will tell.

I had good thread on the tires but they are old and had sidewall cracking so I decided I had nothing to loose with trying the white paint. That said I am sure I will replace them if the rubber starts to deteriorate. If the paint holds up I plan on buying some Black Ward Riversides and painting them White as well. I like the White look but they are asking almost twice as much and people say the white tires do not last as long.

Ron

[TWrenn]

Might as well get back on my white tire soap box again...take a close look at the bead on this picture...this was from a set two years ago, and my latest set this year look the same, even though a different production date on the sidewall. Now, I swear this so-called "white" is PAINTED on somehow. Its a different white from the rest of the casing. Even the jagged edge to me is tell-tale. Unless someone can prove otherwise, I'm sticking to my story!

[TWrenn]

Ron, keep us posted with pics and comments. I will get one more season on my '13 whites, then I have to decide. So far, no white tires are in existence. I used to say I wouldn't put white tires on her, but then I weakened and saw how nice the car looks. But tired of the cleaning, and the subsequent yellowing despite special tubes and low life, and of course the price!! I've thought of painting too, but never thought of Plasti-Dip first. Sounds like a good idea.

[TRDxB2]

I decided to try painting some old black tires with white rubberized paint just see how it would hold up. Has anyone done this in the past? I am not sure why the photo shows up so small but if you click on it it will open up. Thoughts and opinions welcome

Ron

[TXGOAT2]

All of the white rubber I've ever been around yellows, and it seems to attract every kind of stain and soilage. I belive the natural color of natural rubber is white or near-white. Early tires were made of cotton cord and natural (vulcanized) rubber. They did not wear well. Tire makers began to add carbon black to the rubber, which made it black, of course, and also made it wear much better and prevented weathering to some degree and reduced damage from sunlight. It may also have saved them some money. I'm pretty sure the black rubber yellows, but it doesn't show. Raw natural rubber is nearly useless, but the vulcanizatiuon process makes it fairly stable and tough. (Charles Goodyear?) The process involves heat and sulfur. The sulfur may contribute to the yellowing as tires age. I find that all tires form a "skin" of some kind of crud if negelected.

[Model T Ron]

Ron, keep us posted with pics and comments. I will get one more season on my '13 whites, then I have to decide. So far, no white tires are in existence. I used to say I wouldn't put white tires on her, but then I weakened and saw how nice the car looks. But tired of the cleaning, and the subsequent yellowing despite special tubes and low life, and of course the price!! I've thought of painting too, but never thought of Plasti-Dip first. Sounds like a good idea.

Hey Tim
I first decided to paint my tires white when the tube in the right rear tire went bad and I had the tire off the rim. I can tell you from experience do not paint the tires off the rim as they will crack and flake off when inflated and I needed to redo the right rear.

The remaining three were painted on the rim and inflated to 65psi. I sanded the tires by hand and made sure I had a good surface to paint. I then put about three coats of Plasti-Dip. It might have been 4 but I used one can per tire and did not put it on heavy as I did not want it to run. The tires did not look white after the first coat so just give it time, put on light coats, and allow it dry between coats. My tires are old and cracked so they just sucked up the paint....I would expect to use far less paint on new tires. I then put two coats of Krylon mat white paint. I am sure any brand would be fine but make sure its rated as fabric paint with UV protection. Fabric paint is more flexible than standard paint.

The Plasti-Dip is designed to be removed and people use it to paint modern car rims with......When sealed with Krylon the Plasti-Dip will not yellow and it is no longer removable as originally intended.

People have been using this method to paint on white walls for some time now and they hold up rather well. When painting 100% of a tire just be ready to see black quickly return on the treads. I view this as "Poor Man's white Model T tires" lol

[TWrenn]

Thanks Ron! Worth a try. I don't worry about the treads turning dark or even black....sign of a well enjoyed car!!

[Model T Ron]

Below is what my tires look like after 60 miles of driving. As expected you can see the black on the treads but I still think they look much better painted. If they continue to hold up I will paint a new black set when the time comes to get tires.

[TWrenn]

Holy cow! They look great! Who gives a crap if the treads are black? The rest look great, and like I said earlier, the black
tread is testimony to a guy who enjoys DRIVING his car, not letting it just sit and look at! Good for you! I'll try your technique.
Thanks for sharing.

[TXGOAT2]

If you ran "real" white tires around here in summer, they'd look just like that inside of 5 miles. Hot asphalt would "paint" the tread black.

[Model T Ron]

Holy cow! They look great! Who gives a crap if the treads are black? The rest look great, and like I said earlier, the black
tread is testimony to a guy who enjoys DRIVING his car, not letting it just sit and look at! Good for you! I'll try your technique.
Thanks for sharing.

Tim
Thanks for your comments but remember it's only been a few weeks and 60 miles. If you have an old set of black tires by all means go and try just be sure they are mounted and inflated. As for trying this on new tires I would recommend holding off till I get more time and miles on them. Remember I had nothing to lose as my tires are very old and have sidewall cracks. If you expand my photos you can see the cracks but I assure you so far the paint has not cracked at all. I would be happy to send updates if you like. My plan was to see how they do every 100 miles till at least 500 before I would call this a success.

Ron

[Model T Ron]

If you ran "real" white tires around here in summer, they'd look just like that inside of 5 miles. Hot asphalt would "paint" the tread black.

Hey Pat
I think the same would happen hear in NC.......the back tar on the fenders on my 2015 Silverado tell me its true

Ron

[Henry K. Lee]

I have never tried but have wondered if KILZ primer would adhere to rubber and last. It sure does grip to everything else.

[Model T Ron]

Might as well get back on my white tire soap box again...take a close look at the bead on this picture...this was from a set two years ago, and my latest set this year look the same, even though a different production date on the sidewall. Now, I swear this so-called "white" is PAINTED on somehow. Its a different white from the rest of the casing. Even the jagged edge to me is tell-tale. Unless someone can prove otherwise, I'm sticking to my story!

Sure looks like what they are selling as new White rubber tires are painted and or dipped to me.

[TWrenn]

Thanks Ron, and by all means keep us posted! You may have a real "saving grace", and economically too, for those who still
want white tires but are victims of poor wear, poor supply, and poor white!

Henry, Kilz may be a possibility. Try it and let us know!!

[Model T Ron]

The Tires are still holding up very nice

[Chris Instness]

Thanks for the update. This seems like it might also be a good solution for those with white tires that have turned brown.

[Petrah Phyre]

I have two nice white wall Firestones. Need two more but I think I will just buy the black wall, and use this technique to make my own and freshen up the old ones. Thanks for the real life research.

[Luke]

Apologies it's not a Model T, but here's a near 40 year old photo showing my Series L Vauxhall shortly after I painted the rims and 'whitewalled' the tyres with standard acrylic house paint.

It worked surprisingly well, and as I recall did not require a lot of touching up over the time I had the vehicle. I rather think I was trying to impress a young lady at the time (oh those red rims!), but it was hardly a 'chick magnet'. That said the young lady still talks to me occasionally, albeit an island removed, but the whitewalls have never been a feature of the conversation so YMMV

Oh, for those in the U.S., at least the car behind the LIP is a Ford - a 1965 Mk1 Cortina 1500, of which one could tell a lot of stories...

lip_whitewalls.png (486.3 KiB) Viewed 4450 times

[Alan G]

I am currently involved in this process, although not on a T. I have a new set if BF Goodrich tyres which were required for the car, which to keep with the look of when the car purchased I needed to paint the new tyres. I tried plasti dip and it seemed to turn brown rather fast, I think this maybe because of the oil in the tyres. I removed all of the plasti dip and tried a matt white leather dye for car interiors and seats, good adhesion obviously and it dries flexiable. So far this seems to be ok but time will tell!

[TWrenn]

The Tires are still holding up very nice

Thanks Ron! This is good news. I will be doing this when the time comes for Clara to get new tires.

[QGolden]

Now, I swear this so-called "white" is PAINTED on somehow. Its a different white from the rest of the casing. Even the jagged edge to me is tell-tale. Unless someone can prove otherwise, I'm sticking to my story!

Can’t prove otherwise, I don’t have any white rubber tires but I think that is part of the bonding process of the bead to the tire.

If you take a razor and cut off the little “rib” at the tread edge, or if you tread nubs are wearing black at the edges it should be telling.

[Rich Eagle]

Like Wayne, I had a good friend who painted these Riversides with white tire paint. This must have been around 1966. I inherited the tires and they get some use even today. The entire tire was painted and much still remains on the side wall.

FWIW
Rich

[Rich Bingham]

I think they look better now than when I first painted them. Back then, there was a product available specifically for painting whitewalls on black tires. It was some form of rubber compound, and its solvent base definitely bonded with the tire, as the tire rubber was soluble in it. The first coat was smeary looking with brown streaks, it took a couple of coats to look good. I had remembered my dad painting whitewalls on a Buick he drove before 1954, same stuff was available 12 years later. I haven't seen it for well over 40 years, at the time, whitewall tires were reduced to skinny little stripes less than two inches wide or less. No demand from early 60s on, and I'm sure the stuff would cause cancer in Califunny !!

Frankly, at the time, I was disappointed enough with the result I wished I hadn't done it !!

[QGolden]

I have seen this Whitewall paint used, but I never have used it myself. Also seeing YouTube Videos do White Flexall being used.

40544A6B-A561-415B-8F98-E318B51312AF.jpeg (86.03 KiB) Viewed 4120 times

[Rich Eagle]

This survived into the 1960s on Dad's paint shelf. I tried it to highlight the "Firestone" on my T tires. It wasn't a paint but a dressing. I ended up using Hyplar acrylic artist paint. It still is on with some cracking.