Technical Harmless tire lettering paint

I have some M&H cheater slicks that would look great with the letters painted white. Lots of markers avail but....

I dont want to use anything that will harm the rubber, they are a 2 ply sidewall. Thanks!

 

Think you're gonna get some flack on this.....but ivory 1 Shot.

 

White shoe polish….

 

White acrylic paint pens.

 

It's traditional...I think. There are a lot of pictures of show cars in the 50's with lettered tires. Hand painted is what I hear.

I have tried the lettering pens and stickers but never the brush and one shot like @Joe Blow suggested but I would think that would give the best results. I did not like the letter pens as the coverage was not uniform and they didn't wear well. I have used stickers a couple of time and they seem to work very well. You can order them to fit the font and size of your letters so you can apply them over the top.

I did that on my OT dune buggy. I mounted T/A All Terrains black wall out

and glued the Red/White/Blue stickers over the existing letters to give it a new look. Just another idea.

And I have ordered the stickers in a reverse cut so the black is on top for a vintage look on not so vintage American Classic tires.

 

I used ivory one shot but it turns brown and dirty after awhile if you drive it.

 

So it looks like the new T/A radial lettering

 

The sidewall that you see is cosmetic. That rubber is not holding load or pressure. A little bit of paint on it will not impact the rubber in any meaningful way, and most importantly will have no impact on the integrity of the tire.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

I agree with using acrylic paint, marker or brush on, the reasoning is the acrylic paint has properties where the paint will flex and not crack, it also bonds well with rubber, one shot lettering enamel is a alkyd base material and will work, the draw back is on tires it may age, get darker & it ain't cheap.

The white acrylic can be purchased in small jars at most craft shop like hobby lobby. HRP

 

The old guy who did the lettering on Plan II said he started as a little kid for the local hot rodders, painting the letters white on their tires. But I didn't ask him what he used. Been ten years since I've seen him....

 

IMO it takes the focus off the car so I don’t do it…..

 

used to be available in different colours, probably some on ebay

 

Yep back in the old days I used the white stick on the weekends to touch up my tires and once done it had its own special spot in the glove box should an emergency arise from an accidental curb scuff.

Hey I had less than an 1/8" of tread left but the lettering was immaculate!! Priorities !!

..

 

I've used Rustoleum paint pens before. They work great and the lettering has lasted for years.

 

I did the opposite, and used a black paint pen to eliminate the raised white letters on some tires…

 

My sentiments exactly….. now if they sponsored me with free tires I could change my mind.

 

I may be WAY off, but wouldn't white latex paint work, just like some guys paint their wide whites with?

 

Try these. They will fade over a long time, but easily touch up. They were the go-to standard in the tire biz, where it had to last. Even black tire paint wouldn’t totally cover it up on retreads. Only solvent would remove it. Look up closest Myers’s Tire Supply to you.

 

Hello,

When we went to blackwall tires on our old hot rods and custom cars, it gave off the look of being dull. Those whitewalls were standard and most cars had them. By turning those whitewall tires inside out, we now had blackwalls. But we used free chalk courtesy of public schools and now the lettering stood out on the black surfaces.

Yes, they rubbed off on wandering parallel parking attempts. And when car washing time rolled around, they hosed off, necessitating a reapplication. Then someone mentioned model car white paint. The raised rubber images, firestone and others were easy to apply. The raised black lettering was simple. No taping or rubber cement surrounding the lower surfaces.

For those that were “non steady” in the paint brush lettering, rubber cement was perfect. Paint on the lower tire rubber and whatever over marks dripped onto the rubber cement, easily rolled off after the whole lettering process was finished. But, for us model car makers and aspiring pinstriping teenagers, hand lettering was simple and with the white model car paints, lasted through plenty of water hosing during car washes.

Jnaki

That process was before any paint pens or commercial chalk sticks. Any paint that flexes will adapt to tire pressure differences and last a little longer. But, they too, will rub off when scraping curbs or using those car wash, circular, spinning tire wash brushes on the all tires, as one drives through the timed wash.

To answer the time when white lettering was popular, around early 65-66, tire companies had raised white lettering and now, the reverse trend of turning the white lettering inside out was becoming popular. It lasted through the 70s when it reversed itself and we were all inundated with huge white lettering from all manufacturers for their tires from the factory purchases. YRMV

 

Back in the 60's I use Testor's model car white paint. Worked great !!

 

Just my 2 cents worth, I worked flight test at Douglas Aircraft for several years. We would paint a 4" wide stripe on the main gear tires us in a product called temp-laq. It was brushed on and was white. Should a tire or brake overheat, the temp-laq would turn purple. Otherwise it remained white. On MD-11, ship 2, it was painted up in company colors and quite attractive. We would periodically replace the tires and stripe the new ones I was in charge of painting the tem-laq on. I got an idea and would also paint the imbossed Goodyear and the GT of the imbossed "Flight Leader" opposite of the Goodyear logo. The gh, in flight leader was exactly 180° across from the Goodyear, and when painted white would say Goodyear GT. Everybody on the crew loved it! I came in one night and was told that we would be doing another 10 main gear tire change after the flight. I promptly headed for the tire storage to temp-lay the heat stripe plus paint the Goodyear GT as always. An engineer wandered by and saw me painting the Goodyear GT on the tire and, very surprised, said, "You mean that you paint those letters? I thought they came from the factory that way!". Engineers were never overly bright! The point is, a call to an aircraft supply company should lead you to where to buy temp-laq. It comes in quart and larger quantities. It can be removed with soapy water and a stiff bristled brush. But, unlike you fry your brakes or tires, it will remain bright and white until you decide to scrub it off.

 

Sooo... what did you do when they overheated?

Hey, I represent that! I'm an engineer and a hoodlum hot rodder and I do both equally poorly.

 

He might've meant flight engineer.

 

I have dealt with automotive and aircraft engineers for most of my life. I found that engineers and politicians are very much a like . Politicians are elected to make laws and engineers are hired to design things. Notice that I didn't say good laws or good designs. I have had the good fortune have worked with some excellent engineers, both automotive and aircraft. But, as in most career fields, the average is mediocre at best. The ones that are sharp, I respect deeply. Most just look at you and think, a mechanic eh? Must not be too bright. Unfortunately, most only know what the book says and have little or no experience in reality.

 

When we found the temp-laq had changed color, we would check tire pressure, because low tire pressure causes extra tire flex and increased heat. If that was okay, then we would troubleshoot the brake system.

 

Pete had his painted.

 

LOL I've never been labeled a flight engineer but I have been labeled a flight risk.