Hot Rods White letter tires..poll

Now this goes back to 1962-1963 but some of us painted the diamonds on Good Year tires with whitewall paint, that may have been a local thing (SW Iowa) as were white painted under carriages. That fad was short lived. I must have been a little brain addled as I lived 8 miles from a hard surface road.

 

I did white letter tires on my Bonneville theme roadster for no other reason than I am a maverick. Don't do anything to please someone else.

 

I remember guys painting those little letters back in the late 50s, early 60s. Particularly the slower cars.
'Gave 'em something to do after being beat in the first round.

 

About the type, style and era appropriate tire?
No.

 

I dislike it when people lump white letter tires into the never category. "Oh they never ran them back in the day". Fortunately there have been some very good responses posted here to say otherwise.

Like most things it's all about era appropriateness and restraint.

 

Well said! Pictures are a good way to solve debates regarding “the what was done in the old days” debate. Now if it is not your preference then that is another story.


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I like salt-flat pictures. But setting the car up for a photoshoot? Indexing the 'stones, wiping down the car (and tire treads?) and what's with the pose? But to content, yes I like the lettered tires. I haven't eaten lunch yet and I'm a bit grouchy.

 

It completely depends on what they're on and what type of tires they are. The newer radials with the white letters look like hammered shit........the old Firestone's look great. I did the letters on my Radir Slicks and I think they look good..........I'd rather sell my car than put radials on it.

 

Only if shackles are showing.

Shut up
You shut up
No... you shut up.
MOM!!!...

 

This is still going?

I bought tires for my old truck 20 years ago, at that time, the only tires I could buy in the size I needed were raised white letter tires. I had them mounted backwards on the wheels so the white lettering was on the inside of the tire, but the truck was a 4x4 and it sat pretty high. You could still see the white lettered tires from the rear, under the truck.

I took the truck to a "traditional" car show and the guy at the gate wouldn't let me in because the rules stated "no white lettered tires" and my truck had white lettered tires, turned black wall out. The fact that I couldn't buy black wall tires that fit my truck didn't matter.
So I left, went to the nearest store and bought a can of semi gloss black spray paint and pained the white letters from under the truck. I went back to the show and the same guy let me in.

The era of the vehicle, the name on the tire, and letter style, make a big difference on white lettering. I usually do black walls on my old stuff.

 

It depends on what ride it's going on, it can be tricky.

 

Those look great..although I still don’t know how ya got em on there…my 215/65/15 M&H Racemasters barely fit

 

In 1962 I had a brand new Valiant and I pulled the wheels and painted the letters (can't remember if they were Firestone or Good Year tires and painted the letters. I didn't dream that idea up on my own, I am not a trend setter. In 1963 I got a new 63 Fairlane and painted the under carriage white just like some of the other locals. Note, I live on gravel, seven miles to the nearest hard surface road, I probably wasn't the smartest guy in the world back then All that said, the tire lettering then and the laters 70 white letter tires really aren't the same and probably shouldn't be compared.
Edit....I think they were Good Years and had diamonds all the way around...I'd never do that again.

 

Remember "Tire Tattoos" ? You could letter anything your heart desired ...

 

Those are Bitchin…

 

AMBR 2013 winner.
Mega-traditional Ardun V8-60 powered T roadster with raised white letter bias-ply tires.

 

Careful measuring by Jimmy at Rally America.

 

When my favorite hot rod of all time, the Emperor, was owned by Blackie Gejeine, it ran ugly raised white letter tires instead of the wide whites when it won GNRS. I could understand that with the number of cars he had, maybe changing them for something age appropriate wasn't practical.