Ive seen skinny white portawalls that were ribbed between the white and the rim. Pretty bad ass. I had them some 5 years ago and only problem i had was CURBS! What causes a mini scratch on a tire that can be easily buffed out will shred the shit outta them! Being on my daily and being that i used to park in town all the time on curb sides chances of curbin them were on the high. Funny enuff since them i always ran proper skinnies and maybe happened once. Murphys law...
I agree with Tommy,,most of the guys that have the most to say about them were not there in their heyday. Money was tight and they were accessories that made a big difference for very little money. HRP
I tried portawalls, and the home made sander whitewalls, then some coker bias ply (firestone 6.70)... Never was happy with the look (or the ride on the cokers) until I got a set of Diamondback radials. Best money I have dumped into my rust bucket.
I thought the same until I got them on the car. For an open wheeled car, I'd definitely run bias ply. But on a full fendered car, I can't see enough of a difference in the look to justify the poor ride. Back on topic, the portawalls were cheap and made a huge difference in the look of the car... but they were a temporary fix... don't expect them to last long. And I had one that was not centered properly that drove me crazy.
I have had to adjust them on rare occasions. Let the air out, take a rubber ka-blitzer and adjust, air it back up and you are good to go. No need to break the bead.
They work great if you install them right. If not they are hit and miss. The smaller ones, like the 15X1 3/4" ones are way better in radials then the 3" ones. I have a 14" on display here at my shop and at the swapmeets, fools people all the time.