Wednesday, March 16, 2011

What's up with white wall tires?

So this is a totally random post, but while browsing my local craigslist ads, I noticed a few cars that have had new tires put on them. But not just any tire ... white wall tires.

I'm certain these cars have white walls on them because the tires were cheap (e.g. the 1996 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4 I saw). I mean, who nowadays goes into a tire store and says, "Get me your best white walls for my 1995 Toyota Tercel?" I remember in the 1980s when my dad demanded that our 1985 Dodge Colt have white walls on it. I also remember my Grandma's 1984 Buick Century having them (and my dad having to clean them). But that was then. Big "wide whites" on a hot rod or classic are one thing. But putting cheap white wall tires on a modern car just looks dumb. The mere fact that tire companies still make a whitewall tire is beyond me.

Is there really a market for people wanting a one-inch strip of white rubber around their car's tires to justify their sale? Apparently.


D2M said...

Why ARE white wall tires cheaper than regular tires?

Andy Lilienthal said...

Funny, I was wondering the same thing. Supply and demand?

Anonymous said...

"Why ARE white wall tires cheaper than regular tires?"

White walls are cheaper becuse of the compounds used in them. The orginal point of white walls was to gain the traction of carbon rubber by using it for the tread wile keeping the cost down by using natural rubber on the side walls, thus the name white walled tires.

Anonymous said...

Tires For Sale