[stevet]

Think about this one for a moment or two.

Call me crazy, but at some point in the future, my Grigio Moda (dark gray metallic) Classica (which I don't even own yet) will need replacement tires. I've not researched them, but assuming a reputable tire could be obtained in the 195/50vr16 size that the Classica is fitted with, what would you think about a white wall tire? For me, this car is more about class and style than performance. A "gentleman's roadster" is how I refer to it with friends and family. White walls would have been used on some '60s Brit and Italian 2-seat sports cars, weren't they? (The attached photo is of a bias ply Firestone from a Google image search, not sized or specified for the modern cars, but it shows the type of stripe I'm referring to.)

Hmmm, white walls on a modern 124...

Steve.

 

[JFernald]

Think about this one for a moment or two.

Call me crazy, but at some point in the future, my Grigio Moda (dark gray metallic) Classica (which I don't even own yet) will need replacement tires. I've not researched them, but assuming a reputable tire could be obtained in the 195/50vr16 size that the Classica is fitted with, what would you think about a white wall tire? For me, this car is more about class and style than performance. A "gentleman's roadster" is how I refer to it with friends and family. White walls would have been used on some '60s Brit and Italian 2-seat sports cars, weren't they? (The attached photo is of a bias ply Firestone from a Google image search, not sized or specified for the modern cars, but it shows the type of stripe I'm referring to.)

Hmmm, white walls on a modern 124...

Steve.

You asked for it. DON'T DO IT! Just don't.

 

[ThatsASeamus]

My thought is that there's not enough sidewall to make white walls look good. Nor do they necessarily look good on modern car colors.

Bring back that blue from the auto show debuts and you might be on to something...

 

[JFernald]

Besides my personal preference, I doubt that you will find white walls that are suitable for the car. Even if you find a size that fits it will not give you the driving characteristics that are intended for this car.

 

[ferretgt500]

I was thinking about this. Perhaps as a bit of a compromise, one could stencil in lettering on the the tires? That could give the "retro" look without accompanying hassle of finding a whitewall tire that fits/handles well.

 

[TomM]

There are tire decal kits from fake white walls to lettering/designing kits in multiple colors. If that's your thing, go nuts. Bling out your tires however you want them to look.
https://www.tirestickers.com/
http://tredwear.com/product/1-5-inch-white-wall/
http://portawallshop.com/
http://shop.tiregraficx.com/

 

[stevet]

Yeah, I can't pin down why I think I'd want white walls, and doing a little research after I posted did not give me many resources to find them. Funny enough, I saw a couple web hits where they are mentioned in Fiat 500 circles. White lettering just looks too much like a '70s muscle car. In high school in the mid-80s, a friend's dad had a Triumph TR6 rag top, dark brown metallic, and I think it had a twin, red pinstripe style sidewall tire. Maybe. That was a long time ago.

Oh, this, too, will probably pass...

Steve.

 

[MotoPete]

I wouldn't say you're crazy at all Steve, taste is certainly a personal thing, and I can see where you're going with this. You want a "gentleman's roadster" look, that's cool!

I think your best bet would be the Portawall insert trims that Tom has linked.

Some inspiration for you...

Good luck with it!

 

[PureAdrenaline]

Steve...go for it....it's your car...make it look however you like...the insert trims are a great idea...then you can use a higher performance tire...sounds like the tire stickers may be a better option...

 

[Bob Z]

I agree, it is your car and while it is nice to get opinions you are the only one to decide. Check out Coker Tires if you want to get more ideas:


https://www.cokertire.com/

 

[sharkcohen]

Not crazy at all.

 

[JFernald]

There are tire decal kits from fake white walls to lettering/designing kits in multiple colors. If that's your thing, go nuts. Bling out your tires however you want them to look.
[B]https://www.tirestickers.com/[/B]
http://tredwear.com/product/1-5-inch-white-wall/
http://portawallshop.com/
http://shop.tiregraficx.com/

If you are really looking for something that makes your car stand out, I would go with the tire stickers. I have seen portawalls flapping as they go down the road and they don't give you the options that the tire stickers do. Portawalls are cheesy old technology designed for bias ply tires.

Until I saw Tom's post, I didn't know about tire stickers. Having visited their site, I think it's worth your time to look at it. The options are nearly unlimited. You can even choose whether you want them to be permanent or temporary.
Also, they don't add weight to your wheels like the portawalls do.

My main concern when answering your question at the top of the thread was that you would not be able to get a white-walled tire of the proper size, type and quality for your car. If you want to dress up your tires, I'm all for it.

 

[JFernald]

You could do this, if you wanted to with Tire Stickers.

 

[stevet]

Huh, so there are choices to be looked at. Hey, thanks for the ideas and the image links!

Now then, where's my Spider? Oh, yeah, it's still half a world away.

Steve.

 

[ForzaFiata]

I'm with everyone else -- it's your vehicle, do to it exactly what you would like. Precisely zero people are paying for it other than yourself, so you should enjoy it as you see fit.

My recommendation would be for the stickers as well, for all of the reasons mentioned above PLUS having the ability to replace them in the event that you curb-rash one of the tires. You could be back to "new" in very little time, at very little expense.

My only bit of advice would be to go "full retro" -- rear luggage rack, retro-inspired wheels, wooden shift knob, and wooden steering wheel rim. There's another thread where a guy swapped the OEM knob for wood, and the results came out quite nicely.

If you are going to commit to the "retro" theme, fully commit. The car will really be something special.

Keep us posted on the progress!!