Whitewall vs Blackwall

[Richard Vyse]

Let me start by saying, "I'm not picking on anyone's car and only using Mark's Lifeliner as an example".

Just looking at these pictures one realizes the only way to go is with a whitewall tire yet we see time and time again blackwalls. Does it not look better with the whitewalls?

Richard

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/RichardV_2006/IMG_0504.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/RichardV_2006/cedaredge.jpg

[Steve Lichtman]

Blackwall tires were common on ambulances - they were work vehicles back in the day, and the whitewall tire was simply a luxury that was not necessary.

Nowadays, they are show cars - so the whitewalls make it look nicer!

[Josh Horton]

Blackwall tires were common on ambulances - they were work vehicles back in the day, and the whitewall tire was simply a luxury that was not necessary.

Nowadays, they are show cars - so the whitewalls make it look nicer!



I agree. Blackwall tires make it look like a work vehicle and whitewall make it look classy. That's just my opinion.

[John ED Renstrom]

I would say most of the people that ran the cars out of funeral homes were image was a factor used everything they could to bring up that image. where the private companies were ever dollar extra spent was one out of the owners pocket would not. that being said the white wall tires offered today do not meet the standards of the 70's. the tires are better "maybe" they do not look like yesterdays at all. so we have the choice of spending the big bucks with one of the company's like Diamond our use what is out there and pretend it's OK or go to black which is the same. here is what the tires off the 72 CB looked like in 72 man they are sharp. but find one today. you can have diamond cut them into a 700 x15 tire made in china. that is the correct size and width and the proper load rating for about 75 bucks a tire plus the tire price and 25 bucks each shipping or go the rout you did for some 70 bucks a tire. my winning lotto ticket hasn't blown in the open garage door yet. I'll go like you did.

[Brendan Martin]

I like the whitewall better.

[Joe Melanson]

Vote whitewall. One thing to be glad about is the year you have in this regard. My '51 & '52 need wide white$$$$ :eek:

(but then again Richard you want yours to be a working rig when called upon so you could get away w/ blackwalls :rolleyes:)

[Richard Vyse]

Vote whitewall. One thing to be glad about is the year you have in this regard. My '51 & '52 need wide white$$$$ :eek:

(but then again Richard you want yours to be a working rig when called upon so you could get away w/ blackwalls :rolleyes:)

The tire place put a couple blackwalls on the front of my Lifeliner for a few days while the rest of my whitewall tires arrived. I can tell you it was not a pretty site.

Richard

[Tony Karsnia]

Something about them just gives the entire vehicle a fresh, clean look (assuming the whitewalls are CLEAN, of course!)

I think every single ambulance I bought that came directly out of service had blackwall tires; actually light truck tires, which held up better under the weight / driving conditions. I've also heard many stories of how the "lighter" steel belted whitewall radials blew out in the rear, due to the heat generated under the fender skirts.

Two weeks ago, our '73 Superior Crown received a new set of Kelly Navigator Gold XL whitewalls (identical to what we have on the two Miller-Meteors.) We had to go with a narrower whitewall, but those 20 year old Arrivas were making me nervous. They still looked and rode well, but those would be famous last words as I'm looking at a shredded rear quarter panel...

[John ED Renstrom]

we need a old wheel balancer we can use to trim the WW to what we need. just like turning a wooden bowl to cut the black off. then one could put on a set of the raised white letters that are of the right load range and still have the WW they wanted. some one get the machine and I'll turn the tires out here to specks.

[John Royark JR]

Gotta have white walls.
You can still get any size you want from Diamond Back Classics but it will cost you!!
I found out last fall that the one inch whitewall on 14 inch tires are no longer factory available, (I must have bought one of the last sets:rolleyes: so I will have to pay double the price at Diamondback for tires when my 85 Superior FWD needs them again.:(

Of course my 49 has wide white whitewalls 4 or 4 and half inch on 16 inch tires from Diamondback. Not even going to say what they costed me!!

[Richard Vyse]

Gotta have white walls.
You can still get any size you want from Diamond Back Classics but it will cost you!!

I seemed to have found that to be true for just about everything. It usually can be found and purchased but at what price. I like the whitewalls much better too!

Richard

[Joe Melanson]

Of course my 49 has wide white whitewalls 4 or 4 and half inch on 16 inch tires from Diamondback. Not even going to say what they costed me!!

You don't have to say the actual price just say "OUCH!!". I just priced them for my '52 and then I need another set for my '51 National. But man, do they look good.

[John Royark JR]

You don't have to say the actual price just say "OUCH!!". I just priced them for my '52 and then I need another set for my '51 National. But man, do they look good.

Even with the heafty price, they were well worth the money!!
Wide Whitewalls make the car.

[Mike McDonald]

I agree that whitewalls look better (and appropriate) for the 60's and up pro-cars (especially hearses and limos), however if I was restoring an original fire department owned ambulance of the 40's and 50's I would definately use blackwalls as Steve-L said it has more of the era correct work or municipal look. Our (X-Fallbrook Fire Dept) 1954 Henney-Packard Senior Ambulance will have New HD 8 Ply 750 X 16 (Blackwall) Michliens on it when finished. MM

[Paul Steinberg]

Our town must have been wealth, since all the old ambulances prior to the First Aid Squad taking over the service had whitewall tires. The fire trucks even were loaded with gold leaf lettering and striping all over them.. Looked very classy.

[David Smith]

What about todays funeral cars and Limousines? All of the factory photos I've seen of the 2006 & newer DTS based hearses have narrow whitewalls. But I don't see them shown available anywhere. The DTS has a standard P235R17 tire.

[Matthew Taylor]

My '86 Eureka Pontiac Parisienne has the curent 235/60/17XL tires on it that are standard on "new" Cadillac Professional Cars. I believe they have a 103 load rating. I believe this is the tire:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+LS&partnum=36SR7LSWXL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

[David Smith]

Thanks Matt! That looks like the one. :thankyou2:

[Josh Gentry]

When i got my 67, it had blackwalls on it, as shown in the 2010 PCS Calender, it drove me crazy, it just didn't look right. I couldn't stand the blackwalls, I think it just looks right with whitewalls.:my2cents:

Before and after new whitewalls. Looks like 2 different coaches.

Josh

[Jeff Beyer]

talk about a controversial thread...It's like asking who made the best procar chassis in say 1949, Cadillac or Packard.
Blackwalls on my "economy" Studebaker, the way it came from South Bend, and used by the police/fire dept who ordered it. And, "the other Ambulet" also was delivered with blackwalls, as indicated in the picture and article about that car in the latest issue of Turning Wheels, the Studebaker Club magazine.
But that owner has decided to go with whitewalls, for reasons only he can explain...

[Mike McDonald]

It looks like I already answered that question about this time last year. Same answer.... blackwalls give (taxpayer owned) Ambulances the correct "municipal" look. MM

[Paul Steinberg]

It looks like I already answered that question about this time last year. Same answer.... blackwalls give (taxpayer owned) Ambulances the correct "municipal" look. MM

Our town ambulance always had white wall tires.. :cheers:

[Danny Ryder]

About the only time a blackwall looks better than a white wall is when used with fancy wheels or wire hubcaps and neither is used alot on hearses or ambulances unless modified! Oooops, I said a bad word didn't I. (Modified):my2cents:

[Mike Stevens]

I think most coaches look a bit classier with the whitewalls, whatever the width. I have never seen my coach with blackwall tires. I have seen it with 3 inch wide whitewalls and now 1 inch whitewalls.
'Working' coaches may be more correct with blackwalls but I'll vote for the whiteside tire. This is another one of those things that we can discuss and never reach a difinitive answer.
Mike
61 M-M

[Bill Marcy]

I am a whitewall guy! I have been putting the slightly wider 1 1/2, or so inch, correct load rated, radial tires from American Classic on my last few procars. I am very happy with the way they look and they have a decent ride too!

[Steve Lichtman]

... And, "the other Ambulet" also was delivered with blackwalls, as indicated in the picture and article about that car in the latest issue of Turning Wheels, the Studebaker Club magazine.
But that owner has decided to go with whitewalls, for reasons only he can explain...Oh, stab me why don'cha? ;) Yes, I can explain it. I'm cheap! The whitewalls are there because..........they came with the car. I haven't had to replace the tires, so the whitewalls stay for now. Later on, we'll see!

Hey, I coulda left all that extra chrome on it that Bingo put on, but I didn't.

[Josh Gentry]

I am a whitewall guy! I have been putting the slightly wider 1 1/2, or so inch, correct load rated, radial tires from American Classic on my last few procars. I am very happy with the way they look and they have a decent ride too!
Thats what I put on the 67, and other than the price, I love them. I would deffinently buy another set. There not the best riding tire in the world, but not bad either. And god they look good.:D

Josh

[Jean-Marc Dugas]

My 67 came original with white walls. It was used at the Chalk River Nuclear Powerplant, so I doubt it very much that they would have spent any money on extras, therefore leading me to believe that whitewall came as a standard item on this car.

http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=7&pictureid=60

[Rocky Fluegge]

I have to admit im in for the white wall tires also!:my2cents:

[John Royark JR]

Gotta have whitewalls!!! Even my 85 Superior Cadillac FWD rides on tires with a 1" whitewall, and they are on 14" rims! Yes, 14" rims are the correct size for the coach, I still have the original rims. Pics of this can be seen in my photo album.

[John Royark JR]

talk about a controversial thread...It's like asking who made the best procar chassis in say 1949, Cadillac or Packard.

Cant say who has the best procar chassis in 49, but the best coachbuilder in '49 is S&S. But then again Im a little bias. :bigMoon:

[Paul Steinberg]

My 67 came original with white walls. It was used at the Chalk River Nuclear Powerplant, so I doubt it very much that they would have spent any money on extras, therefore leading me to believe that whitewall came as a standard item on this car.

http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=7&pictureid=60

The whitewalls were an extra cost option from Pontiac, and almost every car had them even though they were an extra cost item, because of looks. Your car could have been ordered with disk brakes and / or 15" wheels. I remember seeing 1967 Pontiac's in the showroom that had window stickers that were two pages since the option list was so long. Your car doesn't show what the base model was, however, it has the trim pieces on both sides of the front license plate, which leads me to believe that it was ordered with some trim upgrades.

[Rick Franklin]

In MY opinion, a luxury car like a Cadillac,Lincoln, Imperial, Electra, or Olds 98 just doesnt look correct unless it has white wall tires. I was looking at the cars one day at my local Cadillac dealer and there were 2 almost identical DTS sedans next to each other, both burgundy colored cars. One had polished aluminum wheels with black wall tires and the other had chrome wheels with Vogue tires (whitewall with gold stripe). The one with the upgraded wheel package looked so much better. The guy who owns the bodyshop where my cars get fixed has a late model Deville also. He had Vogues on it and recently bought new tires and went with blackwalls; the car looks cheap now and he regrets NOT getting the Vogues again.

[Andrew G. Zajkowski]

I agree with rick and several other's white walls do look better , when i worked at r.s. harper custom coach of michigan. back in the late 80's all the new conversions had vogue white walls with a gold stripe even the spare was that same tire . they where a pain to keep clean, but the owner insisted on making sure that you never curbed the limousine and if you did and could not be cleaned it was replaced these car also had those cadillac oem wire rims that where gold plated that you could only use a certain chemical on to clean them which would run down onto the white wall's making a little mess if you were not paying attention.

[David Smith]

I am not a real big fan of the vogue tyres, but I did like the OEM gold stripe Royal Seal tires that Cadillac put on the Broughams in the late 80s.

What I really liked were the dual stripe whitewalls offered in the early seventies. Dodge actually had them on the Dynasty model in the late 80s. Chrysler Newyorkers of that era had them too.

[John ED Renstrom]

you mean these

[David Smith]

John,

Yes. Those are great.

[John Royark JR]

I am not a real big fan of the vogue tyres, but I did like the OEM gold stripe Royal Seal tires that Cadillac put on the Broughams in the late 80s.

What I really liked were the dual stripe whitewalls offered in the early seventies. Dodge actually had them on the Dynasty model in the late 80s. Chrysler Newyorkers of that era had them too.

You can still get these white walls from DiamondBack Classics, not cheap but you can get them. They make the gold stripe ones also.

[John ED Renstrom]

yes I'm saving up for them. going to get them cut into a set of 700 x15 to match up with this new spar I have. last time I checked it was 80 bucks a tire to have the writing buffed and the white wall cut in.

[Chris Mooney]

Ill white walls all the way. My father used to have White wall on all his police cars up to about 97. Here are two photos one of my Grandfathers 72 Nova Police car and My dads 80 Chevy Caprice. Sorry a little of thread but informational.

http://images51.fotki.com/v1560/photos/1/1293218/5908756/10_03_1-vi.jpg (http://public.fotki.com/chrismooney/for-joseph-mooney/10031.html)Hosted on Fotki (http://www.fotki.com)

http://images53.fotki.com/v1579/photos/8/1293218/8048886/09_25_2-vi.jpg (http://public.fotki.com/chrismooney/family/waverley-police/09-25-2.html)Hosted on Fotki (http://www.fotki.com)

[Richard Vyse]

Just how cool is that! Neat pictures Chris.

[John Royark JR]

yes I'm saving up for them. going to get them cut into a set of 700 x15 to match up with this new spar I have. last time I checked it was 80 bucks a tire to have the writing buffed and the white wall cut in.

Ed, DiamondBack does not use the cut in method. Thay vulcanize the white rubber to the tire. Also they use a butyl lining between the white and black rubber so the chemicals in the black do not leach into the white, which makes them look dingy, or yellow. I have had mine for 5 years now and they still look as white as the day I got them. I have cleaned them as recommended, simple green and a green scotch brite pad. They are the easiest tires I have ever cleaned.

[Dwayne Brooks]

I have cleaned them as recommended, simple green and a green scotch brite pad.

Thanks for that tip John! BTW do you know if Simple Green is more friendly with aluminum? Wesley's bleach white tarnishes my Torque-Thrust wheels when cleaning the Firestone white-letters, so I have to be careful with it when detailing my coach.

[John Royark JR]

Thanks for that tip John! BTW do you know if Simple Green is more friendly with aluminum? Wesley's bleach white tarnishes my Torque-Thrust wheels when cleaning the Firestone white-letters, so I have to be careful with it when detailing my coach.

YES, simple green is very friendly with aluminum. I use it all the time on my rims, cuts right through road grime and brake dust. Spray it on rims, wipe with a rag or hand, hose off and dry. Works great on chrome and stainless too. TIP-It is alot cheaper to buy the big concentrated jug and dilute it yourself.

You should never use bleach white on your tires, the bleach in it will dry out your tires, many people here will agree, and it can permanitly damage amuminum rims (says so right on the bottle).