Help me understand whitewalls

[65-to-00]

out of the closet ..

OK, I'll fess up, 40 years after the fact but better late than never.

Why no white walls?

Easy, we were "faux euro" and even if we didn't have them $$$ for performance tires which at the time, were the emerging radials like Michelin, we had to look like we did.

Pirelli was making a name for itself as a performance tire .... at least reading Road & Track or Car & Driver, they were anyway. In high school, I couldn't afford Pirelli radials (Cintorauto) but the Pirelli cross ply were pretty cheap (Sempione series) .... but you had to run them black side out .... cause .. you couldn't get a white wall radial. Getting caught running white walls on a sports car (Thomas Corvair), would have been like wearing red socks on Thursday.

"Uber Kool" back then was a set of eight spoke mini-lites with a set of paunched radials (look for the bulge) ..... on a Vette or Mini S .....

 

[67HEAVEN]

Getting caught running white walls on a sports car (Thomas Corvair), would have been like wearing red socks on Thursday.

Thank you. Finally..........someone who gets it.

 

[TopLess62]

How come one of your poll options isn't "Hell no to white walls"???boogie

 

[67vet]

I just re-watched the first episode of Route 66.
Do you remember that Todd had white walls on his car? They were very wide. He also had knock off wire wheels.
The wheels were quite dirty on their way to Biloxi. They turn on to a dirt road and there is a great shot of the car from the side. As they come up to where they wait for the ferry, they squeal the tires - on dirt.

 

[Tom Bryant]

My '67 Goodwood Green coupe said blackwalls on the tank sticker. It was a 427/390 with white stinger, headrest vinyl seats, 4 speed. 3.36 posi and radio; that's all.

Tom

 

[wallyknoch]

I just re-watched the first episode of Route 66.
Do you remember that Todd had white walls on his car? They were very wide. He also had knock off wire wheels.
The wheels were quite dirty on their way to Biloxi. They turn on to a dirt road and there is a great shot of the car from the side. As they come up to where they wait for the ferry, they squeal the tires - on dirt.

The Dayton knock-offs on this Vette were inspired by the Route 66 TV series. They had them, I didn`t until I stopped in Xenia on my way home from school. Set of '5' wheels 15X6 and adapters, lead hammer, and caps $432.00. Today about $400.00 each.... They didn`t use the wires until several episodes after the first

 

[67vet]

Wallyknoch: you said: They didn`t use the wires until several episodes after the first.
Here are shots taken of the first show -
Episode #1
October 7, 1960
Title: Black November
Co star - George Kennedy

Wide white walls and wire wheels in the opening credits.
White walls and wire wheels throughout the show.
The shot with the ferry in the backround clearly identifies it as the first show.

 

[magicv8]

blackwalls belong on trucks

 

[Tom]

My 65 Coupe would look unfinished without white walls.

 

[67vet]

Tom, your 65 looks great with w/w's and your 04 without.
I guess it just depends on what your particular application. But I don't thind wide w/w's would look good on the 04.

 

[wallyknoch]

Hows My Trucks?

blackwalls belong on trucks

otfl......



.

 

[wallyknoch]

Wallyknoch: you said: They didn`t use the wires until several episodes after the first.
Here are shots taken of the first show -
Episode #1
October 7, 1960
Title: Black November
Co star - George Kennedy

Wide white walls and wire wheels in the opening credits.
White walls and wire wheels throughout the show.
The shot with the ferry in the backround clearly identifies it as the first show.

Yes, there`s wires on the 60. It`s been a long time and when did they first use the 61, could that have been with hubcaps and then switch to wires. Could you view the early episodes of the 61 and find out when the 61 was first used? In fact I dont even remember the 60 in any episodes as I may have only begin to watch the program after I got my 61 on the 15 th of November well after the show started.

 

[sub006]

I have raised white lettered tires on mine, because that's what most of them came with back then. I have Firestone Indy 500's on mine, and although they didn't come with Firestones, they look great. I think all the early C3's look great with white lettered tires.

White letters look good on a parked car. In motion, they resemble a dirty or very damaged whitewall. To me, at least.

When I got my '64 in 1966, first thing I did was get two (wider) 7:75 x 15 blackwalls to replace the bald original rears, then turn the front 6:70 x 15 whitewalls inward to match. Been "riding black" ever since.

Curbs are not such a worry either.

 

[67vet]

Wallyknoch: I haven't been on the forum for a while. I will pull out the dvd's and look for when the wheels were changed. I think you are right that they may have been used in later episodes. I will enjoy watching them anyway. It is amazing how many characters on the show became future stars. It is also hard to believe that no one ever stole anything off the rack. You couldn't get away with that today.