White Wall Tire Paint
for Diagonal (Cross-Ply) Tires

Deutsch

Introduction

The story began when I wanted to put wide white walls on my black 1956 Mercedes-Benz Type 190 Ponton sedan. I was reading the articles about tires and wide white walls, ^[1] and realized I had the same problem as Scott Gordon.^[2]

In the early 1980s, when I owned my gray 1959 Mercedes-Benz Type 190 (see link above), I managed to import 3.5" white rings from J.C.Whitney. When I bought the black Ponton, the white rings had been discontinued for many years, and could not be found anywhere. I had new 6.40-13 diagonal (cross-ply) tires, but disliked the black walls. Finally, I introduced my problem to a friend who is a chemical engineer, and together we managed to make a white rubber-paint that is elastic enough to be painted on all kinds of tires and does not crack or peel off.

Now I drive my black Mercedes-Benz Ponton with the 3.5" wide whites thanks to the heavy-duty rubberized paint. I have also been able to help some friends in the Antique Automobile Club of Iceland, who are now able to paint all four tires for a few dollars, compared to the $1,000 cost of importing U.S.-made wide white wall tires. Even some motorcycle enthusiasts in California found out about this product and are now ordering the paint to use on their vintage cycles. If some of our Mercedes-Benz Ponton friends are interested, I can arrange to have some cans made up.

1956 Mercedes-Benz Type 190 Ponton sedan with the "inventor" of the white wall tire paint

The paint was developed and produced in Iceland by myself with the help of a chemical engineer friend. There is a liquid in the paint that makes it softer and easier to paint, which is partly made of thinner. But the main secret behind the formula is a fluid we put into the rubber which keeps it from getting completely solid. Actually the paint gets only 50% solid-hardness, preventing it from cracking on the moving tire. If you apply a small amount of the paint on a plastic film and peel it off after it dries, it will stretch like a balloon. This paint is perfect for diagonal (nylon) tires, but the soft sidewalls on radials will cause cracking on some types. So I recommend the White Tire Paint (WTP) only for diagonal (cross-ply) tires — even though it can be used on radials, but then only on the responsibility of the owner.

Focus on the White Wall Tire

Detail of the White Wall Tire Paint

Application Instructions

1. Clean the tires well
2. Use paint thinner (or silicon cleaner) to prepare the tire surface you are going to paint
3. If the tire surface is very smooth and/or glossy, it is good to use some sandpaper
4. Stir the paint well and often
5. Paint 3 coats and let each coat dry for 24 hours
6. Let the tires dry for 24 hours before use
7. Equipment should be cleaned with turpentine

The paint is applied with a brush. It is rather thick with good coverage and adhesion. The first coat covers amazingly well. The second coat completely seals the tire and the third coat will make it stronger and more durable against small accidents, such as contact with a curb. The paint dries slowly allowing all brush marks to disappear.

There is a strong possibility that the tires will show a brown (or yellow) colored rubber-softening material through the paint. Triple layered paint will reduce this discoloration. If the tires are brand new this might be a problem. Then four or even five thin layers of the paint is needed to close in this brown softening material.

If the plan is to spray the paint, please use Toluene as a thinner.

To help keep water and dirt away it is good to spray STP brand Son Of A Gun on the tires, two or three layers before the first drive. It is also a good idea to have tire cleaner in the car, to clean all dirt and grease from the white walls after a journey to the countryside.

Me with my favorite Ponton photograph, which was taken in Sindelfingen in 1956.
I think my W121 is there somewhere!

Whitewall tire paint South African dealer Wade Kidwell has been busy selling the Whitewall tire paint.
Seen here is his 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline Aerosedan.

For Best Results

• Before painting, sand the tires and use a Silicone-Remover (Spirit Wipe) to clean the tires and get rid of all dirt and silicone
• Paint the tires with three layers of WTP
• Use the Westley's Bleche-Wite and the sponge to clean off dirt and discoloration from the whites
• To achieve a "perfect" curved paint line it is best to outline the desired white wall area using common automotive painter's tape (pin stripe tape)
• After painting, the painted outlines must be scored to prevent tearing the paint upon removal of the tape

Contact / Price / Payment / Distribution

• Contact orn@forlagid.is to indicate the number of cans you want and your mailing address
• Price is $20 USD for each 250 ml can of the white wall tire paint
• Postage to USA for 1-2 cans is $15 and $20 for 3-5 cans. Please write for other prices
• One can is enough for two coats on all four tires
• Send prepayment (cash, cashier's check, Visa, MasterCard and American Express credit cards or Western Union money transfer) to:
  
  Orn Sigurdsson
  Nokkvavogur 30
  104 Reykjavik
  Iceland

Dealers

U.S.A.
Luke Whitney
eBay Store for White Wall Tire Paint
wtpamerica@gmail.com

Sweden and Finland
Stefan Lundqvist, WTP-SWEDEN
order@whitetirepaint.se
http://www.whitetirepaint.se

Denmark
VeteranImporten, Gorm Wæhrens
veteranimporten@c.dk
www.veteranimporten.dk

Norway
Unneberg Bil
mail@unneberg-bil.no
www.unneberg-bil.no

United Kingdom and Ireland
The Rust Shop
http://www.therustshop.com/shop

The Netherlands and Germany
Michiel Tempelman
http://www.whitewallpaint.com

Belgium and France
MATTHYS Quality Equipment bvba
info@matthys.net
www.matthys.net

Spain / Portugal / Italy
Anvil Europe s.l.
anvil@anvil.es 
www.anvil.es 

Russia and nations of former Soviet Union
Vladimir Vozovik
info@retrosalon.ru
www.retrosalon.ru

Poland
Romuald Biaecki at RB Model
rbmodel@rbmodel.com
www.rbmodel.com

Australia / New Zealand and Oceania
Bad Penny Customs
sales@badpennycustoms.com.au
www.badpennycustoms.com.au

Japan
Natty Motorcycle
nattymotorcycle@gmail.com

Hungary
József Nagy
maxautopaulina@t-online.hu

South Africa
Wade Kidwell
kidwellw@telkomsa.net

Mexico and Central America
Guillermo Jackson
videos@jaxonfilms.com

Thailand
Pinid Savetnawin
aevespashop@yahoo.com

Singapore
Suhaimi Osman
aisancom@yahoo.com

India
Jalopy-Shop Pvt Ltd.
jalopy.shop@gmail.com
www.jalopy-shop.com

References

^[1] Tire Guide Discussion II by Doug Broome
^[2] Wide White Wall Tires by Scott Gordon

Testimonials
H.Orville Berwick Maryland (U.S.A.)	1947 Dodge Tacoma, Washington (U.S.A.)	Darren Pearsall San Francisco, California (U.S.A.)
Scooter Breck Sargent / Utah (U.S.A.)	Restored 1959 Goricke bicycle George Gazis / Athens, Greece	Justin Maclarern of New Zealand sent this photo of his motorcycle.
Honda Valkyrie Jose Jacobo / California (U.S.A.)	This BMW replica is actually a 1983 Russian-made Ural nicknamed, Olga Walter Nicholl / Australia	A letter of appreciation from Ontario, Canada
Yamaha Virago 535 T.M. Ali / Kuala Lumpur	Street Thunder ~ January 2007 Feature Article ~ White Wall Tires On A Budget	1948 Chevrolet Fleetline Wade Kidwell / South Africa another photo (South African WTP dealer)
Triumph Rocket III Classic Tom Marshall / Nevada (U.S.A.)	Toyota Carina Una Haraldsdottir /  Iceland	VW Type 1 (Käfer/Beetle) Thomas Nebe / Germany
1934 Ford coupé Lukas Heigers / South Africa	1973 Daimler Sovereign Joni Virtanen / Finland	1966 Ford Fairlane Travis Pickering / Brisbane Australia
1958 MG-B owned by Steve Eaton and Mickey Zapanta in Sydney Australia	1962 XL Ford Falcon Paul Wallace / Pleystowe Australia	2005 Ford Mustang Rinaldo Butera / California (U.S.A.)
1956 Mercedes-Benz Type 180 Emmanuel Moriau / Halle, Belgium	1928 Model A Ford Lukas Heigers, South Africa	1971 Airstream Travel Trailer Marshall Hall  / New Mexico (U.S.A.)
1932 German Ford Hubertus Weber / Germany	Thinus McLaren, South Africa	Vespa scooter Alessandro Cicciotti Genova, Italia
SA HotRods article South Africa	1955 Chevrolet Håkan Johnson Sweden	Honda Civic Sergey Khokhlov Tatarstan, Russia
1963 Buick Skylark Maj-Britt & René Hagde Denmark	1977 SMV Travel Trailer Maj-Britt & René Hagde Denmark	Keeway Cruiser Ruben Dario Munoz Caracas, Venezuela
1955 EMW 327 (East German BMW) Ari Leppälä / Finland	1961 Mercury Comet Rodwin Pabello San Francisco, California (U.S.A.)	2008 Smart Car Passion cabriolet Rodwin Pabello San Francisco, California (U.S.A.)
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Heriberto Mancilla Copiapó, Chile	1955 Volkswagen Beetle Martin Wendorff Lorentzen Denmark	1956 Ford Thunderbird Todd Jolliff Riverbank, California (U.S.A.) more detail
Gitane quadricycle Steve Hazlerig Seattle, Washington (U.S.A.)	1957 Mercedes-Benz 219 Ponton Frank Mertens Germany	Auto Roundup Scooter's Garage
1986 Tiffany Warren Barr Hermosa Beach, California (U.S.A.)	2002 Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme Tim Makeeff Kennewick, Washington (U.S.A.)	1965 Mercedes-Benz 220Sb Jyrki Matikainen Finland