White tires

[jiminbartow]

I have seen this subject discussed here in the past, but was surprised at how yellow a white tire can get, upon seeing the attached photo in another thread.

Is there a way through bleaching, scrubbing, or some other method, to return white rubber tires to their original bright white color? How about the spray-on white-wall tire cleaners available in auto parts stores. I like the look of bright white tires on brass era T‘s and it would be ashame if the yellow color was permanent because yellowed tires are not attractive and white tires are way too expensive to have this happen. Jim Patrick

[Tod Wirth, WI]

If you are talking about the issue of major yellowing or browning of the white tires, that we were running into for some years, the information that I put together indicated that the source of the problem was from one of the more common tubes that we could get at the time. My research into the problem found that by the time I wanted to do a controlled test of the theory, the company that was producing those tubes had gone out of business and new ones were no longer available. They were off of the market in early 2017 but if you have some old tubes on the shelf that are marked "Made in EEC", I wouldn't put them in any white tires.

Since they have gone off the market, I haven't heard of the problem happening with the newer tubes.

For more of a run down on the problem, please see this earlier post. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/70 ... 1495468760

There are other things that can "stain" white tires. One common problem is grease and oil dripping on them and not getting cleaned off right away. Grease leaking out of the ends of the rear axle can make a real mess of the inside of the rear tires.

As far as general cleaning of white tires, I just use Black Magic's (was Westley's) Bleche Wite. Has always worked well for me. For spots I sometimes take some brake clean on a rag to them. Works fairly well.

[Art Ebeling]

I have a set of white Universals purchased new just over a year ago with new tubes purchased at the same time. The car has been rolled out of the garage twice in that time. They are turning yellow. The fronts went first and now the rears are turning yellow. Art

[Quickm007]

I experienced the same issue than Art...with same timming. Comming yellow slowly but surely too. I bought the right tube at Lang's but the garantie about white turning yellow expired unfortunately. I decided to keep as is. It's look like she had the original tires. It is the only way I found the positive.

[Steve Jelf]

I would try the Bleche Wite. I used it many years ago on a car that had white sidewalls, and it worked very well.

[Quickm007]

Hi Jeff,

I tried blech wite last week and not working... It clean well the wheel for sure. Yellow stil there. I tried lo let the product working 10 minutes and using a brush as well, no change...I thought the problem is inside of the white rubber, something chemical.

[jiminbartow]

I think if I had a brass era car with expensive yellowed white tires that were uncleanable, I would purchase a container of bright white satin latex paint and with a superior quality brush, paint the tires with the white paint. Latex paint adheres well to clean rubber and expands and contracts and would look a lot better than the yellow. Keep the tires tightly inflated with air and there will be little movement of the rubber. Jim Patrick

[Bud Delong]

Do any of these tires look to be bright white in any of the old pictures of the time?? Im on my second set of all whites, because that is what they had back then .Bud.

[Charlie B in N.J.]

If I were going to install a set of whites I think I’d slip the slightly inflated tubes into a garbage bag. Put it in the tire. Cut off the excess tuck it up nice & neat and install on the rim. Keep the tube off the tire.

[jiminbartow]

Does the close proximity of the black rubber tube to the inside of the White tire have anything to do with the discoloration? If so, does that mean that the yellow goes all the way through the tire so that if you cut a cross section, it would be yellow on the inside? If so, how about painting the inside of the tire with several coats of white latex paint or that “Flex Seal” liquid rubber product advertised on TV. That might be more durable than a thin garbage bag. If you know your tire is going to eventually yellow, it is worth a try. Anyway, it can’t hurt. Jim Patrick

[Charlie B in N.J.]

Sorry but I don't think introducing chemicals is going to have the desired result.

[John kuehn]

The white tires I’ve seen on early cars such as a T weren’t really white but more of a Ivory color. Were they really ‘white‘ when new like the whitewall tires of the 50’s? I don’t think so but just asking.