Keeping white tires white

[HarryBulkeley]

Any suggestions on keeping white tires white? I used Bleche-White but it splattered all over the wheels and fenders. Took a long time to wipe it off. I could mask but do you have alternatives?

[TXGOAT2]

To keep them white, keep them away from heat and sunlight and other tires, so far as is possible. As far as I know, using care and patience is the only way to keep cleaning products off paint. Having rinse water ready to hand would be a good idea. Rinse any spatters or drips immediately, and before wiping.

[love2T's]

Sorta depends also on what you mean by "keeping them white"...as in, are they getting the infamous and almost always gonna happen light brown to even yellowish? That you can't stop. It's gonna happen. As far as keeping them "clean white", then usually good old fashioned dish detergent as in Dawn, or even this stuff called "totally awesome" you get at the dollar store works well also. Forget Bleach White, it's no good any more. Nothing better than good ol' soap, warm water, and elbow grease. And some luck.

[Rich P. Bingham]

. . . warm water, and elbow grease . . .

SOS soap pads were the “go to” back in the 50s for cleaning the wide whitewalls. (and them greasy elbows)

[Art Ebeling]

I noticed that the treads stay whiter than the sidewalls which turn yellow so I took a red scotchpad to the sidewalls and it made quite a difference.

[TXGOAT2]

I believe that some inner tubes will cause tires to yellow or brown. Red natural rubber tubes would probably be best. Some tires and tubes have a very strong odor. I suspect the low odor tubes would be a better choice in a white or whitewall tire.

[schwabd1]

Before.pdf

(466.4 KiB) Downloaded 14 times

Before.pdf

(466.4 KiB) Downloaded 14 times

someone turned me onto "40 Volume", used in beauty shops to bleach hair. I guess kids are using it to bleach out the white soles of their tennis shoes. I tried Bleach White, SOS pads. "Awesome" cleaner from Dollar General, nothing worked. So I thought I'd try the 40 Volume stuff. You have to be careful as it's pretty potent and can burn your skin if not properly handled. You need to brush the 40 Volume on the tire surface and immediately wrap it with clear plastic wrap. It then needs to be exposed to a UV light source.... I used the sun. These tires took 3 treatments, but I was extremely satisfied with the outcome.

[Adam]

Any suggestions on keeping white tires white?

LOL! Don’t install them. Keep them in their original packaging and store in your basement. Preferably in the root cellar or an area with no windows.

[love2T's]

Inner tube schminnertube about them turning white tires brown or yellow. Never gonna believe that. How is a rubber tube gonna bleed through several layers of cord to the outside? Poppycock. Look at these pics of two different tires that were two different run dates. Try to convince me that the "white" isn't "topical"...painted on! It boils down to QUALITY and UV resistance!

[TXGOAT2]

You can spoil a set of new whitewall tires by storing them with the black side of one tire in contact with the white side of another. But you do as you like.

[TXGOAT2]

Early tires were made with natural rubber and no carbon black. It was found that adding carbon black to the rubber made the rubber far more durable. It also made it black. Ever since the WWII era, most all tires are made of synthetic rubber, or a blend of natural and synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber is a petrochemical substance that emits gases, especially when it is new. The gases are capable of staining white wall tires. I do not know if modern white wall tires are made with white natural rubber or synthetic white rubber. Most all post-WWII white wall tires have a layer of white rubber in the carcass. It is not painted on. Antique all-white tires may be made differently today than they were in the early 20th century.