show the white letters?

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Sparky

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Have some new tires coming for my 68 notcho. Here is the question. White letters to be seen or hidden on the tires? Last ones, I hid the letters. Looking for opinions.
Thanks, pics of both would help.
Sparky
 
I like white letter tires, but it depends on a couple things; like if you're going for the "Day 2" look.
What kind of wheels they're going on; some wheels just don't look right with RWL.
What size the tire is- thin sidewall "rubber band" tires don't really show off the RWL.
What brand tire it is. Some have goofy script or logo on them that makes them look ridiculous. Those go to the inside, I don't care how good the tire actually is.
 
Got the whites inside on my pickup, no maintenance. 69 runner supposed to have redlines. Bracket car, white letters on the slicks, to watch for tire slip on the starting line, otherwise black out. Real racing tires, love having the whites out.
For a 70-up musclecar, white letters out, if the tires are decent. Mickeys, or Cobra's, white out.
I agree with Professor Fate. It kinda depends on wheels, and car color.


Bottom line, as always with me.... it's YOUR car, do what YOU want!
 
I figured the Cooper Cobras with the rally wheels should be letter out. 30 years ago it was Dunlop GT Qualifiers. 15 years ago it was Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. And the beat goes on...

IMG_4397.jpeg
 
I figured the Cooper Cobras with the rally wheels should be letter out. 30 years ago it was Dunlop GT Qualifiers. 15 years ago it was Firestone Firehawk Indy 500s. And the beat goes on...

View attachment 1716063793
Those are the tires I am looking at! That looks good! Not the exact wheel , probably, the American racing Indy series. Same that is on my car now but 15 inch with discs on all four. BBP.
1678834451960.png
 
I'm a fan of the white letters showing, but there are definite exceptions.

Dirty slots and white letters out on my beater '69 Signet:

100_3630.JPG
 
The right car and wheel needs white letters. I haven't posted this photo for a long time. It's the afternoon after I put new wheels and tires on.

001.jpg
 
Going to get the polished version of that wheel, lots of bling against all black..........
In that case, I vote white letters out. Black car, black tires, black wheel opening around the tire... the white will break up/fill in that expanse of black a bit.

My wheels were pretty once, as were the tires, the day the tires were installed. I haven't paid much mind to 'em since because they work toward the overall look I want: the neglected high-school beater.
Two things nobody expects: 1) The Spanish Inquisition. 2) A crappy-looking old Valiant with a solid-roller W2 340. :D
 
White letters out, car looks faster that way.

White letters in looks hokey. If you want no white letters then at least paint over the white letters on the inside with tire paint.
 
It all kind of depends on the mood I'm in, too- since I'm kind of a wheel *****, I change them out to suit my current preference, even on the same car...
Take my '75 Swinger, for instance:
Letters out:
upload_2022-7-17_16-50-23-jpeg.jpg

Letters in:
upload_2022-7-17_16-47-7-jpeg.jpg

Hell, sometimes I'm even in a whitewall mood:
upload_2022-7-17_16-45-40-jpeg.jpg

The moral of the story: Get multiple sets!
 
It all kind of depends on the mood I'm in, too- since I'm kind of a wheel *****, I change them out to suit my current preference, even on the same car...

The moral of the story: Get multiple sets!
For my Challenger, I have a set of 17" x 8" reproduction Minilites (picture Sam Posey's SCCA Challenger) with 255/50R-17s, 15" x 8.5"Western Cyclone IIs and 15" x 7" plain black (body color) steelies/red-ring dog dishes, both with 255/60R-15 BFG Radial T/As.
I had Cyclone IIs on my old Challenger back in the '80s, but I bought it with the red-rings and original Polyglas tires, so both of those are a nostalgia thing for me.
 
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