To Whitewall or Not to Whitewall? That is my question...

Go with the whitewalls! It's a cool retro look that shows your originality and suits your 240 wagon, even though they are not original.

Why follow the crowd?

ID

Well, it certainly is a matter of individual taste but I have owned a BUNCH of Volvos and never had whitewalls on them.

Chuck Fiedler Nothing but Volvo since 1974

Wow...I hadn't seen whitewall tires at the tire dealer in 10 years. If you like the look then go for it. Whitewalls to take a bit more maintenance to keep them from looking grungy though.

Hi,

I had whitewalls originally on my '58 445 wagon. (Yes, that's '58 445 wagon....) They were the WIDE whitewalls. I liked them. When I mounted snowtires I got whitewall RINGS (!) for them, to maintain the cool retro look.......

Happy days! Andy I. ('58 445 wagon; '65 122S wagon; '67 121 2-door direct import; '74 145 wagon and '74 142 2-door (Both a matching "Burnt Orange" colour...); '86 245 wagon; '93 245 Classic Wagon.)

: >So... what do you all think? Keep the whitewalls hidden? Or have the : >whitewalls facing out and have the one already on the car turned : >around? Thoughts? : >

: >thanks! : >Patricia : : Well, it certainly is a matter of individual taste but I have owned a : BUNCH of Volvos and never had whitewalls on them. : : Chuck Fiedler : Nothing but Volvo since 1974

Tyres (tires if you insist!) are one of the most important *functional* components of a car since they are your interface with the road surface and are vital for correct handling and adhesion.

It is therefore important to choose tyres for their functional qualities - cosmetics just don't come into it!

Patricia, Depends on how you feel about your "image". If a traditionalist of some kind, leave them black. But if you are a more out-in-front sort of girl, and like a spiffy ride, go for the white walls. Heck, you might even want to get a hood scoop, airfoil and ground effects and add some magnetic flames to the side... I have been joking with a friend's 11 year old daughter who has been lobbying that I should "pimp my ride". I'll Photoshop it first and see.

In message news: snipped-for-privacy@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com, Patricia Butler sprach forth the following:

Wide whitewalls connote '57 Chevy's and Eisenhower optimism. Skinny whitewalls bring to mind leisure suits and Jimmy Carter 'malaise'.

Which statement do you wish to make?

The part of the tire that is white cannot contain carbon black. Carbon block helps to protect rubber form oxidation. The sidewalls of whitewall tires are therefor subject to degradation. That is the price of vanity.

If you are willing to keep them clean then go for the whitewall look!

John

Yes, of course. I would never choose a tire (or tyre, if you insist) based on how pretty it was! LOL! The best tires for the car just happened to be whitewalls.

Thank you all for your input. I ended up going with the whitewalls facing in rather than visible for two reasons: (1) I still haven't seen another car in this town with whitewall tires, which would seem to indicate they're not the thing to have, and (2) since they'd already mounted the first new tire I got a couple of months ago with the whitewall facing in, it would've cost me an additional $30 to have them change it around. I already feel like I'm hemorraghing money this month, so, once again, cheapness wins the day!

Thanks, everyone.