White letter tires and vintage cars
June 28th, 2011, 05:22 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Southern Illinois, Belleville area
Posts: 118
White letter tires and vintage cars
I have noticed what I deem an inordinate amount of white letter tires on cars from the 60’s. I lived those years myself and I don’t remember that many cars (even 442’s and Cutlass’s) with white or red letter tires.
Today when I came to work there was a 1964 Impala, 2 door, hardtop, single exhaust, 3 on the tree sitting in the parking lot with white letter tires. Looks wrong to me! Have I forgotten or do people today do this because they think it’s cool rather than correct?
Thanks for any insight!
Robert
Today when I came to work there was a 1964 Impala, 2 door, hardtop, single exhaust, 3 on the tree sitting in the parking lot with white letter tires. Looks wrong to me! Have I forgotten or do people today do this because they think it’s cool rather than correct?
Thanks for any insight!
Robert
June 28th, 2011, 05:37 AM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Southeast Michigan
Posts: 1,224
In my mind, because tires are consumable items, any tire style made after the production date of the car would be fine. Now if you are going for a concours restoration, you would want to have the correct style tire for that year. I also happen to think that the RWL on my '68 look awesome. But that is just my opinion, others may differ.
June 28th, 2011, 06:02 AM
#3
Factory Raised White Lettered tires didn't really start to appear widespread on musclecars until after 1968 generally (1969 and up with the advent of wide treads). Most tires before then were Blackwall, Red/Yellow/Blue lines on performance car applications, and of course Whitewalls with varying thicknesses and sometimes double Whitewalls. I agree with you that the early cars just don't look right with R/W/L tires. There were exceptions. I restored a '70 GTO Judge in the early '90s that the build sheet showed as coming with thin whitewalled G70-14 tires from the factory, not R/W/L as most all came with.
June 28th, 2011, 06:35 AM
#4
Administrator
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Poteau, Ok
Posts: 40,597
Well RWL tires have been around since 65 or 66. I think the first time I saw them they were smaller RWL on a Goodyear tire in the 60's. Firestone wide oval in 68, and Bfg were really popular from the early 70's on!!
June 28th, 2011, 06:47 AM
#5
I think the RWL look good on some cars and not others. If you are doing a stock restoration and the RWL were not available then they should not be used. I love em' on my 72' and they do look good. Again it comes down to it's your car if you want to have them go for it.
June 28th, 2011, 07:14 AM
#6
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
Lettered tires look good on "mag" wheels, but not with hubcaps.
Although most "restored" cars you see rolling these days seem to have mag wheels, we all know that the VAST majority of cars "back then" came with hubcaps.
I spent a goodly amount of time looking for whitewalls in my size (235/75x15) recently, and finally had to settle on tires that weren't as good as I had wanted because they just don't seem to make whitewalls anymore. This may be another reason: If you want good, modern tires, you can only get 'em in black or lettered.
- Eric
Although most "restored" cars you see rolling these days seem to have mag wheels, we all know that the VAST majority of cars "back then" came with hubcaps.
I spent a goodly amount of time looking for whitewalls in my size (235/75x15) recently, and finally had to settle on tires that weren't as good as I had wanted because they just don't seem to make whitewalls anymore. This may be another reason: If you want good, modern tires, you can only get 'em in black or lettered.
- Eric
gmthQ~~_12.JPG)
June 28th, 2011, 07:44 AM
#9
June 28th, 2011, 07:45 AM
#10
Talking about the RWL it reminded me of my first car I bought when I was 17. I think we have all been there. It was a 1961 Ford Falcon POS. It was 1982 and the first thing I did was get a set of Keystone Classic mags, big wide ones on the rear with RWL, and of course the CB antenna on the trunk. I spent more on the tires and rims than on the car. Boy was my old man cheezed off at me.....Good times.
June 28th, 2011, 09:26 AM
#11
Oldsdruid
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southside Vajenya
Posts: 10,302
Some people do it to be perverse or because they don't know or care better, but simple fact is you often cannot get those large size 14" tires in a whitewall. So it's either show the white letters, turn them in, send them off to somewhere like Diamondback Classics to get a correct WW put on, or pay out the wazoo for reproduction tires.
Like Eric, I recently had to search for and finally special order 225/75R15 whitewall passenger car tires for the wagon- not one tire store here stocked them, though I could get all the LT tires I wanted in that size. The 235 LT tires I needed for the truck ALSO had to be ordered
.
Ended up with Kumho Solus which so far seem to be a good tire, though I would rather have had North American production. Firestone and Cooper/Mastercraft are about the only NA tiremakers who supply those large sizes.
Like Eric, I recently had to search for and finally special order 225/75R15 whitewall passenger car tires for the wagon- not one tire store here stocked them, though I could get all the LT tires I wanted in that size. The 235 LT tires I needed for the truck ALSO had to be ordered
.Ended up with Kumho Solus which so far seem to be a good tire, though I would rather have had North American production. Firestone and Cooper/Mastercraft are about the only NA tiremakers who supply those large sizes.
June 28th, 2011, 11:55 AM
#12
I had a low mileage '79 Dodge Aspen wagon that I bought off my Grandfather back in the mid '90s. It needed tires so I bought some cheap RWL 225/70R14 tires for it, removed the hubcaps and replaced the lug nuts with Chrome ones and gave it that 'Super Stock' Dodge 'A12' look. 
June 28th, 2011, 11:59 AM
#13
Ben
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Snohomish, WA
Posts: 1,825
i'm waitin for them to repop the ole dual stripe white walls...
LOL
RWL just looks good on most classic cars- Although i would really love to get a set of diamondback redlines to go on my car. Maybe when my bfg's wear out.
LOL
RWL just looks good on most classic cars- Although i would really love to get a set of diamondback redlines to go on my car. Maybe when my bfg's wear out.
June 28th, 2011, 12:13 PM
#15
Randy C.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Albany, OR
Posts: 3,249
Back in the early 70s, I recall really liking the looks of the rwl tires but my brothers and I couldn't convince my parents to buy them. They did have the double white-line tires on the 4-4-2 at one time but we hated it! Then, we convinced my parents just to get blackwall Goodyear or Firestone tires for the 4-4-2 and my brothers and I would take care of the rest. They did, and we did, too. Those tire paint "crayons" of the early 70s were our favorite and we did our best to dress up the new Goodyear tires to emulate the rwl look. And they did look good...for about two weeks...before the white turned yellow...and we had to clean the letters and do them again. We did it, though. Our parents had really cool cars (dad's was the '68 4-4-2 (now mine), mom's was the '67 Camaro) and we couldn't let them down!
Randy C.
Randy C.
June 28th, 2011, 12:31 PM
#16
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 372
cfe809ec.jpg
I don't believe these tires look like ***??!! Don't know if these are the "modern white letter tires" u speak of...but I could think of many other words to describe white letter tires, and it's not "like ***". I don't believe your 65 came with red painted steel wheels, but that's ur preference. I would prefer white letter tires with some nice wheels rather than penny pinch and spray a steel wheel the same color as the car. Of course, I'm not fond of color match wheels. To each is own, who would of thought lettered tires could bring such conversation!!!
I don't believe these tires look like ***??!! Don't know if these are the "modern white letter tires" u speak of...but I could think of many other words to describe white letter tires, and it's not "like ***". I don't believe your 65 came with red painted steel wheels, but that's ur preference. I would prefer white letter tires with some nice wheels rather than penny pinch and spray a steel wheel the same color as the car. Of course, I'm not fond of color match wheels. To each is own, who would of thought lettered tires could bring such conversation!!!
June 28th, 2011, 03:36 PM
#18
Registered User
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Newport, WA
Posts: 129
Letters
profile.jpg
Nice looking 65! In fact I really dig your wheels.
My 64 is the first car where I had color matched wheels....and I am pretty apathetic about them...I can take them or leave them. I think some SS1 wheels might look more correct than the wheels I am running now. As far as the original post is concerned, the white letters certainly make the car look different. I would like to put on some stock wheels and caps, with some redline BFG TA's and see how that would look.
Nice looking 65! In fact I really dig your wheels.
My 64 is the first car where I had color matched wheels....and I am pretty apathetic about them...I can take them or leave them. I think some SS1 wheels might look more correct than the wheels I am running now. As far as the original post is concerned, the white letters certainly make the car look different. I would like to put on some stock wheels and caps, with some redline BFG TA's and see how that would look.
June 28th, 2011, 04:13 PM
#19
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Windsor, Ontario
Posts: 902
Been There, Done That!
Lettered tires look good on "mag" wheels, but not with hubcaps.
Although most "restored" cars you see rolling these days seem to have mag wheels, we all know that the VAST majority of cars "back then" came with hubcaps.
I spent a goodly amount of time looking for whitewalls in my size (235/75x15) recently, and finally had to settle on tires that weren't as good as I had wanted because they just don't seem to make whitewalls anymore. This may be another reason: If you want good, modern tires, you can only get 'em in black or lettered.
- Eric
Although most "restored" cars you see rolling these days seem to have mag wheels, we all know that the VAST majority of cars "back then" came with hubcaps.
I spent a goodly amount of time looking for whitewalls in my size (235/75x15) recently, and finally had to settle on tires that weren't as good as I had wanted because they just don't seem to make whitewalls anymore. This may be another reason: If you want good, modern tires, you can only get 'em in black or lettered.
- Eric
I've been looking for the correct tires for my '67 Delta 88 Custom. I guess I could try to obtain 855x14 bias ply whitewall tires but I'd rather go with radials and they don't make them anymore in my size.
225/75/14, the next size down is incorrect as well. I really do love my '67 Olds wire wheel covers (thanks copper125) and I wish that I could use them with my 14" rims and some nice white walls. I have decided to go with some 235/70/15 B.F. Goodrich RWL's with some Classic Cragar SS wheels. If 255/60/15's series will fit, I might consider those as well.
B.T.W. My car car came from the second owner, with the tires that you see in the picture below, although with different wheel covers. I put the premium wire wheel covers on.
06-18-2011Lansingcropsm.jpg
Jaybird & Family, Lansing, MI, June 18, 2011
I'm picking up two 235/70/15 RWL B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A's tomorrow. If they fit nicely, I will be back later this week to get three more.
F.Y.I. My '74 Gremlin-X came with... Goodyear Polyglas bias ply tires D70/14 RWL. Try to find those today! I couldn't find them back-in-the-day, when I needed to replace them. There is no way you'd get me to use Firestone. The FireHawks you see above on my '67 Delta Custom are the incorrect size and were purchased by the second owner. They came with my car when it was purchased by me.
Also, the reason I need to replace my tires A.S.A.P. is because I experienced cord separation
on two tires at the same time . My right front tire and my left rear tire both sufferd cord seperation, on my way home from Lansing, last weekend$$$
Blah, Blah, Blah... I know... It sucks to be me!
Jaybird
Last edited by Jaybird; June 30th, 2011 at 07:40 PM.
June 28th, 2011, 04:35 PM
#20
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 9
As a sportscar racer in the mid-1960s, I was enamored of raised white-lettered tires because that's what came on what passed for racing tires in those days. Whenever I washed and detailed Dad's 64 Starfire, I spent a couple of hours with a white grease-pencil highlighting the tire lettering. Well, I was young and stupid...I got better, I am no longer young.
June 28th, 2011, 07:30 PM
#24
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,026
I don't believe these tires look like ***??!! Don't know if these are the "modern white letter tires" u speak of...but I could think of many other words to describe white letter tires, and it's not "like ***". I don't believe your 65 came with red painted steel wheels, but that's ur preference. I would prefer white letter tires with some nice wheels rather than penny pinch and spray a steel wheel the same color as the car. Of course, I'm not fond of color match wheels. To each is own, who would of thought lettered tires could bring such conversation!!!
Well, since my car was built at Fremont it has a third letter in the paint code. Want to guess what that letter means? Hint, it has something to do with wheel color. And Ive pinched a lot of pennies because I have three sets of wheels for it. One set thats on the car now are very rare wheels made in the 1960s that cost a lot of pennies to find and restore. None of the tires have raised white letters. Even my pick up truck has the letters turned in.
My choice, my opinion. And my opinion is raised white letters suck.
June 28th, 2011, 07:34 PM
#25
Oldsdruid
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southside Vajenya
Posts: 10,302
If you're hardcore about the whitewall and want radials, Diamondback can put about any whitewall you want on a modern casing radial tire. Not saying it might not be a white letter tire with its RWL scuffed off and a new white stripe vulcanized onto it. Last I checked getting this done was a little cheaper than reproduction tires.
Buddy had a double stripe WW put on a set for his 66 Starfire- one 5/8" stripe, one 1/4" stripe, similar to what Cadillac and Chrysler were using then. And that car looks dynamite with them. White car, whitewalls and correct 66 tri-bar wires.
*Addendum* Starting about early-60s most vehicles destined for full wheelcovers had the wheels painted black. Cars destined for dogbowls usually had the wheels painted lower body color. Chrysler was a notable exception- you almost always saw body color between the full wheelcover and tire, or sometimes white. You saw either body color or black on some of their musclecars that simply used chrome lug nuts with no cap at all.
Olds liked to paint their spare wheels gray, and Ford liked to paint theirs silver.
Buddy had a double stripe WW put on a set for his 66 Starfire- one 5/8" stripe, one 1/4" stripe, similar to what Cadillac and Chrysler were using then. And that car looks dynamite with them. White car, whitewalls and correct 66 tri-bar wires.
*Addendum* Starting about early-60s most vehicles destined for full wheelcovers had the wheels painted black. Cars destined for dogbowls usually had the wheels painted lower body color. Chrysler was a notable exception- you almost always saw body color between the full wheelcover and tire, or sometimes white. You saw either body color or black on some of their musclecars that simply used chrome lug nuts with no cap at all.
Olds liked to paint their spare wheels gray, and Ford liked to paint theirs silver.
Last edited by rocketraider; June 28th, 2011 at 07:43 PM.
June 28th, 2011, 07:39 PM
#26
I don't believe these tires look like ***??!! Don't know if these are the "modern white letter tires" u speak of...but I could think of many other words to describe white letter tires, and it's not "like ***". I don't believe your 65 came with red painted steel wheels, but that's ur preference. I would prefer white letter tires with some nice wheels rather than penny pinch and spray a steel wheel the same color as the car. Of course, I'm not fond of color match wheels. To each is own, who would of thought lettered tires could bring such conversation!!!
could be a complement I like ***.
June 28th, 2011, 08:12 PM
#28
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 11,798
Lots of opinions on tires - its how we each view them on different wheels and cars.
I was born in 71 and when I was a kid, I was attracted to those white letters a lot. "Super wide oval" is the one I remember well. They were popular then, so thaty is kinda why they look nice on older cars.
I like 'em. Lady's previous tires were RWOL, which I really liked but are very difficult to find now off the rack.
I was born in 71 and when I was a kid, I was attracted to those white letters a lot. "Super wide oval" is the one I remember well. They were popular then, so thaty is kinda why they look nice on older cars.
I like 'em. Lady's previous tires were RWOL, which I really liked but are very difficult to find now off the rack.
June 28th, 2011, 08:38 PM
#29
Connoisseur d'Junque
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: The Hudson Valley
Posts: 21,183
May I just point out that ALL of the car photos posted (except for two: one with wire-wheel hubcaps that looked bad, and one with "dog bowls" or "police caps" that looked good) are using lettered tires with mag wheels. Even the bad-looking one shown with wire-wheel hubcaps doesn't look terrible.
It seems like everybody these days puts mag wheels on their cars, in which case the lettered tires look okay.
- Eric
It seems like everybody these days puts mag wheels on their cars, in which case the lettered tires look okay.
- Eric
June 28th, 2011, 08:40 PM
#30
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 114
RWL are just plain sporty, like stripes on the car, or the scoops on the hood.
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
Last edited by Homestar; June 28th, 2011 at 08:43 PM.
June 28th, 2011, 09:56 PM
#32
I like the RWL tires, but on the right car.
I had them on my Delta with the Olds Rally Wheels and they looked good IMO, but somebody on the Alero board put them on his Alero and they looked horrible, but at least he had the factory 6 star rims
I had them on my Delta with the Olds Rally Wheels and they looked good IMO, but somebody on the Alero board put them on his Alero and they looked horrible, but at least he had the factory 6 star rims
June 28th, 2011, 10:16 PM
#33
I like RWL tires. When I bought my car (it was white w/ white wheels,a white top and white wall tires). First move was to buy RWL tires for the car, a new battery so it would run, and hit the paint booth.
Last edited by 71 Cutlass; June 28th, 2011 at 10:19 PM.
June 29th, 2011, 04:04 AM
#34
June 29th, 2011, 05:08 AM
#35
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,026
RWL are just plain sporty, like stripes on the car, or the scoops on the hood.
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
June 29th, 2011, 09:49 AM
#36
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 372
@TK-65....now I know what it would like like if I flipped my tires around to the black letters, doesn't look bad, I could deal with it either way. I think the white letters give it a more sporty hot rod look. But I see your point, i think it looks good either way!!
June 29th, 2011, 09:50 AM
#37
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 372
June 29th, 2011, 10:01 AM
#38
RWL are just plain sporty, like stripes on the car, or the scoops on the hood.
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
Some people are pureists and I get it.
Not all people want RWL and cars without them look fine.
I am probably the biggest fan of Classic RWL on this board.
I like how they look when the tire rolls and I'm into the classic old school ones that surprise me because they are so old yet still in good condition.
Tires dry rot and wear out and these classics are almost extinct.
Seeing ones I never saw before is to me like seeing a new 3 Stooges I never saw before when I thought I saw them all.
From Nascar to F1 to Motorcycles and sports cars I like how they roll.
Typical old schools include Dunlop Qualifiers, GoodYear GT ,,not GTII's but GT, Firestone FireHawks etc etc.
I just bought a set of 4 and set them aside until a later date a new set of Firestone Firehawks.
I am dissappointed because the lettering has changed.
they Used to read Firestone , Firehawk ..but the newest ones and the ones I got read Firehawk, Indy500.
Cleary not an old school tire but if I waited any long My choices would narrow.
Goodyears and Firestones are no longer produced but can be found in various warehouses.
RWL manufactureing has almost ceased except for SUV tires.
And now an amazing story that includes neither sex nor drugs nor rock and roll but a story about my tires I wear on my car.
I bought a set of 15" Rally II's that came with these really old RWL's.
They are so old no info exists anywhere on the internet.
They are Steel Radial Modifier 70s
If anyone ever searches on the internet the only thing they will find is this thread.
Anyway one of the tires is worn on the edge and doesn't ride good so I was bummed out because I like these tires so much but my car isn't safe to ride with it for too long.
So as the story goes I searched every inch of the internet and only one result came along.
It was an ad a woman posted for a single Steel Radial Modifier 70s.
She had it posted for a lady friend that had it in her 10 x 10 shed with some other odd and ends.The website was so obscure I never heard of it.
Somewhere people can place ads but they don't expire like CL.
I thought no way, this has to be the internet program filling in the name of the tire like Amazon always does. Yeah right, Steel Radials on Amazon, thx for wasteing a click Amazon.
Long story short, the tires were for Sale in Providence RI 15 mins away.
I made arrangements to see it at the ladie's shed, and there it was in all it's glory, $10!
She was a nice lady and I told her, If I didn't search the internet for this tire, it never would have sold in a million billion years because this tire is soooo long ago obsolete.
I gave her some extra $$ because she was nice and I was overjoyed.
The bad tire is now a good looking spare.
Which reminds me I better by a spare Firehawk soon.
PS RWL's used to be so popular there was one company that sold stick ons.
Does anyone else remember those.
Your tires could read Chevrolet Camaro if thats what you wanted.
Tacky IMHO
tire from one of the big name's slips my mind it been a few years
June 29th, 2011, 11:55 AM
#40
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 114
I think I will take your advise and put the new tires on.
I kinda felt that way already.
I will mount these oldies on steel rims with hub caps just to sit on for next winter.
