White wall tires, also known as white side wall tires, were a common feature in earlier cars. These tires were known for having a stripe or entire sidewall of white rubber. Used from roughly 1900 to the mid-1970s, this style of tire was featured prominently on nearly every major automobile. The use of white wall rubber for tires was traced to Vogue tire and Rubber Co in Chicago, known for making said tires for use in horse and chauffeur-drawn carriages.

These early tires were produced with pure natural rubber and had various chemicals, such as Zinc Oxide, mixed into the tread compounds to make them wear better. Zinc Oxide was a pure white substance that increased traction and also made the entire tire white. Carbon black was added to the tire formula when white rubber was found to have insufficient endurance properties. This amount of carbon black was first added to the tread, allowing the side wall of the tires to initially remain white. For several reasons, such as cost, impracticality, cleanliness, and attention, white wall tires eventually went out of vogue in favor of tires with carbon black expanding from tread to the side walls.

Read on to find out why white wall tires were quietly retired and replaced in favor of standard black tires seen today.

They Weren't Low Profile Enough

white tile on blue car
via Wikipedia

Tires with white walls tend to call a lot more attention from nearby drivers, whereas tires with black walls tend to be more inconspicuous and go unnoticed. As time went on, drivers realized they preferred the look of tires that were more low profile. The side walls of tires were a fairly generous color of white, and manufacturers used white letters to visually break up a large sidewall, giving it a more athletic look.

Tires evolved with shorter sidewalls, and in doing so, steering response was largely improved and free space became more available for large brakes. Side walls were still prone to bubbling upon hard impacts, but the steering response allowed drivers to avoid any potholes or rough spots. Given these new developments, the addition of white letters in a meaningful size looked misplaced and fell out of vogue. It's also worth noting that black wall tires are easier to maintain because white wall tires were more noticeable when dirty.

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The Process Is Expensive, Unprofitable, And Required Special Compounds

close up on white wall tire separated from car
via Chevy HHR Network

Manufacturing white wall tires is expensive, as they require special compounds, and if the market does not want to pay for it, then it loses interest. White paints aren't effective in making the white walls stay white. These special compounds are mixed into the adjacent black rubber in order to avoid miscoloring of the white. The white walls of the tires will turn yellow or brown, never to return to white again.

Shipments of tires shipped to an automotive manufacturer may have to be rejected or destroyed due to faults in the tires' appearance. Instead of destruction, sometimes the white wall tires are sold as seconds. While this option avoids destruction, it is also rather unprofitable.

Coker Tire in Chicago made white wall tires. Their particular process used was lengthy and expensive, and the development process starts with a series of drawings and a specific steel or aluminum mold for each tire size, style, and brand. The mold, which gives a tire both shape and design, is typically made of steel or aluminum. These molds are very heavy and highly resistant to wear and tear. The tire mold is one of the final processes of the assembly line, but it's what gives the tire its shape and design features.

This process is labor-intensive and not too automated, so handcrafted whitewall tires might cost a few dollars more than the average tire.

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Black Is Easier To Clean

hand cleaning and spraying white wall tire
via Leno's Garage

Black wall tires are, of course, much easier to clean, just as it's easier for them to get away with being dirty. When all-white natural tires wouldn't persist and adhere to the road, manufacturers began adding carbon black to the rubber in the tire treads to extend the life of the tires and increase their traction. A few tire manufacturers still make white wall tires, but they are harder to find.

White wall tires were the norm at the time, but black tires required less care and attention to stay clean. That said, most of the early black tires were just whitewall tires with a minor application of black rubber applied over the white section. Today's standard black tires became available in 1937 when BFGoodrich released the first synthetic rubber tire.

The cleaning process for white wall tires is a lot more elaborate than it is for black tires. As opposed to black tires, white wall tires scuff easily, show even the slightest amount of dirt, and may turn yellow and brown from any exposure to the elements. They need to be cleaned with a quality cleaner designed specifically for whitewalls, not with harsh household cleaning products, alcohol-based products, or products with chlorine bleach. White wall tires need to be cooled off and then pre-rinsed with clean water before being sprayed with the cleaner, let sit, and rinsed. 

Sources: jalopyjournal.com, quora.com, performanceplustire.com, hotrod.com, lenosgarage.com,

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