GOOD quality WSW (white wall) tires for your classic station wagon

That's a good looking Beetle, a 64? :confused:

 

Bug

63 ,Still going strong.

 

Your friend is absolutely correct. A cop cap (or "poverty cap", "dog dish", "pie plate", etc.), are examples of true hubcaps. A "wheelcover" is a full wheel cover, that clips to the wheel so that you only see the edge of the wheel lip all around the cover. So, yes, there IS a difference between a "hubcap" and a "wheel cover".

 

You can get these through Speedway Parts, and other hot-rod shops.

 

They even make Port-A-Walls in both wide and medium whitewall widths. I've never seen narrow (aka white stripe) versions, and all the Port-A-Walls I've seen have recommended against using them on radial tires, because radials flex more than bias plies.

Until not too long ago, Firestone made their FR380 line of tires with numerous sizes in whitewall, but they've since discontinued that line. Now they make only two or three sizes in whitewall. According to the Cooper website, only 5 sizes of Trendsetter SE tires come in whitewall -- all 15 inch, but not even P225/75R15s for a Roadmaster.

The largest selection of whitewalls seems to be in the Hankook H724 line -- 13 sizes -- 6 in 14" and 7 in 15". I have this model tire on one of my daily driver Escorts (in BW -- no one makes this size in WW), and they seem to be decent tires.

For 13" WWs, it looks like the only choices are Milestar MS 75 (no longer shown on their website, but according to some online stores still being made) and Maxxis MA-1.

 

In a few years wide white wall tires will come back on factory cars along with regular steel wheels as an extra charge option. Then everyone will want them.

 

I can't wait that long, I'll be dead by then!

 

WW

Tires (which are radials) with the porta walls have been on the bug for a year with no problem. For 75 bucks thought I would give it a try , far from perfect but about a tenth of the cost of true WW.s.

 

One of my many pet peeves is people put the wrong size white wall on cars. The width of the white walls changed through the years, getting progressively narrower.

A late 50s or 60s car with early 50 super wide whites looks silly.

Beginning in 1963 it was either 1" or 3/4". I found a nice Cooper tire to fit on my 63 Avanti. It was a bargain at something like $80 a tire. It has 3/4" ww and would be a great choice for any 63-on car. You don't have to spend $300 a tire from the specialty classic tire firms for 60s cars.

 

Yes, mine too! I got called down once for commenting that the whitewalls on a '63 Lincoln were too wide. I don't get in people's faces for their choices of whitewall width though.

Interesting fact, narrow whitewalls were first offered to consumers in 1957! Apparently they didn't catch on, until the industry went to that width beginning in '63, as pointed out above. Some show cars in the '50s had narrow whitewalls. In my opinion, narrows look better on '40s/'50s cars than wides look on late '50s and up cars, if you do it that way. If I can't get a pair of good used whitewalls for my toy, I'll break down and get some Cooper Trendsetters.