What was the original size of white wall tyre band on a 230SL.

[Paul99]

Want to put white walls on my 230. about a one inch white wall band.  What was the size put on the original tyres please?

[kampala]

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=27253.msg195607#msg195607

see link.   About 17mm.   

[66andBlue]

Want to put white walls on my 230. about a one inch white wall band.  What was the size put on the original tyres please?

Paul,
depends on what you mean with original.
The first 230SL imported to the USA and shown in NY had Continental tires and my guess is that the width was 17mm or narrower.
Note that the white band does not reach the chrome ring.
However, sales brochures show a 230SL with a much wider band. Those tires where also mounted on the 600 and the 190SL at that time.
See my article in PW #14.

[Paul99]

Many thanks for this.

Alfred, interesting .... never seen a pagoda with the "large" white band, only the smaller.  I would have thought the wide was more likely to be a USA fitment, - I know you guys love whitewalls! and the thinner (or non white wall) to be more European, but the photos suggest otherwise.   

I feel the car does look better with a white band (probably the 16/17mm band ) as it takes away the "balloon" look of the tyres.  Personal choice as always I guess. Most of the UK cars I have seen are non whitewalls.

Paul.

[66andBlue]

Paul,
we have one esteemed member here who really likes them - 2.5 inch - the wider the better! 
Well, things are always a bit different down under, aren't they? 

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=17799.msg123736

[Paul99]

Nice car!  I think I will stick with the thinner bands, we are a little less flamboyant in the UK!

Although we do also own a 1955 Ford Thunderbird which has the widest whitewalls ever seen, about 1 inch of black, the rest all white. suits that car just fine.

[Alex D]

Ralph has an original spare white wall measures 17 mm

See https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=27253.0

Alex

[Garry]

Wide is for the wicked and the daring

[neelyrc]

......  What was the size put on the original tyres please?.......

One further point on the question raised by Paul99.  The tire mentioned in my post as referenced above was from my 280SL (January 1969 production), not from a 230SL.  However, original owner mbpaul indicates that his 1966 230SL was delivered with the same tire.  See here:

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=25503.msg182664#msg182664

I suspect that there are other 230SL owners here with cars earlier than mbpaul's with data cards indicating the same tires.

[66andBlue]

....
I suspect that there are other 230SL owners here with cars earlier than mbpaul's with data cards indicating the same tires.

Hi Ralph,
as I typed before the very first and original USA 230SL car had white-wall Continental tires.

[neelyrc]

Hi Alfred. Sorry, I missed seeing your comment above on the white Continentals on this early car.  Looks like at least two manufacturers were involved in suppling thin line whitewalls.