Author Topic: To white wall or not? (Read 16026 times)

n/a · « **on:** March 29, 2007, 12:04:42 »

How about some random feedback. I have the chance to put new shoes on my baby and do like the look that white walls add.

What do you all have and or prefer.... WW's or solid black tires?

J. Huber · « **Reply #1 on:** March 29, 2007, 12:31:50 »

I have mixed feelings on the whitewalls. Well, not really mixed since I actually like them both. For me, a lot has to do with the color of the car and the wheels.

One-piece hubs: Generally, I think the darker cars (reds, greens, darker blues, browns) look better with the stripe. I also like them on white cars with white one-piece wheelcovers. Other light cars -- no stripe.

Two-piece covers or bundts: I'd say I prefer blackwalls on whites, light silvers, lighter greys, and light blues for sure -- and maybe even on darker cars.

James
63 230SL

Douglas · « **Reply #2 on:** March 29, 2007, 13:23:18 »

My personal philosophy is, when in doubt, emulate the spiritual "Big Brother," the W198 "Gullwing." Ivory wheel: Yes. Stickshift: Yes. Whitewalls: No.

Guess that makes me a Gullwing owner "wannabee," but who in their right mind isn't? :-)

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

n/a · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2007, 14:17:19 »

THat is my quandry which is why I think the WW "sharpens" up my look. My car is dark maroon with maroon on the hubs thus very stark across the side so I think the white dress it up a bit.

J. Huber · « **Reply #4 on:** March 29, 2007, 14:51:09 »

Is yours the one-piece or two? On one-piece I'd go stripe. On 2 piece, I am iffy.

James
63 230SL

Nate · « **Reply #5 on:** March 29, 2007, 17:57:05 »

My two cents are it depends entirely on the exterior color of your car. If your SL is dark red (DB 542) I would lean towards white walls.

mdsalemi · « **Reply #6 on:** March 29, 2007, 19:11:56 »

Let me add MY 2 cents.

The ONLY thing it has to do with is how YOU think it looks with or without the white walls. It is about as personal a preference as there can be. My suggestion for those in question is to get a nice picture of a 113 with WW tires; bring it into Photoshop and alter the color of the body to match yours. It's a lot easier then you think and you then can decide how YOU like the look. It takes about 5 minutes to do, and is much less costly then buying whitewalls you don't like, or not buying them when you like them and feeling sorry for yourself.

While often seen as a peculiar American phenomenon, some early photos of the W113 have it shod in "Gangsta" whitewalls (that is extremely wide white walls for those that don't know...); in regular 3/4" stripe WW, and many in blackwalls. So you can't rely on the factory. My build card states white walls.

The good news is, if you buy WW and decide you don't like them, you can reverse them without issue.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

KevinC · « **Reply #7 on:** March 29, 2007, 20:02:10 »

I thought I would have agreed on the dark vs light color issue (ww's on a dark car; bw's on a light car) until I tried ww's on MY car. Check out the before and after pics here...

Download Attachment:

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All in all, I believe that a nice crisp ww makes ANY car stand out in a sea of bw's you see every day.

quote:
Originally posted by nate

My two cents are it depends entirely on the exterior color of your car. If your SL is dark red (DB 542) I would lean towards white walls.

Kevin Caputo
Boca Raton, FL
1967 230 SL Automatic
670 Light Ivory
113 Bronze/Brown MB Tex
2007 Lava Gray Audi Q7

Jonny B · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2007, 05:17:48 »

I think Mike's advice should be your final arbiter, go with what you think looks best for your car and how you drive it/look at it/ etc.

Okay, with that on the table. I like the WW, I just think they look right. Kevin's photo is a great comparison shot.

Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

al_lieffring · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2007, 08:10:36 »

On Pagodas I always prefer white wall tires. Even though on just about any other car I have had including 107 sl's they all got black wall tires.

Can't explain why, but I prefer white sides out on a 113 sl.
Al

66 230sl
113-042-10-014715
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition: not-as-rusty-as-before-bucket

Kemal · « **Reply #10 on:** March 30, 2007, 10:15:06 »

Hi Racefaith
Welcome ...
WHITE WALLS....No Discussion

Kemal
280SL Manual / white walls

Kenneth Gear · « **Reply #11 on:** March 30, 2007, 13:09:39 »

Any example fo the extra wide WW's on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/250sl-coupe_W0QQitemZ150104623358QQcategoryZ6338QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ken G
1971 280 SL
Silver/red

Mike Hughes · « **Reply #12 on:** March 30, 2007, 16:32:10 »

I would go with the WSW tires. The main reason is that Coker offers reproductions of the period Phoenix tires with the raised sidewall bead as a WSW tire. I've been very pleased with the ride and handling of mine.

- Mike Hughes -ô¿ô-
1966 230SL Auto P/S
Havanna Brown (408)
Light Beige (181)
Cream M-B Tex (121)

mdsalemi · « **Reply #13 on:** March 30, 2007, 19:54:17 »

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. You be the judge. Some love it some hate it.

Download Attachment:

Profile Small_edited-1.jpg
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Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

Douglas · « **Reply #14 on:** March 30, 2007, 20:10:41 »

quote:
Originally posted by mdsalemi

Some love it some hate it.

Michael,

Obviously, you are confusing hatred with envy.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

mdsalemi · « **Reply #15 on:** April 01, 2007, 07:22:21 »

quote:
Originally posted by Douglas

quote:
Originally posted by mdsalemi

Some love it some hate it.

Michael,
Obviously, you are confusing hatred with envy.
Douglas Kim
New York
USA

The whitewalls, not the car!!! It's a whitewall thread! And believe it or not, some actually do hate whitewalls...MY whitewalls!

OK, when nobody was looking I removed the whitewalls...take another look at this photo. Now you can really judge for yourselves, what you like better: with or without?

My opinion (worth only something to me) is I like them. I think I'll put them back. Yeah, call me a crazy American. I like all the chrome on 1950's American Iron as well (a lot which made it to the Pagoda); I love wrap-around windshields (hmmm...we have a bit of that here too) and I've NEVER had the hard top on since restoration. There--full disclosure.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

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gwuisman · « **Reply #16 on:** April 01, 2007, 07:32:56 »

Look here a ww exemple on alloy wheels. I have black tires but bought the seprately to be fixed small rings of Ravus. Then you have both options.

Gerard Wuisman
1970 280sl

ChrisInNashville · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2007, 19:36:54 »

White Walls Definitely.

BUT, what a pain to keep them WHITE[

!]

Benz Dr. · « **Reply #18 on:** April 07, 2007, 20:29:52 »

So much of this depends on the colour of the car. Silver, white and lighter colours don't seem to look as good with white walls. Some darker colours look OK but it depends if the car has full wheel covers or not. I don't like any of the two piece cap and ring systems with white walls unless it's a 190SL show car.
In fact, I'm not a big fan of white walls at all. And alloys with white walls? Hideous on a 107 car. They're just too hard to keep clean relative to the appearance factor which is usually dirty on most cars.

Dan Caron's
SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
slbarn.mbz.org
1 877 661 6061

Mike · « **Reply #19 on:** April 07, 2007, 22:13:03 »

White walls on 113's are like a lot of things involving personal taste. It's hard to say that they are tasteless because they are period correct but they do give our cars a real senior citizen look.

Mike

n/a · « **Reply #20 on:** April 08, 2007, 09:45:06 »

OK, discussion over. I had white-walls put back on. Pissed of the shop guy becuase he had already put new black tires on but oh well... I am sure he padded his over-all bill for the double-wrok I had him do.

mdsalemi · « **Reply #21 on:** April 08, 2007, 13:43:21 »

quote:
Originally posted by Mike

White walls on 113's are like a lot of things involving personal taste. It's hard to say that they are tasteless because they are period correct but they do give our cars a real senior citizen look.

Mike

Hi Mike--your post made me laugh. After a 150 mile flat-bed tow (very long story) a few summers ago (with an intermittent stop at a dealer that said "get that THING out of here!!) I was paying the $450 towing bill (note to self: upgrade to AAA Gold) when my 4-year old daughter comes up and the tow truck driver says--"Oh, is she your GRANDDAUGHTER?" Guess it was those WHITE WALLS that gave me the "senior citizen" look!!!

PS. I have all my hair and not a speck of gray. (except the beard..)[:0]

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

Kemal · « **Reply #22 on:** April 08, 2007, 17:14:50 »

Well done ....

Kemal
280 SL Manual 1969

quote:
Originally posted by racefaith

OK, discussion over. I had white-walls put back on. Pissed of the shop guy becuase he had already put new black tires on but oh well... I am sure he padded his over-all bill for the double-wrok I had him do.

nick350 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 09, 2007, 10:59:56 »

In fact, I'm not a big fan of white walls at all. And alloys with white walls? Hideous on a 107 car. They're just too hard to keep clean relative to the appearance factor which is usually dirty on most cars.

Dan Caron's
SL Barn
benzbarn@ebtech.net
slbarn.mbz.org
1 877 661 6061

I agree, I think ww with alloys on a w113 are the height of poor taste in anywhere but sunny climates, but most especially here in London. There are a pain to clean too.

Nick350
r107 SL red
w113 SL white

gwuisman · « **Reply #24 on:** April 12, 2007, 12:45:49 »

I fixed the Ravus ww rings last weekend and made my family judge on the result. It ended up in vast discussions on esthetics, feelings of originality and a devided family: wife, one daughter and son: ugly and wasted money; another daughter, her boyfriend and myself: nice and added value to the car. At least one mith is busted: one can argue about taste.

Gerard Wuisman,
1970 280sl

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Author Topic: To white wall or not? (Read 16026 times)

n/a

Douglas

n/a

KevinC

al_lieffring

Douglas

Mike

n/a

nick350