Raised White Letter (RWL) Tires?
 

I'm of the opinion that there are two styles of mods...street style and race/track style. Street style mods typically don't serve any real purpose other than looks, whereas race/track style mods typically have their origin grounded in some function first. An example of a street style mod would be "aluminum look" side mirrors. An example of a race/track style mod would be a tow hook or even just a simple sticker placed tastefully (with it's origins in advertising and sponsorship). On a street car that never sees the track, any mod only serves to change the look of the car, however the race/track style mod also serves some purpose, potentially. The race/track style mods appearing on a street car immediately give the car a "sporty" look by virtue of where the mods are seen most...the track. You naturally think the car looks more "racey" because you only see race cars at the track with those mods. Anyway, just my opinion on the "what and why" things look good on cars. I like mods that are done for looks alone, but I really like those mods that have something to do with the racetrack.

Anyway, here's the question: Are there any tires that will fit the stock 19" rims that have raised white letters? These tires usually have a bit thicker sidewall as well...again, which has it's origins in racing; a thicker sidewall is better in the corners. This kind of mod makes sense to me...it "looks" sporty and racey, but is also very functional and has it's origin in racing.

Was also thinking of 18" BBS or Champion rims at some point, so even if there aren't any RWL tires for 19" rims, I would change rims for the look. Again 18" rims are the choice for racing...leaving more room for sidewall.

Don't know if this makes sense to anyone but me and I'm sure there are some who would think RWL tires on a street car is horrible, and that's ok.

Any suggestions on where to look for the tires (links to pics of the actual tire?) would be great.

Here's a few pics to help visualize the look I'm after:

I'd call tire rack as a first step. Those guys know their stuff.

I had a 1977 Camaro with Chrome Cragar rims and raised white letter tires. IMHO, they only look good on trucks and older muscle cars.

You might see some RWL tires at the track, but as far as I know, the cast majority are blackwall.

I'm not sure people would get that you're going for a track look, vs a vintage muscle car look. So I think it would be lost on a great majority of people, but again - just MHO.

I believe the Michelin race tire in your picture has its logo painted on or a decal. RWL tires were more along the lines of a white wall tire where the white portion was actually rubber moulded as part of the sidewall.

RWL belong on muscle cars, nothing else. Just saying...

If you can't find the actual tires with white lettering I'd recommend checking out www.ironcrossinnovations.com I've been using their tire letter kits to add white lettering to my tires, and they've been turning out beautifully. Just my 2 cents :cool:

Like you said, I too think that RWL on a Porsche looks pretty bad. On a track only car they are fine.

I asked the same question a while back here.
I contacted Michelin and they stated that this is strictly done on race tires and not available to the general public. They did send me a pair of Michelin bumper stickers thoughhilarious

From a distance, couldn't you create the same look using a white lettering kit, as slitherby suggested, without the letters actually being raised?

Awesome. Thanks for the useful input so far guys. Knew there would be the typical posts of "muscle cars only" or "track cars only", lol. Not sure if I'd be comfortable making my own RWL tires. Wish there was a track oriented street tire with RWL...like a Pilot Cup tire.

J

Do you track?

Nope. But you never know what the future holds.

J