White Sidewall Tyres...

[BenzBoy]

I recall OBH asking how one could clean one's white sidewall tyres - let me quote from a small pamphlet entlitled What a good Chaffeur should know.
"When yellowing of white sidewall tyres occurs the colour can be restored by using one of the proprietary brands of wgitewall tyre cleaner. Brillo soap pads or other soap impregnated wire wool pads are convenient for quick whitewall cleaning whils the car is being washed."
The same publication insists; "Brown leather gloves must be worn when driving".
With that advice I will leave it to your imagination to determine the manufacturer who would make such a demand.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[OzBenzHead]

I recall OBH asking how one could clean one's white sidewall tyres - let me quote from a small pamphlet entlitled What a good Chaffeur should know.
"When yellowing of white sidewall tyres occurs the colour can be restored by using one of the proprietary brands of wgitewall tyre cleaner. Brillo soap pads or other soap impregnated wire wool pads are convenient for quick whitewall cleaning whils the car is being washed." [...]

Thanks, BenzBoy - but if it were just yellowing it would be a relative breeze. It's that damned brake dust that makes the white bands filthy - almost invisible sometimes - and nothing short of steel-wool scourers and Jiff makes much impression. After a while even that harsh treatment begins to be less effective, as the hot brake dust seems to eat into the white compound.

I'm starting to think w/walls are wasted on my daily driver; I might use them just for the Sunday Collection instead.

 

[BenzBoy]

Never fear OBH - help is at hand - try Pneu White
Pneu White for snow-white whitewalls, Those elegant tyres are not easy to clean. Inadvertent contact with kerbstones can leave permanent marks. Pneu White makes whitewall tyre cleaning and upkeep so easy, it's foolproof! Just spray it onto a Pneu White applicator, spread on and let stand a few minutes, then rinse off with clean water. 31940
250ml $37.
You can obtian it through http://www.classiccarwaxes.com.au/
On the other hand, I believe you may well be correct abou the brake dust. I have resorted to washing my whitewalls immediately after every use.
BTW, OBH - have you purchased your brown leather slingback gloves?
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[OzBenzHead]

Never fear OBH - help is at hand - try Pneu White [...] You can obtian it through http://www.classiccarwaxes.com.au/
On the other hand, I believe you may well be correct abou the brake dust. I have resorted to washing my whitewalls immediately after every use.
BTW, OBH - have you purchased your brown leather slingback gloves?
Regards,
BenzBoy

BenzBoy: Many thanks for that info and link - I'll check out the Pneu White (and SwissVax, too).

As for the driving gloves ... hmmm - the combination of brown, leather, and sling... gets my mind working overtime!

 

[Styria]

In days gone by I used to buy brake pads from both Mercedes and also ATE pads from after market sources. Brake dust was a constant source of annoyance and additional work. In the end, I managed to obtain Aussie made pads that are dust free - at least, almost completely so and I haven't looked back since.

Whatsmore, they work quite well, are fairly priced at $55.00 when I bought them last time, and their longevity is on a par with the German items. Regards Styria

 

[Michel]

Gentlemen......

A little bit of thinners does wonders to keep the whitewalls clean....

Just ask my man Jerry...

 

[BenzBoy]

Gentlemen......

A little bit of thinners does wonders to keep the whitewalls clean....

Just ask my man Jerry...

Oh yes, but the fumes may upset the Cabin Crewe.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

Oh yes, but the fumes may upset the Cabin Crewe.
Regards,
BenzBoy

A bit of sniffin never hurt nobody

 

[BenzBoy]

A bit of sniffin never hurt nobody

My good man,
A white line is quite a different experience from a white wall.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

My good man,
A white line is quite a different experience from a white wall.
Regards,
BenzBoy

Boom Boom

 

[Styria]

Hi BenzBoy, surely you mean the Crewe cabin, don't you ?BTW Michel, how is that "Preston Express" aka Silver Spur running ? What a stunning car - for those that don't know, I have had the privilege of taking it for a short and gentle spin last time I visited Michel. Really, there is no substitute for tradition and heritage. That lovely long bonnet, interior ambience - need I say more ? Regards Styria

 

[Nütz]

Hands down the best whitewall/tire cleaner I've ever used!!!

 

[Michel]

Hands down the best whitewall/tire cleaner I've ever used!!!

Somehow i don't think we can get that in Australia..

 

[OzBenzHead]

Yes, unfortunately, Bleche-Wite is not available in Oz. I wrote to the parent company, Shell, and the Oz division had never heard of it. They enquired of Shell US and found that it is not sold anywhere outside the US and Canada. Apparently the chemicals in the recipe make exporting the stuff either impossible or very expensive; they will not / cannot transport it by air.

 

[Styria]

Well, that settles that source..back to thinners (?) and elbow grease and maybe CT18 and fine steel wool. Regards Styria

 

[OzBenzHead]

Some time ago, someone here suggested Jif and a scourer - which I had already tried with little success.

Today, the right combo was found. The picture tells the story.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a215/OzBenzHead/M-B Miscellany/WhiteWallJiff_POST.jpg

 

[BenzBoy]

Good on you OBH!!!! You get the Martha Gardner Award for the cleanest/brightest white walls in country NSW.
Now to the difficult question (get this right and you choose the money or the Morris Minor) - what tyre dressing do you now use that will make your tyres black and not colour the whitewall parts? The answer is not Meguiars...it sends my white walls beige. Most unattractive beige at that.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[OzBenzHead]

BenzBoy - I'm yet to figure that part. I used to use a solvent-based tyre paint before going whitewall, but it gets rather tricky with those bands.

I'm not fond of glazes, and definitely no waxes that might spread, when hot, to the tread surface.

Open to suggestions.

BTW: The black film hiding the upper part of the whitewall is two weeks' accumulation of brake dust and wet/dirty roads, some unsealed.

 

[Oversize]

Personally I think it might be a better idea to paint the rim of the wheel white, rather than purchasing limited-tread-pattern (and expensive) white wall tyres. And it's a risky business adding whitewalls to a tyre that was never manufactured with them in the first place. Another option is to see if RimSkins are available in white....

http://www.rimskins.com/

 

[Styria]

That's an interesting and promising looking alternative or option. Mark, or anyone else, do you know how well these work ? Could be a worthwhile purchase even if for no other reason than to protect the rims themselves. How effective would the protection factor be ? Regards Styria