Why Did Whitewall Tires Disappear?

Folks familiar with automobile history will agree that tires weren't always black in color. The gaudy styling of yesteryear was a perfect setting for something as flashy as whitewall tires, like those found on the Oldsmobile that may have been America's first muscle car. While the concept was very popular, it didn't offer much apart from visual appeal, as whitewall tires have no strength or performance advantage over regular black tires. No wonder they disappeared, along with the 18-foot-land yachts that once ruled American roads.

Something else that's interesting is how the whitewall construction itself wasn't an intentional styling exercise. Back when tires were actually fully white and had questionable service life (we're talking brass-era cars here), tire companies found that longevity could be improved by adding something called carbon black — using it for the tread surface while leaving the sidewalls white.

Mind you, the whole process was not cheap, evidenced by BF Goodrich whitewalls costing up to $61.90 apiece, after a 20% discount — in 1922! Even today, aftermarket whitewall tires (aside from painted ones) are manufactured using a very similar labor-intensive process with hardly any automation, which explains why they cost significantly more than their run-of-the-mill counterparts.

We've established that whitewalls cost more without offering any potential upside other than looking cool, but factors such as changing tire technology, consumer preferences, and manufacturing complexity are also attributed to accelerating their decline.

As cars became faster and more powerful, tire companies started switching from traditional bias-ply construction to radial-ply designs, as these offered better handling characteristics and improved longevity. By 1975, American cars barely used bias-ply tires, and radial-ply construction (for the time, at least) had limitations incorporating the whitewall design.

Since whitewall construction, as mentioned, is labor-intensive, companies found it easier to justify automated production lines for standard radial-ply tires, especially since demand for whitewalls started falling. Consumer sentiment also shifted to less-shouty, modern, and more fuel-efficient vehicle designs, which meant the whitewall's bias-ply construction was under threat, as its increased rolling resistance proved inferior to the more fuel-efficient radial-ply designs.

Add to that the relative maintenance-free nature of all-black tires (since you don't have to keep cleaning the sidewalls), and the demise of whitewalls was all but inevitable. These days, whitewalls are mostly relegated to niche applications that cater to enthusiasts. While whitewalls may not have any functional benefit, their aesthetic and historical significance are hard to ignore, especially when you're restoring a vintage classic to its period-correct look.