Whitewall tyres provide a distinctive look for vintage vehicles and are a must for certain models. However, they may need some more mindful maintenance than your totally black tyres.
In this tips video, Ben from Vintage Tyres shows you how to clean the blue coating from new whitewalls so you can enjoy them in all their glory.
Why are Whitewall Tyres Blue?
It’s very common for whitewall tyres to come delivered with a blue film that coats the white areas of the tyre. This coating acts as a barrier to protect the white portion of the tyres when they’re in storage or transit.
Without the protective blue film, whitewalls can easily become scuffed or marked as other tyres rub against them, and these marks can be quite hard to remove.
It’s common for customers to call us enquiring as to why they’ve received blue tyres upon ordering whitewalls. They are true whitewalls; the blue film just needs to be scrubbed off, to reveal the white beneath!
How to Clean Whitewall Tyres
The best way to clean your whitewalls and get rid of the coating is by arming yourself with:
- - A bucket of very hot water
- - A scouring pad
- - Some washing powder
- - Some rubber gloves
Put your rubber gloves on, soak the scourer in the water and simply scrub away at the blue film on the whitewall. The water needs to be quite hot, or it won’t be effective at removing the film.
In some cases, you might need to use some washing powder, which is a bit more aggressive. It can also be a good idea to use washing powder like this on older whitewalls that’ve been in use, as this’ll help remove some of the unsightly road marks.
When scrubbing away at the blue, you can be as forceful as you like. The white is part of the tyre itself, not just a ring painted on, so you won’t risk rubbing it away, no matter how much effort you put in.
If you’re in need of new whitewalls to get your classic vehicle looking its best, check out our extensive range of whitewall tyres from top brands like Maxxis, Avon and Michelin.