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  1. #1

    Default I Would Rather Switch Than Pay

    Since 1979 all my cars have had white sidewall tires on them. In the '70's they were considered a hallmark of "traditional luxury". They were most often fitted to luxury cars and only available as options on most cars. Having whitewall tires were a "must have" to get the right look on a car, and for those who could not afford the real deal, add-ons could be installed over the rim of the wheel. The Lincoln Town Car continued to be offered with a factory whitewall option – a narrow white stripe – until its discontinuation in 2010. It is not currently offered as a factory option by any car manufacturer,

    Last year, I bought 4 new WSW tires for my 1978 Zephyr 4-door after the old ones fell apart. They were 11 years old at the time. Well this year the Zephyr coupe's tires are 10 years old. With only a few thousand miles on them they show signs of cracking and separation. I looked online and could not find any at the traditional outlets, I went to a dealer that comes to many car shows and pretends to be a classic car place. He looked and looked and finally came up with a price of almost $600 for the 4 tires. I laughed and left. I went to the the place I bought the tires from last year. Have been taking my 3 cars there for over 20 years for tires. He said he would look for them and call me. 2 weeks later and no call.

    For Black Friday weekend, Wal*Mart had Goodyear tires for $20 off and free mounting and balancing. They are black walls, but I got all four for less than $200 complete. Some people will say the car looks better with BSW. I will have a hard time getting use to it. I don't even like them on my Park Avenue.

    Not trusting the guys at Wal*Mart, I removed the tires from my car and took them to the store. One reason was because of the spinner hubs I installed on the rims. It took me an hour and a half to remove the tires and dismantle the rims before going to the store. And longer to put them back together. The other reason is I don't let anyone get in my car except me and the smog guy. And he does not drive it. I hope to never again need tires for the coupe in my lifetime.
    Lots of FREE F/Z info on my site.
    http://myzephyrs.com

  2. #2
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    Default

    Depending on what size, ww, wsw are out there.
    Quick search 14 not so much. T/A's overpriced at 160.
    15's are mostly brand X. Found 14 total: Firestone, Cooper 205/70/15 under 100.00
    Larger rims were like you say really not offered in ww.
    I remember gold with white, red line, blue line. Low demand= high cost.

  3. #3

    Default

    Sounds like when I finally had to give in and buy a 4-door after owning 17 or so 2-doors. I feel your pain!
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  4. #4
    FEP Power Member Mustang Marty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    Sounds like when I finally had to give in and buy a 4-door after owning 17 or so 2-doors. I feel your pain!

    +1
    79 Mustang Coupe - Jade Green Metallic - 5.0 5Sp - Purchased 2006
    17 Mustang Convertible - Triple Yellow Tri-Coat - 3.7l Auto - Purchased 2020
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  5. #5

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    I am getting to that point. Sick of always working in my cars. I love daily driving a fox, but its really inconvenient trying to find parts for a car older then you are. I know it holds me back to a certain extent.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  6. #6

    Default

    I like the blackwalls. To me, they're sportier than whitewalls.
    Matt
    1984 Thunderbird -- 1989 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Edelbrock 600 4bbl, 85 Mustang dizzy, Jegs o/r h pipe, Dynomax mufflers, Mustang AOD & shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Mustang front & rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 TC struts & shocks, and Mustang 11" front brakes.

    1988 Mustang GT hatch -- Explorer intake, GT40 heads with Trick Flow spring kit, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, 70mm MAF, 70mm throttle body, o/r H pipe, Dynomax mufflers, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 Deluxe handle, clutch quadrant & firewall adjuster, and 3.27s
    (86 Mercury Cougar 5.0, 89 Lincoln Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 80 Mercury Zephyr 4 door) sold

  7. #7
    FEP Power Member Broncojunkie's Avatar
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    I'm 44 (45 this Christmas). I started working at a used car lot when I was 12. Been a car guy ever since. Dad was in the used car business for many years. He still pinhooks a little, even though he's in poor health. Anyway, I've never really liked the white walls... even when they were popular. I do like white lettering and wouldn't hesitate today to throw a set on any of my vehicles. But I guess the whitewall tires just screamed "old guy's Buick" lol! I sure spent plenty of time bleaching and shining them as a young man, though!

  8. #8

    Default

    And I thought just owning a Buick at any age screamed "Old Guy".
    So owning my Park Avenue at 63 with black walls should make me feel like I did when I was 30 with a Park Avenue and white walls.
    Lots of FREE F/Z info on my site.
    http://myzephyrs.com

  9. #9
    FEP Senior Member
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    This is a frequent topic of discussion on a station wagon forum I am on. There are still affordable options for whitewall tires, but you may have to step up to 15" tires although my '85 LTD wagon has some 14" whitewalls on them. They are definitely not a performance tire though. The Toyo Extensa A/S tires on my Crown Vic do have a whitewall side on them.

    I think whitewalls can look good on the right car. For instance my '85 wagon with wire wheel covers would look naked with blackwall tires, but I think your car looks good with the blackwall tires on it.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

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