From what I gather from time to time Continental in Germany produces a batch of semiwidewhitewall tubeless adials for Mercedes for ponton asnd finback application. The size is stated as: 640/700-13. Aopparently this is an absolutely exclusive arrangement. My local tire independent spent quite a bit of effort for me trying to identify these tires from his Continental sources but came up dry. One does not know when Mercedes will ask continental for another batch.

I bought Sears Guardsman III 185/80R13 radials for my ponton. They fit fine and, even with the 1/2-inch whitewall, they look good. As good as wide white white ones, in my opinion. One must adjust his perspective. Got the Guardsmans for $83 for all five plus tax, mounting, etc. By precise measurement and calculation they turn out to be: 181/83R13, not the stated nominal size. They ride fine. My car is not a hard driver, and the tires are likely to rot and deteriorate before the tread ever wears out. Hence I decisied I did not need to pay for priucy tires. Additional bonus: the Guardsman fits easily--no forcing as before with an old Firestone--into the spare wheel well. FYI, the aspect ration of the original 6.70-13 bias tires on my car calculates at 83, contrary to some conventional wisdon that pontons came with very tall tires. I suspect the very wide white walls of that ere gave an illusion of tire tallness.

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Douglas
1959 M-B 220S cabriolet

That wide white website link doesn't work for me.

I am posting a pic of the cheap-ish Les Schwab tires on my fintail. They are called "Dean Alpha", and I know they have been made for many years. I have had the car for 10 years, and the previous owner used the same kind of tires. Cost a little over $30 apiece, installed, if I remember right. I like the kind of blocky tread pattern, I chose a pic where you can see it a little. They don't look out of place on the car.

When these rot out or wear out, I want to get wider whitewalls.

I goofed on the address, it is
www.widewhitewalltires.com

I think those look great! Looks like my car. Just enough white. I got some cheapo UniRoyals for $40 each from NTB. Didn't know how old the tires were so I played it safe and got new tires when I picked up my car. For the type of driving I'm going to be doing (dry and short) I think they look great. On the spec sheet, mine came with .67 inch stripes. The larger tires come with 1 inch.

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1970 280SE Coupe W111
Chassis Number: 111 024 12
Engine Number: 130 980 12
Exterior Color: 180 - Silver Grey Metallic
Interior Color: 243 - Leather Light Red
Transmission # 004470

White walls actually are white rubber that is formed with the tire. [/B][/QUOTE]


Weren't ALL tires originally white? Someone had said to me a while back that the sap from a rubber tree, (if you remember your Nat'l Geo shows, when that guy in the loincloth cuts into the tree) is white.

I have seen some turn of the century cars at car shows with all white spares, but plain black tires on the car for safety purposes.

If you think about it, an all white tire would get dirty only where it's touching the road, and that's a feasible explanation as to where white "walls" came from.

Of course, certain safety measures and advancements in the refinement of the rubber has been made since, and now they are black, yet the "nostalgia" of whitewalls remain.

Somewhat odd, really, since people are paying so much for what was originally the only thing available.

So, with this in mind, should we be looking for "whitewalls", or are they more aptly named "blacktreads"?????

Do any of the veterans here recall hearing this ever, or was my friend throwing me an urban legend, like the time he woke up once in a bathtub missing a kidney?

What color is your car, norbtx?

I think my tires look OK, too. They suit the car well enough. I think a W111 fintail does need whitewalls of some kind, just as a period thing with the chrome and fins.

In the literature I have, it seems the wide whites were offered through 64, and then the narrow ("Monza" I think they were called) striped whitewalls were available from 65-on. Can anyone confirm this? As a fintail is a 1959 design, the wide whites look at home.