The history of the white wall band finds its origin in the beginning of 1900.
At that time, the tires were made of 100% natural rubber and they wore exceptionally fast. A tire factory in Chicago was the first to add zinc oxide for more abrasion resistance, but this made the tires white instead of black.
White tires turned out not to be very practical, and soon carbon (soot) was added to make the tire black again.
This redesigned black version was seen as a status symbol at the time. In the 30s, this approach was reversed when Ford released a black tire with a white side as a luxury option.
That trend was quickly followed by other American car manufacturers and the "White Wall Tire" became an indispensable part in the automotive premier division.
"White Wall Tires" have been used extensively up to and including the 70 years in which the edge became narrower until it disappeared completely from the streets. But tires with a white border are still being produced, many manufacturers offer these as 'classic' tires.
There are also various systems to create White Walls by means of rings that are mounted between rim and tire. The cheapest are baggy flaps of the white type of PVC that we know from the cheap buckets of wall paint from the Action of Lidl. But there is only one that is really good without the White Wall being torn to shreds at a higher speed and also not damaging the side of the tire. Such A-quality white tire rings consist of three parts, the plastic White Wall of about 4.5 cm, a black rear edge to prevent damage to the tire and a stainless steel rim ring.
The White Wall is mounted on the stainless steel rim ring with the supplied plastic clamps. Be complete with mounting material per 4 pieces delivered and fit on all standard factory rims (to be sure, check the rim size before you order).
But even with so many roaring quality declarations, it is useful to know that 'set up' white walls in Germany are banned for the full 100%.
And it is better that you hear that now than at the first Polizei check during your first spring ride to - for example - the wonderful Ruhr area.
Thanks to: www.paruzzi.com