So I’ve had this dilemma for some time. I can’t decide whether I want white wall tires or not on my Durants. I have the body colors already selected but can’t decide on the tires.
Did anyone else have this problem?

For the record I have a De Lux edition 6-14 (1930) that will end up black and a 4 door M-2 (1928) that I’m currently planing on painting white. The 1930 is the real priority. I’m trying to keep everything original. If you would like to share your opinion please do.


Also if anyone has much experience with the wire rims and changing tires please do offer up some tips.

Thanks
Shaun Murphy

Where Are You From? Oregon

Do You own a car built by Durant? 6-14; M-2

Hey Shaun
I'd go with the white walls. A bit more expensive but they really show off the car. Ron Weisma has a Star Coupe that has white walls and it really makes the car stand out. Although I'm sure most Durants and Stars probably came with black walls since the manufacturer is going to give you the cheapest tire he can. Besides what does it matter, put on what you want and like since your not going with any Durant offered color for your car anyway. It's a matter of personal taste. Also depends on how much and where you will be driving. White walls are a bit harder to keep white.

Where Are You From? Oviedo (near Orlando) Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 dr

Hi Shaun.....

I agree with Mike, use what you like. The white walls look good on some of our cars.

A couple examples:










Frank ---

Where Are You From? Hookstown, Pennsylvania

Do You own a car built by Durant? 16 Durant & Star cars and a Durant-Dort buggy (one horse power)

Shaun,

I think it is important to concider the color that you are going to paint your wheels, Blackwalls I think look sharp using a Wimpelton or off white, makes them appear to have whitewalls anyway...Whereas whitewalls may show better using a darker colored rim...Check out some of the pictures in the photopage and especialy Ricks '29 roadster.

Bill

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? A-22 Touring / Model 40 Coupe

Shaun,
I would differ with some on this post, sorry and no offense to them or others.

White wall tires were never original (as you say)and were not even optional equipment on even the most expensive cars of this period, and they do not reflect the times of these cars.

They (Whitewalls) became popular in the 50's and reflect our thinking from that time-period when the restoration movement of old cars really started.

Whitewalls now on so many cars; make the cars now look "Cartoonish" or like "Circus" wagons. Some people even put them on Trucks of the period which is way, way over the top! Since the last decade (2000's) and Today this thinking has changed!

There is a large push now to avoid "Over Restoration" on our old cars; and move back to ORIGINAL Cars or RESTORE the cars as they actually were, including the Original colors too! Again Whitewalls are way "Over done" and you will get more notice (plus save money and upkeep time) going with Blackwalls.

As Bill H. says "Blackwalls" can look Great especially with a Contrasting "Trim" color on the wheels or with the Pin-Striping. Be a leader and go with Blackwalls and preserve your car as it was! These are my thoughts and not mean't to offend any one.

Lance C.

Where Are You From? Niceville Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 25 Locomobile JR-8 Brougham, 25 Loco JR-8 Sedan, 26 Loco JR-8 Roadster project, 30 Durant 610 Deluxe Sedan

Lance good point and I agree to a point. I'm a purist at heart and like our cars returned to their original state as they came off the assembly line with certain limitations. Turn signals, seat belts are OK with me and paint I don't really care one way or the other if you stay enamel or go base coat/clear coat. I feel we do an injustice to future generations if we modify these cars so much that no one will know what is original or not. I disagree that the white walls were not offered as accessories for the older cars and I think it was probably based on what the company wanted to offer it's customers. The more expensive cars could be purchased with these tires if the owner wanted to. I'm sure that most Stars came with black tires along with commercial vehicles as the cost was the factor. But even if you look at the picture at the top of the page you see the Durants could be had with whitewalls. If you look close at Rick's lamp slide you will see the tires have black tread but white sidewalls. Not to long ago on the AACA forum they had the same discussion as an individual wanted an opinion on putting black walls or white walls on his 30's Buick. The consensus of those responded were 50/50 on keeping his black walls on or changing them to white walls. I know the AACA judging does not take off points for white walls vs black walls but does take off if tires should be bias belt instead of radial etc. I still think it's a matter of personal preference. I know on my 28 I will have white walls, I like them.

Where Are You From? Oviedo (near Orlando) Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 dr

Mike,
My intention was to go with a color that was offered at the time.
My one car (the 614) was originally white (or a off white) while the M-2 was
black. The 614 has so much chrome I thought it would look quite nice all black.
I've even considered keeping the M-2 black, but was really torn between the white. The intention is to keep both as original as possible. Some things can't be helped though. I'm rebuilding both motors and I'm leaving them original (to factory specs. even with the slow speed).
I understand most people live in the city and need to preform considerable upgrades to keep up with traffic. For me however I just want to experience what the first owner did driving it home from the factory.
I really have considered blacking out everything not chrome including the rims and going with a black wall tire.
I have a 63' Studebaker Avanti. It's always nice when some one tells me "I haven't seen one of these since the 60's and that looks just like I remember it." I would like to accomplish the same feel here.

I’ve had the same thought as lance in thinking white walls = 50's-early 60's.


anyways thanks for the great post so far.


-Shaun

Where Are You From? Oregon

Do You own a car built by Durant? 6-14; M-2

Shaun,
Yes Mike I see your point but to add further to my point. Whitewall tires were not very popular in the 20's & 30's and "Vogue" was one of the very limited (and very expensive!) brands to offer them. They appealed to "Hollywood Types" or young guys to "Pep-Up" their rides (sound familiar)and not the Normal average fellow. Yes they do appear on pictures or slides but when (late 30's 40's?)were the photos taken, and which set of replacement tires? But as you say a Dealer would put "any and Every" accessory on a car to make a SALE (they still do)!!!

Also remember Cars would only get a year or so's worth of mileage on a Set (and sometimes less) on OEM tires, in the 50's right through the early 60's!

Do you remember the 2-ply bias "junk" original equipment tires the companies fitted (been there done that!)as NEW tires. So in 5 years or more it is plausible a car would be re-sold many times, then could have as many owners and sets of tires fitted. If a person could manage they "traded" every year or two for a new car.
This happened well into the 60's, last year's car was considered "Junk", and many went to the Junk-yards" after only a few years on the road. Blame this on DETROIT: New Good,OLD Bad!! Dealer's also "Junked" (and destroyed)trade-in cars by the truckload to "Push" new sales (BOY, does that sound familiar!!)

Bottom line Shaun, It's your car and you can do whatever you want with it. But I do like your thinking and where you are going with them.
Some thoughts from an old guy!
Lance C.

Where Are You From? Niceville Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 25 Locomobile JR-8 Brougham, 25 Loco JR-8 Sedan, 26 Loco JR-8 Roadster project, 30 Durant 610 Deluxe Sedan

Humm ... I went through my magazines from 1900 to 1932 this morning and not one Co offered white walls. You got balloon or cord tires black only regardless of the various Co's that sold them, and there were a lot of different Co's. Dandy sales pics of different makes of cars / trucks in the old mags, but what I found odd was not one ad or pic of a Durant product in any of them. Saturday Evening Post, Farmers Advocate, Popular Mechanics, etc etc. Hudson, Elcar, Essex, Ford, White, Chev, and many many others but no Star or Durant. Had me wondering in the 60's when I found all the mags, and now, if Durant ever did use mag Co's to offer the vehicles, or if they only used newspaper ads.

The pic at top of the page shows the refraction of light on rounded smooth walled tires. Makes the tires seem to be grayish or white. Note the inside of the front drivers tire is also grayish or white. You'd have to say the fenders on the cars are also white.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan

Norm & Lance
I don't know what type of tires came on the Locomobile, or what Leaside put on their Durant's and Stars, but I know my owners manual says my tires that the factory provided with a new car was a Fisk tire. I think many others also came with Fisk tires. Fisk was a major tire manufacturer for some time until it was bought out. Now if you go to the current advertisements for Fisk tires on EBAY check out the following ads. #300377609095 from the September 11, 1920 Literary Digest, #130351931910 from 1920, and from Life Magazine November 06, 1919 #130305609204 Now if you go to the old Firestone Tire Company advertisements there is item # 130334924397 on Ebay from the Country Life in America magazine dated March 1917 this is a white wall tire. So they obviously did offer white wall tires for sale to the public.

Where Are You From? Oviedo (near Orlando) Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 dr

Welp, I was surprised to find that in 1923 they were still turning Durants out with all white tires, Click on special intersts then Lansing Factory 1923 and check out the production of A-22s...The tires were all white but may have had a grayish tint to the tread area (carbon black?) anyway, in one pic there are a stack of the same tires, the pics also show the radiator cores as being painted white and seems to trim nicely with the tires...I believe the header pic on this page is from this same year... As per Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewall_tire) The natural rubber all whites were hard to keep clean so they found that by adding carbon black to the tread area this would give greater traction and were easier to keep clean, at some point later perhaps in the late 20 or early 30s the perfered tire became blackwalls and the whites were phased out...I'm not sure if there was ever a true whitewall untill they became popular I think in the late 50s.

Bill

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? A-22 Touring / Model 40 Coupe

Thanks Bill and Mike. Another interesting topic about correctness of our cars. Yes I recalled the all white clincher tires and somehow I seem to recall red ones on earlier cars. Don't know why. The Fisk ads I saw from teens and 20's, only mentioned balloon or cord tires of various sizes and all black. Those ones on Ebay are obviously forgeries or touch ups, ha ha.

The owners manual I have for 1930 614 is Detroit and says Goodyear, United States Rubber Co or Seiberling Rubber Co. No idea what we used here but prehaps Gord, or Steve Large in his investigation of Canadian cars from start to end, might have an idea.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan