Motorheads: anyone know anything about Portawalls?

[Monkeyleg]

Portawalls are the fake whitewall inserts that have been around since the 1950's.

I've checked out some hot rod forums, and opinions on them vary. Some posters said that they'll self-destruct at speeds over 60 mph. Others said they had them on their cars for years with no problems. And still others said that they can't be used with radial tires.

Does anyone have any experience with these, or know someone who does?

I'd like to put whitewalls on my wife's car for Christmas. However, the car only has 19,000 miles on it, so it doesn't need new tires. And funds are too tight to just go out and buy a $600 set of new tires.

[Mannlicher]

Call JC Whitney.  If anyone will know, they will.

[Monkeyleg]

Mannlicher, I've asked this question on all sorts of car and hot rod forums.

The concensus seems to be that Portawalls don't flex enough with the sidewalls of radial tires, and so they tend to come apart. I've heard some real horror stories.

In the process of searching, I did find a guy in Iceland who, along with a chemist friend, came up with a whitewall paint that actually works. The paint only dries to 50% hardness, so it stays flexible enough to move with the sidewalls of the tires. It sounds like a great idea.

If anyone ever needs to know more about this, just email me.