Raised White Letter Tires: Why Don’t Tire Manufacturers Make ‘Em For Low Profile, High-Performance Tires?
Raised white letter tires are our bread-and-butter here at Tire Stickers, but they’ve seemingly been relegated to the past by modern tire manufacturers when it comes to low-profile tires.
What’s up with that? Why the trend of low profile tires anyways? What are they?
Today’s Tires Keep A Low Profile
Low-profile tires have thinner sidewalls (aka the distance from the rim to the tire edge), but wider tread width. This gives more contact to the road for better turning and handling in dry conditions.
The tire rubber itself is also denser, which means you’ll feel the road more. This is a double-edged sword; you’re one with the road on the curves, but prone to feel the bumps as well. They’re made for superior performance, not a comfortable disconnection from the pavement. Not a bad trade-off, though!
Less tire also means it’s possible to put larger wheels – and larger brakes – inside standard wheel wells. Again, another point to performance.
They used to exist solely in the realm of performance-based cars and aftermarket installations, but manufacturers have been including them on regular consumer rides more and more. Besides all the aforementioned benefits to performance, they arguably look cooler than the usual. In what seems like a move towards increasingly thin tires, what could go wrong?
The Downsides Of Performance Tires
The biggest caveat to low-profile tires is that they’re not for every ride or rider. Cars that are built for low profile tires usually have a shock system that compensates. Low-profile cars affect your comfort a bit more, so maybe leave them off your minivan.
The thinner tire means less defense when it comes to wheel damage too. Less tire buffer between your wheel and the road. Makes sense.
However, the tire thickness can’t take all the blame; the driver themselves also play a part. The low profile means your tire is more prone to negative effects, sure, but the danger lies in bad driving; every pothole you hit has more potential to damage your wheel, for example. Maybe avoid the next pothole with the superior performance of your tire?
What About Raised White Lettering?
So when it comes to raised white letter tires, those low profile ones with thinner sidewalls just don’t have enough space.
Traditionally, raised white letter tires are made by placing a layer of white rubber underneath the tire’s black outer layer. The black rubber is then precisely removed to reveal the white rubber underneath. The lower the profile, the less space you have for extra layers. Low profile tires need all the space they can get for tire integrity and strength. Unfortunately, raised white lettering is superficial, so it gets the axe.
Also, the cost to manufacture raised white letter tires is significantly higher than standard tires and more likely to result in defects during production. This means even if you can locate a raised letter tire in your size, with the brand and performance you desire, it will not come cheap!
So, the style of raised white letter tires has seen a decline.
Say It Ain’t So
Fear not, all you cool cats out there that dig that stylish raised white rubber. While the evolution of modern car trends has put that beloved style in the corner, it’s not gone forever. On the contrary, you’ve got even more options than before.
You know what we do at Tire Stickers, right? We make custom and branded tire lettering for your tires. Damn right! It looks – and feels – exactly like that classic style, but you can get whatever you want, regardless of what the big tire manufacturers are doing with their time.
Our permanent raised rubber kits are professional alternatives to built-in lettering. They’ve been tested in the fastest and harshest conditions and are designed to last as long as your tires. Plus, they are completely customizable in text, font, color, and more! Anywhere you’ve got tires, you can get that raised white lettering.