[jailbird_fynix]

One rim to rule them all,
One rim to shift them,
One rim, but not too small,
And on the track day, drift them.

'Lord Of The Rims' custom white-lettering done on tyres -

[roby_dk]

Voted Yes.

They look awesome on SUV's but maintaining the OWL tyres is quite a hectic job. I have tried many spray and cleaners to bring out that shine out of them. I switched from stock Bridgestones to Cooper in my Safari they lasted for good 60k kms while I usually cleaned them biweekly. But eventually with office n family routines I lost interest in cleaning and switched back to RBL Yokohama which are holding good now. It took at least 30 minute for that perfect shine on both white and black area for all tires. You have to wipe of the dust and grime with water then spray a chemical tire foam to clean the white letters. Finally apply a polish for glossy look.

Will I go again for OWLs in my Safari or Endeavour, No. I am happy with the black shining tires which are pretty easy to maintain with Tyre Foams available in market(5 minutes job).

Some old pics after cleaning job:

[HKap]

Voted for Depends on model/tyre size. I think they look good on proper 4x4s and muscle cars like the Camaro but would look out of place on luxury cars including luxury SUVs. Imagine a X5 or GLE with these.

[bigron]

Never liked them back in the 80's when they were a rage. The sentiment remains and still find them crass.
I did actually had one of these back in the early 90's on my Gypsy for a short period of time. Apparently most off road tyres sported them back then. Dint pay to much attention to them then or now.

[hemanth.anand]

I love the way it enhances the look of the car. It looks super beautiful on SUVs but all other cars look good too. I had purchased a white tyre paint pen for my Abarthized Punto and painted the letters white. It came off in a month and so I didn't do it again.



Back then I had wished I got such tyres...I'll definitely consider this for the next set

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Voted No.

After consuming the stock JK Vectra On my SX4 (lasted 67000 km, no problems), I purchased a set of Ultramile tyres (205/60 R16) at a rate of Rs. 3250 (without bill) in 2016. The tyres have raised white lettering on the sidewall. IMO, it looked cheap or down-market on my car though it looks good in photographs.

As many members have mentioned, the white color fades due to weather and due to deposits of dirt. Do it is not much of a problem for me.

But I would love shining black tyres.

Originally Posted by UK07Rider

Pardon me if this is a dumb question to ask, but this got me thinking..was there a purpose for the white lettering when it was first
done on tyres or was it solely for aesthetic appeal from the start?

I think the white lettering gives better brand visibility for the manufacturer, besides perceived better looks for the user.

[RoadGlide]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

So in short, tyre stickers don't work if you ask me. Don't waste your money. If you are really dexterous or if you are an artist or if you can find someone like that, painting might work with regular touch ups. Else wait until you need a new set of tyres.

Wow, thank you for the heads up! I am more inclined towards the painting with regular touch up method. I do hear that the actual stickers fall off after a certain period.

Also, I hear that these tire stickers (not the painting) void tire warranty as well. Anybody got any insight on that?

[yogeshsom29]

I have always drooled over them & have this silent fetish that I would own one of those gangsta trucks with OWL tyres.

Actually they look good on tyres with tall sidewalls especially when they fill the wheel wells fully. Have seen few CSUV's with it & they looked pretty good especially for grey & black colored ones.

I will explore them for my WR-V but will strictly stick to the factory colored ones.

[Turbo Head]

Voted for depends on model/tyre size, ofcourse it will look rather pathetic if you are having them on stock and skinny JK/Gooyear, OEM on those hatchbacks, but they definitely looks good on fat section 190/200 tyres of SBKs, also branding like Pirelli, Michelin etc. enhances the brand and overall looks.

[gautam109]

I voted option 3. I think it looks great on regular & large tyres, but not so much on low profile tyres. Low profile / sporty tyres look sleeker as all-black or, at max, with subtle dark-grey letter/patterns.

[sdg4wheels]

I absolutely love the White-Lettering on the sidewalls of the tyres. It adds a character to the wheels on which the car rides.

It is usually said that gentlemen is have polished boots. Ladies also love their shoes and they are usually flaunted by their stilletos. So why not cars, as ladies they also love to flaunt their footwear.

Fully white tyre sidewalls reminds me of timeless beauties of the bygone era. Reminds me of Amby's Padmini's.. They looked wow.

Also can anyone suggest me a good TYRE MARKER PEN (white/yellow) colored which stays. I am planning to do D.I.Y on marking the Tyre Sidewalls for my car.

[sumit1609]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

After consuming the stock JK Vectra On my SX4 (lasted 67000 km, no problems), I purchased a set of Ultramile tyres (205/60 R16) at a rate of Rs. 3250 (without bill) in 2016. The tyres have raised white lettering on the sidewall. IMO, it looked cheap or down-market on my car though it looks good in photographs.

Hi Rahul, can you share your experience on Ultramile tyres. What about noise and steering feel as compared to stock JK tyres in SCross. As you mentioned about price around 3200, today UM551 cost is 4865. Is seems No other TBHPian has any experience.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by sumit1609

Hi Rahul, can you share your experience on Ultramile tyres. What about noise and steering feel as compared to stock JK tyres in SCross. As you mentioned about price around 3200, today UM551 cost is 4865. Is seems No other TBHPian has any experience.

Ultramile tyres are good. They have good road grip and hence no problems with steering or braking. They have good life too.

These aren't noisy. I did not find any difference over JK or Ceat, which I have used in this car. I drive mostly at 80-100 KMPH on highways. At these speeds, these aren't noisy.

The price today is Rs. 4450 including GST.

[sumit1609]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Ultramile tyres are good. They have good road grip and hence no problems with steering or braking. They have good life too.

These aren't noisy. I did not find any difference over JK or Ceat, which I have used in this car. I drive mostly at 80-100 KMPH on highways. At these speeds, these aren't noisy.

The price today is Rs. 4450 including GST.

Ok..actually confirmed with the Ultramile Factory outlet at Santacruz Mumbai. They told me above cost , indeed including change, alignment and balancing. Price wise , UM seems to be at the top. Would like to give a chance. Any other experience do share. Thanks again.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by sumit1609

Ok..actually confirmed with the Ultramile Factory outlet at Santacruz Mumbai. They told me above cost , indeed including change, alignment and balancing. Price wise , UM seems to be at the top. Would like to give a chance. Any other experience do share. Thanks again.

The price of Rs. 4450 too includes fitting, alignment and balancing. This was the price last month. There shouldn't be so much price difference between Pune and Mumbai. Actually, I expect Mumbai to be bit cheaper.

If you aren't in a hurry, take a few days and enquire with other tyre shops.

My ownership experience was good. Very very few punctures compared to earlier JK Vectra. I was happy with even the JK Vectra, which lasted for 67,000 km but last 7000 km were bouncy. No defects, no sidewall bulges during the use.

After 58,000 km, the Ultramile tyres had worn only little more than half. Since I had long business trips coming up last month (1250 km one way), I decided to change them as a precaution. I was in a hurry and the tyre shops were taking one day for the delivery because they did not have stock (one shop had only two in stock). So I bought Ceat Milaze 295/65R16 this time. These costed me Rs. 21,000 for four tyres.