Bf Goodrich no cooper nor any others I can think of no longer make a white letter tire in p 235 55 r 16,what gives?

 

Because high school days are over...

 

I'm actually going to my 50th High school Reunion next week, thank you very much

 

91 original, Bought New june 91

 

All the more reason you should know better...

 

16” tires in general don’t have the number of offerings they did a few years ago.
Unfortunately you’ll just need to pick something of what’s available. I know they make tire markers or paint that you can use to make the lettering white. I’ve never personally used those products so not sure about cost or longevity.

I really like the look of white letters tires on my factory TA. To me they just add a period correct feel. I wouldn’t put them on a customized and updated thirdgen though.

 

I can't say I've ever seen white lettered tires on a 235/55R16 size. In general, white lettered for car tires were only available up to 15" wheel diameters. 16" and larger wheels I've only seen white letter tires for truck sizes (taller sidewalls).

There's really almost nothing available these days for a 235/55R16. Tire Rack has 1 option available and it's not great. I would suggest going to the Z28 size of 245/50R16. Options for those are becoming less over time, but there are still a few options out there.

 

I left high school and never looked back.
black wall, and a marker.

 

Are we talking 15's or 16's? ....not sure 16's ever had white letters, did they? (for our size 16" I mean) For the record, I love white letters on tires, at least....on the right car!

 

Had a good laugh when this thread was first posted, and another one today.

Thanks for the bump, BURD!

 

No white letter Coopers anymore?

 

I’m seeing these coopers on line at many places

 

White letters and sidewalls can still be found in some truck and touring tires and reproduction classic tires, but their heyday ended due to the pomp and circumstance of speed ratings, not high school graduations.

White features weren't simply painted or dyed; they were full segments of a different type of rubber molded into one side of the sidewalls during the manufacturing process of passenger car tires. And as the auto industry began focusing on performance and power, white letters fell from grace, because manufacturers couldn't guarantee that such sidewalls wouldn't fly apart during sustained high speeds.

Racing tires survive with white letters, so that process is apparently different and likely involves more money than the industry wants/needs to invest in passenger car tires.

 

Hey if you enjoy constantly cleaning your white letters, and feel an insatiable desire to do free advertising for a tire company, more power to ya...

 

White letters are a period correct thing, that’s why I do them, my 95, black walls matter there.
got a bud who knows a guy who works at Cooper, got a hell of a deal on my last set.

 

Yeah, I ran into the same issue. Seemed like all the big brands dropped white letter options in P‑235/55R16 and it was frustrating. I ended up doing a deep dive into Tire Agent reviews to see what other people were finding and which dealers still had stock or good alternatives. Some of the reviewers pointed out a few smaller brands or leftover inventory that you might not see right away on the big sites.
Looks like the demand just isn’t high enough for most manufacturers to keep making them, but if you shop around and check real user feedback, you might still track some down or find a close look‑alike that people are happy with.