{"id":10543,"date":"2015-11-04T22:28:10","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T06:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rallyways.com\/?p=10543"},"modified":"2015-11-04T22:28:10","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T06:28:10","slug":"white-lettering-tire-decals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rallyways.com\/10543\/white-lettering-tire-decals\/","title":{"rendered":"White Lettering Tire Decals by Tire Stickers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let’s say you want to have the option of applying graphics to otherwise plain ol’ black tires. Or maybe you want classic-style tires with white lettering. Here’s an option you might want to look into. Tire decals by Tire Stickers.<\/h3>\n

Long time RallyWays readers will remember that I had tire printing<\/a> done to the tires of my Miata with #RallyWays logos. The tire prints actually worked really well. They are still holding up more than a year later and I haven\u2019t been specially careful with them. I can still totally vouch for the system. However, printing tire sidewalls does have a couple of downsides.<\/p>\n

I think the biggest downside of printing on tires is the fact that the tire needs to be where the printing machine is. Meaning, if you live in Sydney and the tire printing machine is in Los Angeles, you\u2019re in a bit if pickle. Shipping car tires or shipping a printing machine is almost always out of the question. This means the only way the tire sidewall printing system is going to work is if it\u2019s local.<\/p>\n

\"RallyWays<\/a>
#RallyFist looking good with the Falken logo Tire Stickers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is where tire decals come in. Recently I had the folks from TireStickers.com<\/a> cut out some tire stickers for the HG Motorsports cars that were participating in the Targa Trophy Megarun. Since I had the tire printing thing in the back of my head for #RallyFist<\/a> (my Fiesta ST), I thought it might be a good idea to try those out for my car as well.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, Tire Stickers makes tire decals of two main types – Short Term and Permanent. The ones that I had made for the HGMS cars for Targa Trophy were the short term tire stickers. This doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll last just one day. They do last considerably longer than that. Under normal driving conditions they should last a good thousand miles or so – You know, like a month. <\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, the ones on the HG Motorsports GT-R where rightfully abused. What I\u2019m saying is that the car was even driven on dirt roads during the rally. Interestingly enough, while the tire stickers were as black as dirt and a few chunks were missing, they held incredibly well for being the short term type and for having been abused so badly. This means that under normal driving conditions they would remain nice and white and stuck to the tires as they are supposed to.<\/p>\n

By the way, these short term tire decals by Tire Stickers are made of a really thin and stretchy type of material. They are also self-adhesive. So long as you clean the tires well \u2014 and I mean REALLY clean them well with acetone or brake cleaner \u2014 they\u2019ll go on easily and stick on well.<\/p>\n

\"Busy<\/a>
Just minutes after the application of the first set of Tire Stickers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then, we have the permanent type. These are the ones I ordered for #RallyFist to put on the Falken RT615K tires<\/a> that the car was going to attend with as a SEMA Featured Vehicle<\/a>. Now, these permanent ones are a lot different than the thin short term type. The permanent tire decals are made of a thicker raised rubber. They are not as stretchy but they are very flexible. They are also harder to accidentally tear while installing as compared to the short term tire decals. They are also not as forgiving mind you. You really need to take your time. If you take your time and do the job right they come out amazingly well.<\/p>\n

Just like for the short term tire stickers, the tires need to be cleaned thoroughly before you apply the permanent decals. The permanent tire decals are not self-adhesive. Tire Stickers provide a glue which they call FleXement. The glue is basically a type of flexible cyanoacrylate or CA glue (super glue). It doesn\u2019t bond as quickly as typical cyanoacrylate glue does, making it easier to work with. The only issue is that wherever CA glue gets, it\u2019ll stick.<\/p>\n

You have to make sure not to use too much glue. You need just enough so that the entire surface area of each letter will have glue when you press it down on the tire, but not so much that it runs (ask me how I know, haha). You also have to be very patient and press and hold each letter down for a few minutes to let the glue set. If you are too impatient, the stickers will come out OK, but maybe a little lifted in some areas. You really need to make sure to hold them down. I found that applying a bit of heat with a heatgun really helped mine set a bit quicker.<\/p>\n

\"Falken<\/a><\/p>\n

\"RallyFist<\/a>
The lettering on the tires really completes the look.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Regardless, there are always a few corners that will not have enough glue and will lift up a little. Those you can touch up later with a bit of the same CA glue since the nozzle of the glue bottle is narrow enough to allow it.<\/p>\n

Also, take my advice and use latex or nitrile gloves when installing the tire decals. CA glue is really good at bonding to skin. Anyone who has watched American Pie 2 knows exactly what I\u2019m talking about. <\/p>\n

If you manage to get a bit of glue on top of the letters themselves they will leave a pretty dark and ugly stain. However, it\u2019s not a problem. Use the same acetone that you used to clean the tires as well as a clean cotton rag and wipe the white tire letters carefully. The tire letters will again be perfectly white. Be careful with colored tire stickers though. On mine, only the little line in the F of the Falken logo is red. The ink started running when I wiped it with acetone. Luckily, I didn\u2019t have to wipe that part much so I didn\u2019t have to test whether or not the acetone would actually ruin it. You\u2019ve been warned. That said, over white letters the acetone seems perfectly fine.<\/p>\n

\"Falken<\/a><\/p>\n