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I keep getting these streaks on my white walls. Yesterday I cleaned them up...drove 3 miles down the road to get gas, and they were back.
Anyone have ideas on what might be causing this? They seem to be coming between the tire and rim.
Does this happen after you wash the car, or within a day of washing your car? Water trapped between the rubber and the rim, or wheel cover and rim will get slung outwards from centrifugal force. I get that on my Caddy if i've washed the car or just the wheels. Does it happen stone dry? Then I'd be looking for grease, missing dust cap and so forth.
Water trapped between the rubber and the rim, or wheel cover and rim will get slung outwards from centrifugal force.
Happens on my 60 if I drive it right after cleaning the rims / tires. Annoying to say the least. I've used compressed air to blow it out but them it needs cleaning again...........
Does this happen after you wash the car, or within a day of washing your car? Water trapped between the rubber and the rim, or wheel cover and rim will get slung outwards from centrifugal force. I get that on my Caddy if i've washed the car or just the wheels. Does it happen stone dry? Then I'd be looking for grease, missing dust cap and so forth.
Could be streaks of grease coming from the wheel bearings.
It would seem to be that if it was coming from the wheel bearings, the streaks would be coming out from the hubcap. These appear to be coming out where the rim and tire meet. It also happens on every tire...where the rear tires don't have wheel bearings like the front.
I wonder if it's something having to do with the rubber inside the tire coming out..but that doesn't really make sense either, as I would think I would also be losing air pressure...my air pressure has been rock solid for months.
It would seem to be that if it was coming from the wheel bearings, the streaks would be coming out from the hubcap. These appear to be coming out where the rim and tire meet. It also happens on every tire...where the rear tires don't have wheel bearings like the front.
I wonder if it's something having to do with the rubber inside the tire coming out..but that doesn't really make sense either, as I would think I would also be losing air pressure...my air pressure has been rock solid for months.
Its water & dirt being flung, water from condensation, rain water, water from a puddle, irrigation system, but if it isn't grease, its water.
Its water & dirt being flung, water from condensation, rain water, water from a puddle, irrigation system, but if it isn't grease, its water.
Dan
I cleaned the white walls and let the car sit for a couple of weeks in the garage....then took it for a ride and the steaks showed up, so it's not water or condensation.
I also don't think it's grease cause there is no grease/streaks on the hubcap or the rim. If there was streaks just on the front tires and not on the back, I'd be more receptive to the idea it's grease from the wheel bearings...but this is not the case.
I think it's something inside the tire that is seeping out between the rim and tire. When I have a chance, I'm going to take it to the tire shop and have the tire removed to see if it's something inside the tire that is seeping out.
I think it would help to determine if the streaks are oil-based or water-based. This would indicate where to start looking.
If you touch it with your finger and then rub your thumb and finger together does it feel slippery? If so, it's likely oil-based. If you get a drop of water on your finger and then lightly smear the streak, does the streak readily mix with the water and smear out equally? If so, it's likely water-based. If not, it's likely oil-based.
One possible explanation occurs to me. Many people use a lubricating liquid when installing tires. This liquid will slosh around in the bottle but, when out of the bottle, will quickly dry out and leave a thick sticky goo. The goo can then mix with water flow again. If the person who installed your tires used this lubricant and was over-generous, the goo that dried out in the crack between the tire and the rim, will not move if kept dry but, as soon as exposed to water will start to run and spin out of the crack when the tire rotates. If this is the case, a good scrubbing of the crack with water and a scrub brush should solve the problem.
My guess:
A good tire shop will lubricate the bead on the new tire with rubber lube / thick soap to help it slide onto the rim. That bucket of rubber lube turns brown to black as the mop / brush used to apply it is not washed between tires. The rubber lube on the outside of the bead is trapped between the tire bead and the rim and may stay there until the sidewall flexes during a drive and it escapes due to centrifugal force force creating your streaks. Are you getting streaks on the inside of your tire also?
You could deflate the tire and break the bead and then wash out the excess rubber lube to eliminate the problem. Don't break both front and rear bead at the same time as you may disturb the balance of the tire / rim.
Talk to your tire shop and see if they don't use a rubber lube.
I had the same thing on the new whitewalls on my 55 Chevy. After I set the tire pressure where it was supposed to be, the problem went away.
Interesting....The tire pressure is set to what it states on the side wall. I plan to take it to the tire shop and see if they can figure it out.
Also, it's not water as some people continue to suggest. And I don't think it's grease either for the reasons I have already expressed.
If it's not grease and it's not water, I wonder if the heat build-up in the tire as it rolls, is enough to allow the goo in posts 10 and 11 to start to move with the centifugal force.
It wouldn't do any harm to give a good scrub to the gap between the rim and the tire with soap and water, and you might solve the problem right there.
Last edited by scowser; 05-22-2024 at 12:34 PM.
Reason: correction
It's not grease (in the typical sense of the word, say from the wheel bearings), nor is it water, say from a puddle.
You ever come across a problem, and you think, WTF??? And it turns out to actually be simple? Well, this is one of those cases.
What causes this is dirt between the tire and the rim, and the more you clean off these streaks, the worse you make the problem! I used "Wet Tire" to clean mine.
When you clean off the streaks, the liquid cleaner goes between the tire and the rim, only to come out after you clean them.
So, here is the solution...
1. Cleaning one tire at a time...jack up the car to get the tire off the ground
2. While turning the wheel spray a degreaser around the tire where it meets the rim
3. Use a fingernail brush and go between the tire and the rim - I not only used this but also a brass soft brush cause my rims are powder coated. And then I used a VERY TINY flat blade screw driver and went around where the tire and the rim meet (probably wasn't necessary).
4. Using a pressure washer, spray between the tire and the rim where they meet while rotating the tire.
5. Take it for a ride and say, "I'll be dang"!!
These streaks have been going on for year and it's really a PITA! Every time I get to a car show, I show up with this beautiful 58 and the tires look like ****. And what's worse, is to be at the show and forget to clean them! It will be nice to drive around and have these shiny white wall tires!
Last edited by jusplainwacky; 06-04-2024 at 01:40 AM.
05-13-2024, 04:20 PM
Streaks on white wall - mystery solved!!
See you at Todos Santos in a couple of weeks . 