Whitewall tire

[1] Early automobile tires were made of pure natural rubber with various chemicals mixed into the tread compounds to make them wear better.

[4] But automobile designs incorporating streamlining directed visual interest away from tire walls.

The whitewall stripe width began to diminish as an attempt to reduce the perceived height of the wheel/tire.

They continued as an option on the Lincoln Continental for some time thereafter but most common were narrower 3⁄4–1-inch (1.9–2.5 cm) stripe whitewalls.

In some cases, having whitewall tires were a "must have" to get the right look on a car; and for those who could not afford the real deal, add-ons could be installed over the rim of the wheel that could leak if the pressure was too high.

Modern trends toward more minimal styling, and large wheels favoring very low-profile tires leave little room for a whitewall.

The Lincoln Town Car continued to be offered with a factory whitewall option—a narrow white stripe—until its discontinuation in 2010.

It is not currently offered as a factory option by any car manufacturer, but it is possible to order whitewalls for motorcycles (for example, the 2014–present Indian Chief).