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MeFB wrote:The MAXXIS 80 profile MA-1's have a '420' Treadwear Grade, and a 'B' Traction Grade, which indicates a quite a hard-compound tyre. I would have thought they would be less likely to be damaged by the flappers

Maybe it's the harder compound tyres that get more affected

Sorry to hear your tyres are cactus

You probably know Maxxis do the 185/80/R13 MA-1 in a whitewall, but it's a thin band.

Just to clarify it is the height of the sidewall (profile) that is the main determining factor, this subject has started debate on hotrod sites and other early Holden forums I guess in the end its an individual choice and its good to see it mentioned occasionally so anyone contemplating running them can see the pros and cons instead of listening to the guy who sells them

Mick

Oh OK. Is that because the taller sidewalls are a little less stable and move around more in relation to the flapper?

MeFB wrote:
You probably know Maxxis do the 185/80/R13 MA-1 in a whitewall, but it's a thin band.

Thats them...... mine actually have the thin band on them, I wanted the thicker band look, hence the flappers.

As for speed DR, I nearly cracked the ton last weekend, pitty it was in kilometers.

I might take the flappers off and just have the thin band before they do more damage, and hope I like the look of them.

Dave.

Our FB's are pretty much twins, so here are some pics of mine (taken many years apart) with thin-band whitewalls, flappers, and pukka whitewalls.

Thins:


Flappers:


Whitewalls:


I think the thins look pretty good. The flappers are a bit old in the pic, but look better when they are new.

Yeh, the thins look good. Might take em off on the weekend and color the white grooves, anyone got a Texta???

Dave.

Dakam wrote:Yeh, the thins look good. Might take em off on the weekend and color the white grooves, anyone got a Texta???

Dave.

I agree about the thins looking good. I'm sure there will be something that can be done to fix-up the grooves (at least cosmetically).

Hi guys...........just came across this thread and hopefully can shed some light on the subject.

The problem lies within the rim width in relation to the tyre.
A 185/80/13 is a wide tyre (7+ inches) for a stock 5 inch rim, as such the sidewall hangs out past the rim bead by a reasonable amount.
(not wide by normal standards, but an issue when running flappers.)
Once you add in the extra space taken up by fitting the flapper between the rim and the bead, the sidewalls have a fair amount off pull in towards the rim.
The flappers are naturally curved inwards quite steeply around their outer edge that causes them to bite into the tyre sidewall that is doing its best to bulge out in the opposite direction.

The end result is exactly as you have mentioned.........a deep groove carved into the sidewall that is only made worse by the flexing action of the tyre as it rotates.
The only fix is to fit narrower tyres or wider rims
There are concerns also regarding the flappers being fitted between the rim and the bead of the tyre..... Illegal in most states (as I remember) unless fitted with tubed tyres

I run them on my EH Roadster with no worries ( 225/60/13 Eagers + 13x7" rims.)
They came off my brothers EK Sedan (185/75/13 + 13x5" rims) whose tyres were cut to shit
Can post pics if needed

As for the discolouring.........old tyres = new tyres =
Yes the oil in brand new tyres will discolour new flappers pretty much overnight and am yet to hear of a cure

Hope this helps.........Bob.

My old tyres were 175's and sat pretty well with the flappers.....they laster 4-5 years on average before they'd get too dirty or kurb-bashed.

i once put a set on a brand new set of white all bands (flappers) on to brand new set of steel radials.
The oil from the tyres leeched out of the tyre into the flappers leaving ugly brown stains on the white wall bands. Ruined them
The experts at the times said you new a good few moths of solid use to dry out the tyres

all the best

paul K

Hi guys,

I worked in the Tyre industry for years, and I, along with a lot of friends, ran flappers for years too.
Tyre compound doesn't make a great deal of difference, the biggest contributing factors is Tyre size. Don't forget a standard rim was designed to run a skinny tyre (6.40x13). Going to 185s is OK on the rim itself, but the sidewall bulges to much to run flappers without rubbing. I used to get 5000ks out of the tyre, then flip them and get another 5000ks, then bin them. At least I used to get them cheap being staff, and the other benefit was that you could use whatever cheap junk you could get your hands on, including good secondhandies for a few bucks.

Most tyres have a seem line or 2 running around the Tyre, and there are rubber paints available. So if you have a steady hand and don't mind the painted area not being perfectly flat and smooth, they can be a really good option as you can then use whatever tyres you want.

Pinky.

I have been through three sets over two cars and had no major issues. I applied rubber grease to the sharp outer edge of the flapper as instructed-I fitted them to some brand new cheap chinese tyres. Ive seen a small amount of rubbing but over the last two years its negligible. I also had some on seven inch rims with retreads- they were okay for a while and seemes fine when I sold them.
I did some serious kurb grinding the other day in town and I thought I was going to lose one for sure but It wasn't even marked!

Has anyone got any of the ones off ebay as shown here:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/185-70X13-WH ... 3cc2e4abd8
If so, if the sidewall was sanded/ground back on the black bits, does it show up white like older tyres?
Or would the white band be vulcanized on?
A bit of a dodgy way of doing it, but just curious more than anything - i don't think i'd be keen to try it

I bought mine from that seller. They are legit whitewalls, with the whitewall bit actually raised from the sidewall.

There are guys that grind back the sidewall then paint the stripe on.

Okay, so i guess if those were ground down it'd just go back to being black.
This is the method i'm referring to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkcm3rh60p0
It'd be cool if it worked on the ebay ones, but i don't think i could do it to brand new tyres. And depending how far they needed to be ground back I don't know if there would be any risk of compromising the sidewalls