How to: Paint Tire lettering (link)

I've always liked the white lettering race look and I've tried various tire pens and they always seem to wash away/fade/crack after a hundred miles. I've yet to try this but the author says the paint will last the life of the tire and it does look effing cool.
Props to [ aogawa ] on team integra for a kick ass write up.

Painted Tire Lettering (GT Style)

Painted Tire Lettering (GT Style) ::.



.:: Intro ::.

I’m a big fan of all kinds of racing, but one of my favorites is the Japanese Grand Touring Championship (JGTC). The JGTC cars are so extreme in the performance realm, but they are also some of the coolest looking racecars in the world. One of the subtle, yet defining, visual characteristics of these cars is the tire brand lettering on the tires.

Last year, I had the honor of working on a highly modified pro-touring muscle car that was to debut at the 2003 SEMA show. One of my design contributions was to perk up the tires by painting the raised lettering to give it a more race bred look. This modification wasn’t too radical of a modification, considering it has all white wheels and it is the first paddle shifted muscle car in the world. This car is beyond cool. I think it was the only car at SEMA with painted tire lettering... besides the cars that actually had race-spec tires. I'm pretty sure this trend will catch on quick at future shows. The mod worked well for this car, so I figured I could use it on my own teg.

After some experimenting, I figured out a fairly decent way of painting the letters making them precise and durable. This project does require plenty of patience, so it is not for the lazy.


.:: Tools & Supplies ::.

Qty.SupplyWhere
1 Acetone Hardware Store
1 Roll 2” wide blue masking tape Hardware Store
1 Smoothed tip chopstick -
1 X-acto knife & few spare blades Hardware Store
1 Plastic trash bag Super Market
2 Cans Pactra Spray Paint “Sprint White” RC251 Hobby Store

You can also use yellow, red, or whatever color you prefer. Pactra offers a large variety of colors to choose from. Testor's Pactra Website

This is NOT recommended on tires that have been Armor All'ed or covered with any oil based application.


.:: Before you start: ::.

Please read the entire article before you attempt this project. The process will flow much faster and will allow you to avoid making mistakes.

If you have smaller letters or detailed areas that are too difficult to mask, you can buy the same paint in bottle form and use a brush. You will still need to use several coats to get an even and durable result.

The project should take about 4-5 hrs. So, if you have a spare weekend afternoon, go for it.
.:: Procedure ::.

*It’s best to do this project during the day. This will ensure better dry times for the paint.*

1. First thing to do is to remove all the wheels from the car. It’s good to have a spare set of wheels to put on for the time being.

2. Next, give the wheels a good scrubbin’ with a brush and some degreaser. Dish wash soap should work fine.



3. Now, choose the letters you will be painting. Since I have Kumho Ecsta 712’s, I decided to paint the “KUMHO” and “ECSTA”, which are on opposite sides from each other.




4. After the wheels are dry, apply some acetone to a small portion of a cloth or paper towel (Use acetone only in a well ventilated area). Use the cloth to wipe down the letters. You will notice a lot of black/brownish stuff coming off. Some of it is grime and some of it is the oil from the rubber itself. It’s imperative that you get most of the grime/oil off the initial top surface so the paint can adhere to the letters. Wipe 2-3 times. If your wheel lip has paint or clear coat, be careful not to get the acetone on it...it will eat up the paint! If you are doing this mod to new tires, it's a good idea to scuff the letters with a wire brush first.



5. Once all the letters are completely wiped clean, you can now apply the blue masking tape on top of the letters. Try to push the tape into the difficult crevices first (e.g. the middles of O’s, A’s, B’s, etc.). This will take some time to do. Use your fingernails or a smoothed tip chopstick to press the tape into all the crevices and edges. Once this is done you should be able to see the letters clearly through the tape.




6. Now for the other long part. Take your trusty X-acto knife and start cutting the letters out of the tape. You’re basically going to trace the letters with the knife. Take your time on the curves, which are the most difficult parts of the letter. Remember not to cut too deep into the rubber, you don’t want to puncture it!



7. Then peel the tape away off each letter.



Your wheels should look something like this.




8. Now, cut a plastic bag in half along the seam so you can use one layer of it. Then place the plastic layer over the wheel. Now you can cut out a window to expose the letters. This can be done easily with your x-acto knife.



9. Next, put some tape around the cut out creating a frame of tape for the window. This will keep the overspray from getting underneath the plastic and onto your rims.



10. You will need to wipe down the letters one more time with the acetone. This time you don’t have to wipe so much, just do a quick once over.




11. It’s now time to start painting. Try to spray light coats at 6-12 inches away. Give 15 minutes between each coat. Apply about 7-10 coats per wheel.



12. Once you are done with all of the coats, take off the plastic bag. Make sure not to rip or damage the plastic for you will use it for the other 3 wheels. Then remove the masking tape from the tire.




13. Use the x-acto knife to pick the small pieces of tape out of the centers of the O’s, A’s, etc. Fine tweezers work as well.



That’s it! Just repeat the procedure to the other wheels and you’re done. The process will go much faster for the remaining wheels due to the fact that you have some practice and you can reuse the plastic bag masking.



The paint should hold up for as long as the tire treads last. Over time and vibration, the paint will eventually display some tiny hairline cracks in the paint. This is okay since the cracks are so small you can only see them if you look at them up close.

Pactra paint is designed for lexan bodies for R/C cars, so it is extremely durable and chip resistant. I don't expect the paint to ever chip.

To clean, just wash gently with dishwash soap and a sponge. Do not apply any Armor All or any other tire conditioner.

Mods feel free to delete this if it's in the wrong area/third party site.

Do it yourself and post up your own write up.

White fingernail polish works as well but you need a steady hand.

Man that's a gang of work for a high wear item! If we did that on our staff bikes, we'd never be able to ride the fuckers cuz we'd be busy painting letters all the time!

It does look cool though, I will admit.

You would have to have a lot of spare time on your hands. Perfect for a highschool kid wanting a cheap way to rice out his car.

Either that or if you lived in a cornfield.

That Skyline GT-R JGTC car looks sweet.

Are you going to do this to your tires?