Painting Vinyl Tires?

[Mini Me]

I have never painted vinyl tires before, and am wondering if it is possible without damage to the tire surfaces and is it permanent. In other words, It does not crack and fall off when dry.
If anyone can help with this I would greatly appreciate it. TIA Rick H.

[Gary MacKenzie]

I painted vinyl ( rubber ) tires over 20 years ago that have not suffered from any problems , using humbrol enamels and also tamiya acrylics.
However vinyl tires with no paint on them have deteriorated , so , i don't know what the culprit for that is.

http://cs.scaleautomag.com/sca/tips_...8/t/21126.aspx , says different manufacturers use different vinyl and rubber compounds , affecting paint drying times etc

[Dave Ward]

Vinyl tyres can be a problem - if they're painted, then no problem, but unpainted vinyl can deteriorate over time. I always wash tyres in warm soapy water, then allow to air dry. ( I actually use an ultrasonic cleaner ). This allows the paint to adhere a little bit better - but flexing the tyres too much when painted will cause it to fall off! As long as you remember that it isn't as tough as paint over polystyrene. All this applies to vinyl tracks, as well...........
Dave

[scottie3158]

Hi Rick,
As well as washing them I use a scotchbrite pad (other brands are available) to remove the shine and give a good key to the surface. I have not painted them but I have used pigments etc. HTH

[Mini Me]

Thank you gentlemen, I shall take all your comments/suggestions to heart and apply them on my next soft skin project. I normally deal with plastic wheels & tires but this one is a salvage job and in order to get the right wheel rims I had to settle for vinyl tires. Cheers, Rick H.

[BarryW]

Don’t paint them. Weather them. Apply enamel weathering washes and pigments. That is all you need to do to get a realistic weed Ext.