color of tires

Flat black has always worked for me but I would be curious to hear others.

Panzer Grey. That is the color of a used Acft tire. For a new tire paint it semi gloss black.

hi , mix a little white into matt black and compare against real tyre . remember ww2 tyres had a higher rubber content and were nearly black in colour , cheers ian

I find that tyres, like most matt black areas benefit from a light dry brushing with an artists dark grey oil pastel. The trouble with matt black is that it is TOO black and the eye just doesn't easily find a surface to focus on.

I like to use RLM 66 or hot rod grey primer that Pactra used to make. They are similar in color. I work with tires every day and flat black doesn't really match. It looks too bright.

I've always had good luck with Testors MM Gunmetal. It's not jet black, it has a little blue in it and simulates tire rubber very well.

I paint sidewalls flat black with dark grey mixed in and road faces grey. I add a wash of dark grey or black to fill in the tire ridges or damage to hard rubber rollers. Look at photos of tires on vehicles (or even your own car) and you'll see the road dust that the face picks up. Sun fading, and grime all discolor the tires and road wheels so nothing is really black. Add to this scale effect and I think your safe with painting it dark grey or even flat black and dry brushing a lighter grey (or road dust color) all over with more attention paid to the road face. Makes for a pretty good looking tire. (Is that possible?)

Mike

I always use flat black to start with. By the time I'm finished weathering everything, it's taken on a totally different shade anyway.

Hi everyone! I love using Polyscale Grimy Black. I think it's rather great looking and I almost never do any weathering of the tire once I apply the paint. It isn't pure flat black like Tamiya. I'd say it falls between the "extremely dark gray" and "light black" range. It covers beautifully and washes up with water.

I like to use a base colour of Intermediate blue (gunship grey does well in a pinch). I paint the whole tire this colour. I use a wash of black drawing ink at the wheel rims and smear it slightly in straight lines radiating out from the centre across the sidewalls to the road surface. The end result should be a good accumulation of black at the wheel rim diminishing to barely perceptable light grey streaks on the sidewalls. The base colour should remain discernable.

As for the road surfaces themselves. thats pretty open territory. It really depends on the environment that the machine operates in. If all the tire sees is nice paved roads or airstrips, a grey colour, slightly lighter than the base can be dry brushed across the tread and look perfectly acceptable. If it operates in anything else, do your research before trying anything.

Several ways to go: Testors now puts out an enamel paint called "Rubber". Looks pretty cool for $1.19. I also use flat black mixed with a little grey. I then use Tamiya Smoke or flat black and dark grey wash. Consider the surroundings in which the aircraft worked. Dirt runway? Carrier deck? Gravel? You can mix colors to suit the terrain. Finally, ground up pastels can do a terrific job of accomplishing the dirty/dusty look you might want for your tires.