Why are white letters painted blue?

White lettering on tires is an element that sets your vehicle apart. Not surprisingly, many car owners specially paint the letters with various markers. Many, by the way, mistakenly believe that white letters on tires are also paint, but this, of course, is not the case. This is a special rubber insert that does not contain technical carbon, which makes the tires black.

When purchasing tires, you may notice that the letters are not white at all, but rather blue. Moreover, you can clearly see that the blue paint, in the form of a coating, even has cracks. This is not a defect or a malfunction. The blue paint is a special protective layer that prevents the white letters from getting dirty.

But why can white letters get dirty in the first place?

As mentioned above, the black rubber and the white insert have a different composition. The usual sidewall, on the other hand, contains oils and components that prevent aging and extend the operational properties of the tire. Contact between the white letters and the regular black sidewall can have a detrimental effect on the marking and lead to stains on it or a change in its color.

For this reason, tires should be stored in a special way - the white markings should be directed towards each other.

This will prevent the oils from the black sidewalls from getting onto the sidewall containing the white marking.

Since the manufacturer cannot ensure such storage on an industrial scale, they apply a special blue protective paint, which will wash off after a few kilometers of operation on the road.