Whitewalls Paint vs Trim vs Real deal

flaps are ok, til you catch a kerb. then you need a new set. yeah they chew sidewalls, but not toobad. can be a PITA to get to sit right and stay there though, they tend to move around a bit, then stick out and flap around.

paint is ok, just expect to need to reapply it quite often. speak to seth, he runs it and got some pukka paint for it i think. he'll be able to tell you how well it lasts on a daily driven car.

mr whitewalls is still a painted on whitewall. he just does 'proper' prep to get it to stick, which most people wont bother with. I'm sure if you sanded and degreased the tyre, you could get as good a result with just some tyre paint, saving you quite a few quid. i bought a set of brand new 14" whitebands on special offer for less than that a couple of years back though, coopers as well so a reasonable brand. second hand one come up on ebay reasonably often too. in fact i think theres some on there now.

long and short of it is the real deal will cost, and if you cant afford it, youve got to compromise or go without.