Hi everyone,

Can anyone give me some advice on my tires? I have a TL and the tires seem to very quickly turn brownish/gray in certain areas of the tires. After a good washing and tire dressing they look good again, but this does not last too long. I am referring to the tires and not the rims.
Am I not cleaning the tires correctly or using the wrong product? Road grime and brake dust?
How do you clean and dress your tires?

 

What do you use to clean your tires?

My method is spraying down the tires with APC (All Purpose Cleaner) and scrub it with a tire brush. Depending on how dirty the tires are, you may have to repeat. I use Poorboys World APC on my tires.

Your dressing isn't lasting as long because you probably didn't apply it to a thoroughly cleaned tire. Not all dressings are alike however so it could also be the reason why it's not lasting as long.

 

I think you are right. I am using soap and water and a stiff brush on tires. I use Sonax wheel cleaner for the rims and Maguiar's Tire Endurance gel for the tires for light gloss. I think the part I am missing on is the tire is not prepped correctly. Poorboys APC seems like a good choice.
Best choice for tire dressing?
Thanks for advice.

 

Sonax makes great products. I've never used that tire gel you use so can't really say if it's the reason why it's not lasting long. Soap and water doesn't do a great job for cleaning tires. It's best to use an APC to break down the brake dust and road grime that gets stuck to your tires.

I personnaly use Poorboys Bold N Bright as my tire dressing. It's not a gel and easy to apply. I use a microfiber applicator to apply it. It's fast drying and doesn't sling at all. It is water based so safe for tires but will fade slowly on rainy days.

I just ordered Tuff Shine tire cleaner to try out. I've heard great things about it and have seen numerous videos of it in action. They also make a tire dressing that is supposed to last months.

Here is the tire cleaner review:
Here is the tire dressing review:

 

I use the Meguiar's Tire Gel also, that stuff does last. But I think the prep work is the issue. I use a 50:50 mix of Simple Green and water and a good stiff brush followed by a sponge (I buy the gallon and mix it in a sprayer). Simple and easy to get locally.

 

Oh, nice video. I have heard of Tuff Shine. Looks like I have to step it up from soap and water for the tires.

 

I think you guys zeroed in on my issue. Prep work and good cleaning for tires before any dressing.
Thanks everyone

 

My APC works well on tires but I'm anxious to try this new product. I should be receiving my big box order on Friday. You'll notice a huge difference from soap and water.

 

Tell ya what ... before you run off and spend a sh*t load of money on boutique tire "cleaners" or APCs ... go down to the Dollar Tree store and get a bottle or 2 of thier LA Awesome All Purpose Cleaner.


Spray it on your tires and let site 15 min then mist the tire with water to rehydrate the scrub the tire with a small stiff brush ( also avaialble at the same store ) and the immediatly rinse .. wala .. clean tires and money saved .

 

i use diluted grime reaper APC on my wheels and tires and some turtle wax tire gel that i paid 3 bucks for at wal mart.

it makes it look good (if you like the slick wet look)and lasts a pretty long time.
i also tried prima nero on the tires. looks pretty good. gives it a nice matte satin finish.

i bought the nero + a bottle of prima epic off some guy on craigslist for $25 bucks =D

 

My last turtle wax tire gel experience was not a good one. It left my tire greasy even after I let it dry for 12 hours. Went to work the next day and sure enough I had sling on the side of my car. The gel also grabbed every piece of dirt and road grime making my tires look dirty and greasy. This was like 4 years ago so I'm sure they've improved their formula. It just left a bad impression for me that I don't ever see myself going back to them. Especially after using products that are far superior not found over the counter. It's a little more expensive but well worth it for me.

 

+1

That stuff is good for all kinds of places for the car

 

I like to use some dilluted " AWESOME" brand all purpose cleaner from Dollar General.

At about $1.00 a bottle - it's cheap, and works good on cleaning tires before applying a quality tire dressing.

 

I'm going to pick up a bottle of this dollar store APC now. If I end up not liking it, I only spent a dollar.