• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Tire dressing

Share this page

AUSMHLY

AUSMHLY

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
So, last weekend I washed the car and put on some tire dressing (yes on the tires). Seems some dressing like to sling, spin off onto the areas behind the wheels after a drive.

Now I'm shopping for a dressing that will actually stay on the tires, not on my OEW coves.

Speaking of the WWW in a previous topic here, I read about Mequiars Endurance tire protection gel. Says it lasts for weeks, stops tires from turning brown, and should not spin off. Gee whiz Wally, that's neat.

I was wondering what some of us use on their tires.tyres.

Any brand or name that has given great results?

What do most prefer?

Ultra high gloss shine
Gloss shine (I know, what's the difference)
Matt shine?
Nothing at all, natural man, all natural.

I prefer the matt shine.

Roger
 
[ QUOTE ]
I prefer the matt shine. Roger

[/ QUOTE ]
Me too. There must be a thousand things that folks use.
I prefer "Meguiars Natural Shine". Wipe on lightly with a towel, wait five minutes, wipe off any remaining wet.
D
 
I go with matte shine as well. Frankly, I just use armourall, which blackens it without any gloss. I remember listening to a judge at a show making fun of a car with high gloss tires. It seems the crowds generally like things shiney (the shinier the better), but it just looks silly to me. Clean and black is all I want.
 
Armoural seems to have a dark past and is generally avoided. It causes cracking on vinyl. Meguires is nice looking and easy. Seems to last. Best applied when tires are not hot so do it before you get to the show.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Armoural seems to have a dark past and is generally avoided. It causes cracking on vinyl. Meguires is nice looking and easy. Seems to last. Best applied when tires are not hot so do it before you get to the show.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everywhere we go, is a show. (like the supermarket) Come to think of it, driving to everywhere we go, is a show. Thumbs up. Sweeeeet!
 
SHG!! you be listening to TH he be right about Armorall.----Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
 
For black wall tires I still like brake fluid best. It gives a natural black rubber look. And like the rubber seals in the brake system it does not hurt the tires.

I first clean the tires and while still wet. I use a damp rag and pour a couple of tablespoons of fluid on it and let it soak in. Since brake fluid absorbs water it works well. I then rub the tire with the rag and then rinse the tires with water.

I know, you don't believe it. Just try it on an old tire or piece of rubber and you will see what I mean. I started doing this in the 60's and have never had any problem with it and have always had great looking tires with it.
 
I have also heard bad things about armorall but i have
never had anything bad happen when I used it. What is it that armorall is supposed to do to harm anything ? ...
I don't have a dog in the fight, I am just curious... Also,
what is a good product to wipe on a AMCO vinyl top that is 20 some years old, but being used for the 1st time on a car ? Thanks for the advice old wise ones !

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
Hi ED, it accelerates the cracking of rubber and vinyl---Keoke
 
I will vouch for you Tom /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif it works! but there are so many other good products on the market today its not popular any more.---Keoke
 
[ QUOTE ]
Also,what is a good product to wipe on a AMCO vinyl top that is 20 some years old, but being used for the 1st time on a car?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ed,
I've been using Aerospace 303 Protectant for a few years now on rubber(including tires) and vinyl and really like it. It adds some flexibility to older vinyl .. I bought an original tonneau cover recently and it looks and feels like new now. Robbins recommends it for their tops so it should be ideal for your application. Search for it on-line (the www.303products.com website has a dealer lookup) or if you have Tru-Value Hardware stores near you they might carry it (mine did after I requested it).

Cheers,
John
 
Here's what I found.
Mequiars Endurance tire protection gel, does indeed spin off onto the body panel. I put it on last night. One coat. Wiped off the excess. Drove the car this afternoon. I'll say one thing for the gel, it is hard to get off the body panels. I usually use instant detail to wipe my cars down. Instant detail was not strong enough to remove the gel. I ended up using a car polish. It must be true what Mequires says, it lasts for weeks. On your tires and your paint. Water beads off it.

Tomorrow I will try and remove this product from the tires. Any ideas what I should use?
 
edk,i tried "liquid gold" (not the furniture polish) but the one produced by liquid glass enterprises,used it on the nos. top/hood and a nos "t" cover,completly restored its flexability and resiliency,contains mink oil, kinda pricy at $8.00 for 8oz. spray bottle.i feel it was well worth it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
 
A friend purchased a new truck recently that had tire dressing applied by the dealer. When he got home he read the small print on the tire warranty. It said that the warranty was voided if tire dressing was applied. The dealer was surprized and provided a new set of undressed tires. Is that a concern??
 
alfahealey, can the chemicals of cleaners/glazes decompose tire rubber? have negative long term effect? i dont know but i think the stated warranty instructions are nothing more then a device for them to use so they can easily void replacement for any other lagitament reason, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/pukeface.gif if it did have such damaging results the way the kids use it around here "the last and the curious" as i call them, would have thier tires exploding from all four corners of the miatas,civics,camrys,mitsu's etc. at every turn. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
 
I use either Armorall Tire Foam (or some other brand of tire foam; I'm not that picky about it), and/or the Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Protection Gel for "special occasions."

I've heard the rumors about Armorall causing problems, but have certainly never experienced any myself, and I've been using their prodcuts for a long time. (I've also heard this rumor repeated a lot, but have never heard from anyone who had anything beyond a hunch that it might have contributed to a problem, and I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories.)

Anyway, with the tire foam, I spray it on like they instruct, but unlike they instruct I wipe it down after a few minutes to get a more even finish. It's not glossy and and it produces a nice even black without looking either wet or dried out. It's really not bad at all. Then, as I mentioned, for special occasions I also apply some Meguiars Endurance Gel, wiping it down to prevent leaving a glossy finish. It makes the tires look new without looking over-treated, but you have to wipe it down/rub it in.
 
Hi Reid,
I was so looking forward to ending my search to find a product that does not spin off onto the body panel. The Meguiars Endurance Gel, matte finish, did. I let it sit overnight, even wiped it down after. But after my ride, the gel sprayed down the side of my car. Boy, it really sticks too. This does not happen to you? Curious Roger
 
[ QUOTE ]
Hi Reid,
I was so looking forward to ending my search to find a product that does not spin off onto the body panel. The Meguiars Endurance Gel, matte finish, did. I let it sit overnight, even wiped it down after. But after my ride, the gel sprayed down the side of my car. Boy, it really sticks too. This does not happen to you? Curious Roger

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it doesn't seem to happen with my Healeys. I guess I wipe enough of it off that there's really nothing left to spin off. But try the tire foam technique, wiping it down after it penetrates for a few minutes, to give it an even finish and to remove the excess. My tires do not have a wet look after I wipe them down; they just look like fresh black rubber.

Or maybe you're just driving too fast! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Back
Top