I think toxiclows had some thoughts on this, with his dad having some mad recipe combining 3 different dressings to get the best of each -- maybe a dedicated thread will help highlight our combined wisdom in this area.
First of all, I'd like to say that, overwhelmingly, tires are one of the most often neglected or least appreciated aspect of a clean car for most people. No matter how clean and shiny the rest of your car is, those big dull gray sidewalls are sabotaging the rest of your hard work.
On the other hand, a slightly dirty car can look cleaner than it is with deep black sidewalls and shiny alloys.
Personally, I've been through 3 off-the-shelf products, each one having given better results than the last.
Formula 2000 (by Turtle Wax)
Meguiars Vinyl and Rubber Treatment
303 Aerospace Protectant
and currently
Meguiars Gold Class Endurance Tire Gel
While I still swear by 303 for everything else made of vinyl, rubber or plastic, the Meguiars tire gel is easily giving me a good deep black for 6 weeks or more, whereas I'd lose that deep matte-gloss black of the other products after 3.
I wouldn't say that the Meguiars is the least effort, but if you want foam-on-and-walk-away you're probably not the type to bother with this thread.
My regimen for tires has been the same for all products I've used:
1 - dish soap (at least a half cup to a bucket) old mitt and nylon brush (never ever use dish soap on your painted surfaces ... I use it to break up oils and grime and maintain lather when brake dust and road grim killed the suds of normal car wash soap)
2 - mitt off as much dirt and brake dust as possible from the sidewalls overlapping your actual tread, leaving lots of standing suds
3 - scrub the bejeezus out of the sidewalls with nylon brush, scooping new suds as needed
4 - rinse and let dry fully (should now have dull gray sidewalls you can eat off of, ready to soak up the good stuff)
5 - pour tire product into a small bowl and use a foam paintbrush to apply a thick coat of product to sidewall (foam paintbrush eliminates overspray and allows you to apply a thick coat and you can pour any unused product back in the bottle provided dirt didn't transfer back to it from the brush)
6 - work on something else on the car for a couple hours while it soaks in
7 - check wetness of sidewalls, if any parts have gone dry (absorbed their coat fully) top them up with another thin coat
8 - with a lint-free terry towel, buff the bejeezus out of the sidewalls until you cannot get any product on your fingers -- so that the sidewalls are not sticky and trap grit and dust later.
9 - enjoy deep black low-gloss tires for up to two months. (The grape smell of the Meguiars only lasts a few days, sorry.)
The Meguiars comes with an applicator pad, and while the thought is nice, I like the basic foam paintbrushes you can find in any store for cheap, plus thus foam brushes take up a lot less product so you waste less.
The stuff might seem pretty expensive, but I use a lot less given how long it lasts and find the paintbrush tactic really reduces waste while giving best coverage.
The foam paintbrush trick is even better for the rest of the trim on your car, especially given that you can find brushes of all widths, allowing you to do trim you'd normally never bother with because you'd get too much on places you don't want to remove it from later ... like the trim around the windscreen. Good luck with a rag or direct spray there.
I'm only going from my own experience, so this post is anecdotal at best. If you've got tried-and-true methods that work, I'd love to hear 'em.
First of all, I'd like to say that, overwhelmingly, tires are one of the most often neglected or least appreciated aspect of a clean car for most people. No matter how clean and shiny the rest of your car is, those big dull gray sidewalls are sabotaging the rest of your hard work.
On the other hand, a slightly dirty car can look cleaner than it is with deep black sidewalls and shiny alloys.
Personally, I've been through 3 off-the-shelf products, each one having given better results than the last.
Formula 2000 (by Turtle Wax)
Meguiars Vinyl and Rubber Treatment
303 Aerospace Protectant
and currently
Meguiars Gold Class Endurance Tire Gel
While I still swear by 303 for everything else made of vinyl, rubber or plastic, the Meguiars tire gel is easily giving me a good deep black for 6 weeks or more, whereas I'd lose that deep matte-gloss black of the other products after 3.
I wouldn't say that the Meguiars is the least effort, but if you want foam-on-and-walk-away you're probably not the type to bother with this thread.
My regimen for tires has been the same for all products I've used:
1 - dish soap (at least a half cup to a bucket) old mitt and nylon brush (never ever use dish soap on your painted surfaces ... I use it to break up oils and grime and maintain lather when brake dust and road grim killed the suds of normal car wash soap)
2 - mitt off as much dirt and brake dust as possible from the sidewalls overlapping your actual tread, leaving lots of standing suds
3 - scrub the bejeezus out of the sidewalls with nylon brush, scooping new suds as needed
4 - rinse and let dry fully (should now have dull gray sidewalls you can eat off of, ready to soak up the good stuff)
5 - pour tire product into a small bowl and use a foam paintbrush to apply a thick coat of product to sidewall (foam paintbrush eliminates overspray and allows you to apply a thick coat and you can pour any unused product back in the bottle provided dirt didn't transfer back to it from the brush)
6 - work on something else on the car for a couple hours while it soaks in
7 - check wetness of sidewalls, if any parts have gone dry (absorbed their coat fully) top them up with another thin coat
8 - with a lint-free terry towel, buff the bejeezus out of the sidewalls until you cannot get any product on your fingers -- so that the sidewalls are not sticky and trap grit and dust later.
9 - enjoy deep black low-gloss tires for up to two months. (The grape smell of the Meguiars only lasts a few days, sorry.)
The Meguiars comes with an applicator pad, and while the thought is nice, I like the basic foam paintbrushes you can find in any store for cheap, plus thus foam brushes take up a lot less product so you waste less.
The stuff might seem pretty expensive, but I use a lot less given how long it lasts and find the paintbrush tactic really reduces waste while giving best coverage.
The foam paintbrush trick is even better for the rest of the trim on your car, especially given that you can find brushes of all widths, allowing you to do trim you'd normally never bother with because you'd get too much on places you don't want to remove it from later ... like the trim around the windscreen. Good luck with a rag or direct spray there.
I'm only going from my own experience, so this post is anecdotal at best. If you've got tried-and-true methods that work, I'd love to hear 'em.
b
