Hey,

I think nothing is more gross looking than a typical "dressed" tire - most look like they've just had salad oil drizzled on them. I do think that careful application of a good product and then buffing can make them look new though, which I've always thought the goal should be.

But what do people think of this: "tires become discolored as a side effect of their built-in chemicals - the waxes and antioxidants that form a protective coating against airborne elements, according to Bill Vandewater, consumer products manager in sales engineering at Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire. Aftermarket shiners can restore a tire's color, but they strip the tire of its original protestants. The result? Vandewater says that over time, cracks form in the rubber. As an alternative, he suggests using mild soap and water with a good brush on the tires."

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story....er=&aff=boston

Any advice on this? I figured a good product should replenish the anti-oxidant protection on tires, not strip it.

 

I don't like my tires very shiny or oily looking. I like a satin clean look. I wash my tires with soap every time I wash my car, and then use a small amount of Adam's VRT product. This product is excellent. It makes the tires look new, but not shiny IMO. As far as long term affects, I would imaging it would take a long, long time to breakdown the rubber. I'm sure I'll replace my tires much sooner than that.

 

I use this Eagle1 Gel stuff that doesn't make them really shiny, more like a wet look and quite honestly it lasts quite a while on the tire. after is wears away (about a week, or the first rain) the tires still look clean.

I think it looks nice but some tire stuff is just crap.

 

Pinnacle Black Onyx Gel...Great Stuff!!!

 

Stoner Tire Shine for me...

 

Forever Black gives the tires a natural look and lasts forever (well not forever, but you'll be amazing at how long it really does last) Its not cheap at $11 for 8 oz, but if you want something that doesn't need to be re-applied all the time, this is it! The first coat basically soaks into the tires and it takes a second coat to really set up, just make sure you start with a clean tire, removing everything else that's on it.

 

Agree with acrispy1 on this...Stoners is a great product and it lasts. No high gloss. I put it on with an applicator instead of spraying on the tire.
Great product.

Pat

 

From my understanding, the reason why tires turn black is due to the use of silicone within some tire dressings. Water-based dressings such as 303 Aerospace protectant is supposed to provide an alternative to silicone-based products.

 

Hi all. Silicones simply enhance the "blackness" of the rubber ... they do not actually "make" the tires black. This type of silicones are actually clear and are delivered in a water-based macro-emulsion such as Armor-All (which looks milkish) or a water-based, micro-emulsion like 303 (which is clear). You should note that both are water-based... 303 simply creates a micro-emulsion to sell using different equipment/surfactant than Armor-All...

Also, silicones are actually used to coat the tire molds when they are manufactured - so a brand-new tire actually has some silicone on the surface.

But, back to Mediacritic's question. Many waxes, silicones, acrylics, antioxidants will attract dirt and will eventually make the tires look grey or yellowed. If we could scrub/clean the rubber sufficiently to get that matte, dark black finish of new rubber back, we would not need tire shiners... But, rubber oxidizes and turns grey, so we need "something" to make them look better.

I like the matte-black finish and use Ziano's tire protectant. It's a little on shiny side for my taste, but it holds up well. But, based on these notes, I think I need to try Stoners. Thanks.