Maintaining Brand New Tires

L

Leadfootluke

New member
I had a set of Michelin Defenders put on my car today [at Discount Tire] and when my vehicle was ready I saw that there was an oily dressing on the wheels already. Should I fully remove this as soon as I can before it migrates into the rubber/becomes an issue or will normal washes remove it completely over time.



I really want to start this set off right. I do have cleaners and dressings that I will be using but I felt like asking some of the experts [like you Grumpy!] first.



Thanks!
 
Oily dressing on the wheels as in the actual wheel, or do you mean on the sidewalls of the tires?



Usually when you get a set of new tires they will still have remnants of the mold release on them, so the first thing I do is hit them with a properly diluted water based APC (Optimum Power Clean should fit the bill nicely), scrub the sidewalls with a tire brush, and pressure rinse. After that, let them dry and apply your favorite water based dressing. From there maintenance is just a matter of "rinse and repeat" the process periodically as needed.
 
I would clean them as soon as possible. By oily, I assume it is a solvent dressing.



Tire shops should know better.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Oily dressing on the wheels as in the actual wheel, or do you mean on the sidewalls of the tires?



Usually when you get a set of new tires they will still have remnants of the mold release on them, so the first thing I do is hit them with a properly diluted water based APC (Optimum Power Clean should fit the bill nicely), scrub the sidewalls with a tire brush, and pressure rinse. After that, let them dry and apply your favorite water based dressing. From there maintenance is just a matter of "rinse and repeat" the process periodically as needed.
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Apparently when it's midnight I forget how to talk. Yes, the tires. I wondered if it was infact not a tire dressing but something used on the tires during the manufacturing/delivery process or if they were actually dressed.
 
That "oil" is more likely migration of the anti-aging/UV protectant micro waxes that are purposely part of the tire's construction.



It is an example of the tire term "blooming", which is the designed feature of a tire to move a minute amount of the anti-aging/UV waxes to the outside of the tire when it is driven for a few miles or when new, just high heat of the air will start the process.



In May, I had new Kuhmo's and wheels installed on the old Bird and drove home a total of 40 miles, temp was around 94 F, and when I pulled in the driveway, the new tires looked like they had been "dressed", however, I knew better as I was with the car and tire installation the whole time. (Store owner is a friend of mine for many years)



If you clean all of this off, and then go out on the interstate and drive at 70 mph for 20 minutes, get out and there will be the "oil" again, as it is supposed.



Removing this with a degreaser does not do the tire any good, removes too much of the protective wax.



Just as allowing a vehicle's tires to set on it for a couple of month in the summer and exposed to sunshine/uv rays without being driven is not good for the tires. The UV's eat up the protective wax and then premature sidewall aging starts (cracking). Which is why I don't have just a car cover for the Bird, due to lack of garage space, but a set of inexpensive Harbor Frieght canvas wheel and tire covers for times like now when it is setting for a couple of weeks.



Which is why the use of petroluem distillate/dimethal silicone dressings (greasy/getto shine/slings off) are so damaging, as both of the two main ingrediants of that type of dressing attack and remove the protective waxes.

Grumpy
 
I drove a 1/4 mile to the dealership to get an oil change when I noticed it, so it wasn't from the tires heating up, unless they were sitting in a warehouse getting hot [but the Defenders are a new tire design for what it's worth, I can't imagine them sitting too long].
 
I would gather that they were brought in by truck, in a hot trailer, that they did set for a while in a hot warehouse, etc.

All will create the initial blooming, plus as Charlie pointed out, there are release agents used for the molding of the outer tire.

Grumpy
 
I have purchased tires from several Discount Tire shops and I have witnessed them all using a greasy, messy dressing-like substance on tires for customers cars. Normally I will tell them not to apply any product on my own vehicles but I forgot once (that particular visit was for a tire repair and I didn't think they would bother applying that stuff). Even after wiping off the excess with some towels I had in my car (before I left their lot), I still had some sling on the side panels by the time I got home. I just used some E1 A2Z I already had on hand and some agitation to remove what was left on the tires (which was a little more stubborn than I expected).
 
Kean said:
I have purchased tires from several Discount Tire shops and I have witnessed them all using a greasy, messy dressing-like substance on tires for customers cars. Normally I will tell them not to apply any product on my own vehicles but I forgot once (that particular visit was for a tire repair and I didn't think they would bother applying that stuff). Even after wiping off the excess with some towels I had in my car (before I left their lot), I still had some sling on the side panels by the time I got home. I just used some E1 A2Z I already had on hand and some agitation to remove what was left on the tires (which was a little more stubborn than I expected).
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That's what I was afraid of. I never thought to tell them to not apply a dressing as I thought a brand new tire would look pretty good by itself.
 
Kean said:
I have purchased tires from several Discount Tire shops and I have witnessed them all using a greasy, messy dressing-like substance on tires for customers cars. Normally I will tell them not to apply any product on my own vehicles but I forgot once (that particular visit was for a tire repair and I didn't think they would bother applying that stuff). Even after wiping off the excess with some towels I had in my car (before I left their lot), I still had some sling on the side panels by the time I got home. I just used some E1 A2Z I already had on hand and some agitation to remove what was left on the tires (which was a little more stubborn than I expected).
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Really? Must be a regional thing, I've never seen them apply a dressing to any tire -- in fact I've never seen any dressing products in any of the stores I've been to here in Michigan.
 
C. Charles Hahn said:
Really? Must be a regional thing, I've never seen them apply a dressing to any tire -- in fact I've never seen any dressing products in any of the stores I've been to here in Michigan.
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It very well may be a regional or shop by shop thing. I can just speak from my personal experience from 3 stores in my area. The kid that applied the dressing to my tires (during my visit for a screw in one of my tires) was doing a quick swipe to each as I just happened to catch a glimpse through their window into the shop (too late at that point).
 
I spent a good amount of time washing my car tonight and decided to clean the tires thoroughly. To my surprise when I hit the tires with a blast of water there was milky/clear water that ran off of them. I foamed the tires down with diluted Power Clean and rinsed, then sprayed again and agitated with a brush but the tires were not dirty. The foam was white/clean the whole time and when I rinsed them off I could feel the tires were completely clean and had nothing on them. I dressed them with Hyper Dressing at 2.5:1 and I could tell the tires were clean when my white applicator was still perfectly clean after the tires were dressed :D
 
Ron Ketcham said:
Luke-----Ta-Da!!!!

LOL!

Grumpy
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Honestly, I should have just washed the stupid tires they day I brought them home but I wanted to do it right. They look great without anything on them too, hopefully the Hyperdressing adds just the right amount of darkening.
 
do ehst do you guys say is the best thing to put on tires? i just got a new set of tires last Saturday, love that lice new shiny black look - whats the best most lasting dressing i can get?
 
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