Recommend a good tire cleaner?

N

natebood

New member
New guy here...I recently purchased a 2004 Galant back in November and plan to actually take care of this car, unlike the past ones. I've noticed that the tires are severely browned, is this from tire dressing that wasn't cleaned off before it was reapplyed? I tried scrubbing it heavily with just my car wash and a seperate mit, but it seemed to bring out more brown. So my question is, can some of you recommend a good tire cleaner to correct this problem? I hate having a clean car only to look and see disgusting brown tires.





I plan on getting on the detailing bandwagon soon. I'd like to get a PC when I get some spare money so I can get her all polished up. I just need a paved driveway and/or garage first!





Thanks in advance.
 
Browning of tires can occur when oils that are used during the molding process work their way out of the rubber to the surface.



Using any brush with some APC as previously stated will allow you to keep them looking better and dressing them will bring back the black look you want.
 
I would get some Eagle One All Wheel & Tire Cleaner Its about $5 and widely available at auto parts stores and Walmart. What works for me on tires (and wheelwells) is spray it on a tire, let sit for 30 seconds, then dip a tire brush in a soapy water solution, then brush. This creates a nice "sudsy solution" and cleans the heck out of the tire and wheelwells. AWTC works great undiluted on wheels too. Alot of the wheel cleaners say "spray on, rinse off", but I get the best results with a bit of agitation with a wheel or tire brush.
 
kpounds said:
I would get some Eagle One All Wheel & Tire Cleaner Its about $5 and widely available at auto parts stores and Walmart. .. is spray it on a tire, let sit for 30 seconds, then dip a tire brush in a soapy water solution, then brush. This creates a nice "sudsy solution" and cleans the heck out of the tire and wheelwells...
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That's what I was gonna say :D Then dress with something good. BTW, some tires respond to certain dressings better/worse than they do to others.



I often use Griot's Rubber Cleaner for my tires, but it's awfully mild and IMO you'd be better off with the E1 stuff. Be careful you don't hit your wheels with the bristles of the tire brush, they're not soft enough for clearcoated wheels.



Speaking of being careful, if you try the Simple Green I'd be *very* careful not to let it get on the wheels. Some people (no, not everybody that's ever used it, just *some* people) have royally messed up the finish of their wheels with that stuff.
 
Thanks for the quick responses and help. The simple green that you guys are referring to, is that the spray bottle cleaner they usually sell in auto part stores? Because I have some simple green, but it's used for my spot lifter, diluted. Same thing or completely different?

As far as the wheels go, I only have the hubcaps and steel wheels, so I'm not too worried about that, but thanks for the heads up.





Lastly, what would be a good APC to invest in?
 
I'm with SpoiledMan and use Amazing Roll-Off. I've wanted to try Westley's Bleche Wite but it's difficult to find here in Canada. I think that's the correct spelling, as weird as it seems, but it's highly rated by many for tires.

-John C.
 
JohnZ3MC said:
I've wanted to try Westley's Bleche Wite but it's difficult to find here in Canada. I think that's the correct spelling, as weird as it seems...
Click to expand...



That product has been around forever, and I'm sure the spelling was either "cool" for its day, or it was to allow them to trademark the name. I've always pronounced it "bleach white".
 
I don't know--I'm not sure if I ever used it, maybe once. When I was in HS someone taught me the Brillo (well...I used SOS) trick for whitewalls and that is what I always used after that.



PS They don't have any MSDS info on their website: http://westleys.com Oh, and Bleche-Wite is a registered trademark :)
 
I'll throw in a recommendation for Menzerna wheel and tire cleaner. I've been using it for a few weeks, and it works great on my Miata's factory alloys and tires. One to two sprays on a sponge followed by a brush scrubbing of the tire takes care of an entire wheel and tire for me. Very sudsy with great cleaning ability. PH neutral, according to the manufacturer, to boot.



A little pricey, yeah, but you need to use so little, and it takes care of the wheels and tires, that I can see this stuff being economical in the long run. Probably not as cheap as Simple Green or EO, though..oh well, I like it better than those. Hmm, no reviews on this so far, I'll have to post one after I've used it for a little longer.



Edit: P.S. Hi everyone, been lurking for a few months..been a car care nut since I can remember with my Miatas, but my addiction has definitely stepped up to a new level since finding this forum :wall



-Ryan

'99 Twilight Blue Miata LS

'90 Silverstone Miata A-pkg RIP
 
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