Removal of Paint Dot on New Tires

:rolleyes: Almost all new tires have this dot. It's a grease pen dot. you just spray on some degreaser and then hit it with the powerwasher and it goes right away. I can't beleive some of the responses on this site.. I think you guys love making the simplest things extreamly difficult. This is seriously a no brainer and something very easily resolved.
 
Yeah - ok - I certainly hope you are right and it comes off easily.



It does not appear to be a "pen" mark though - but a dot of yellow/gold paint.



I scraped one of the dots with my fingernail pretty good and it didn't have any effect so it didn't seem like something that was going to come off easily with just a spray and rinse method (even with a powerwasher).
 
The degreaser is the workhorse on this the powerwasher just makes it easier to get through. I've yet to ever come across any sort of tire marking that didn't simply wash off when using the proper chemical with the proper technique.



Take a couple pics of it and post up if you think your talking about anything other than a greasepen marking. We may very well be on two different topics here.
 
The ones I have seen are paint, not grease pen. I have to use fine steel wool/sos pad or mr. Clean magic erasers to remove. Scrubbing with a brush didn't do it.
 
its on most tires, just depends on what brand, or how the guy mounted them, if theyre directional tires, the two with dots will be on the same side.....





to remove i have used brake cleaner on a rag, or better yet, rubber tire cleaner for flat repairs.....(work in a shop), comes right off, otherwise, water.....most of the marks are soap (blue is soap) the rest are some form of water based marking.....





and yes, manufactures often mark certain points on tires that should line up with the stem, 90% of people dont even bother, ive mounted michelins on my own car and didnt bother, no shakes, ive lined them up on cheap tires, and they shook anyway after a balance.....its a very very minor detail....
 
When I did new car deliveries and showroom work, I removed these spots with a shop towel and a few drops of lacquer thinner.
 
Yes, as others have mentioned, the dot marks the low spot of the tire to aid in balancing when mounting. If you're using Z rated tires or ever plan on changing rims, I'd leave the dot, IMO. Swap out rims and instead of dots you might get more of those sexy looking lead weights.
 
Fred Garvin said:
Yes, as others have mentioned, the dot marks the low spot of the tire to aid in balancing when mounting. If you're using Z rated tires or ever plan on changing rims, I'd leave the dot, IMO. Swap out rims and instead of dots you might get more of those sexy looking lead weights.
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Once the tires wear, the dot is irrelevant (which is why it's not a permanent mark; they wear off after a while). As a previous poster noted, it's not the end of the world if you don't line things up with the dot, it's just to minimize the amount of weight required to balance the assembly.
 
Would mineral spirits or something with mineral spirits in them (like Stoner's Tarminator) do the trick without damaging the side walls (compromising their integrity)?
 
Those dots and paint markings come on alot of tires. If you have a pressure washer that will do the trick. If not, a few wipes of thinner.
 
Why don't you just try the soap first and see? Then go on to Simple Green, and then use the tire cleaner. I'm almost positive one of these things will work. You don't need to try products that aren't intended for the tires until you're sure that the intended products don't work.
 
mikebai1990 said:
Why don't you just try the soap first and see? Then go on to Simple Green, and then use the tire cleaner. I'm almost positive one of these things will work. You don't need to try products that aren't intended for the tires until you're sure that the intended products don't work.
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That's exactly what I'm planning on doing - starting out with a very heavy dilution of Meg's GC and a wheel brush, and then, if that doesn't work, moving on to Eagle One All Wheel and Tire Cleaner/wheel brush.



Only if both of those fail would I move on to something like paint thinner/lacquer thinner/mineral spirits, etc.



Kind of like polishing - start with the the least aggressive approach and work your way out incrementally to gradually more aggressive approaches.



I'll play around with it this weekend and report back with what works/doesn't.
 
I don't have any advice on removing the dot but just wanted to say that I hope you like these tires as much as I do. I have them on a GS400 and couldn't be happier. Fantastic wet weather traction, quiet, and if I get anywhere near 40K out of a Z rated tire I will be shocked but thrilled......I will be happy with 30K.



I only have 4K on mine but I was led to believe these tires will maintain their handling characteristics after they get down to 5/32 or 6/32 much better than most tires. If they still handle at 80-90% and get 30K+ I will never look for another tire for this car. Did I mention how well they handle in the rain?
 
OutlawTitan:



Yeah I did a good bit of research before I bought the Potenazas and they seemed to be pretty universally acclaimed as great tires.



I think they are probably slightly worse in terms of pure dry traction sport performance than the stock Michelin Pilot MXM4s they replaced - but they have infinitely better wet traction performance, are cheaper, quieter, and last much longer than the Michelins.



They do seem to have excellent dry traction cornering grip - not much different than the Michelin Pilots. However, the steering response is not quite as good as the Michelins - that is where they really excelled.



So far the Bridgestone's seem like everything I'd read about them - and I'm happy with the purchase (if I can only get rid of these blasted yellow dots on my side walls ;) )
 
Milestones said:
That's exactly what I'm planning on doing - starting out with a very heavy dilution of Meg's GC and a wheel brush, and then, if that doesn't work, moving on to Eagle One All Wheel and Tire Cleaner/wheel brush.



Only if both of those fail would I move on to something like paint thinner/lacquer thinner/mineral spirits, etc.



Kind of like polishing - start with the the least aggressive approach and work your way out incrementally to gradually more aggressive approaches.



I'll play around with it this weekend and report back with what works/doesn't.
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I have had the same marks on several of my cars and believe me I have owned way too may cars. Don't screw around with going from the least aggressive and then move on up the ladder. Lacquer thinner on a rag will make them vanish like magic.
 
Lou K:



Thanks for that advice.



You haven't noticed any adverse effects on the tires from using lacquer thinner to spot clean these types of marks off? - that's pretty strong stuff isn't it?
 
Milestones said:
Lou K:



Thanks for that advice.



You haven't noticed any adverse effects on the tires from using lacquer thinner to spot clean these types of marks off? - that's pretty strong stuff isn't it?
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You use so little and the paint is gone in a matter of seconds. I have not had any adverse effects in the use on perhaps 25 cars and their tires.
 
hey guys i know im new here but i work for GoodYear and all tires are supposed to have the dot on there of line up with the valve stem for balanceing purposes. the easiest way to get rid of it is to just have the tires dismounted and remounted with the dot faceing the inside. as far as removing it i dont know of anyway to remove it but it will eventually just wear off on its own.
 
I'm gonna make this real simple for ya. Forget the acid, degreasers, simple green, wire brush and everything else I've read here. Just hit it with a power washer and nothing else. That spot will be gone in 5 seconds.
 
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