Tire Dressings...

S

SpaceAce

New member
I have heard from a few sources (most recently guru reports)
that petroleum distillates are not good for tires in the long run.
It sounds like products with those distillates slowly can take a toll on tires. I see that many tire dressings contain these distillates and I usually use Megs high endurance (prefer regular not high gloss) which contains petroleum distillates. I was wondering if this truly was a problem if that dressing was used regularly and what people recommend as an alternative if Megs high endurance could eventually damage tires. Thanks.

By the way,I typically use it about 2-3 times per month in the summer at most.
 
I remember when Endurance came out i rushed out to the store to get it. Upon using it, I found it to be one of the worst products I had. It's claim of durablility in rain failed for me, after brief showers it was basically shot and it accelerated browning of my tires. What a mess to store when not in use too, gooey, sticky, just yuck. I tried one or two aerosol products sicne then, I stopped using them and then i switched to Armor All and now 303. Im very pleased with 303 and buy it by the gallon :D
 
I agree with Bill D,
I had the same problem with the Meg's Endurance and their Hot Shine Tire Spray
It seems like a lot of the tire products cause the browning. These two were some of the worst for me.
I don't know whether it is the rubber changing colors or the crap that get collected by the dressing.
I have been using Poorboys Bold and Bright recently It does a nice job but doesn't last too long in the rain. Sometimes I think one of the easiest and best is good old Armor All Tire Foam.
 
If you really like the gel format, may i reccomend EF's gel? Applied it a week ago, and rain isnt a problem. Tires look as good as the day i applyed them and it has a satin look. Personally, I dont like sprays and aerosols because of the mess they make. I'm sure Bill and kimwallace both spray the dressing on the applicator first, but even then I'm not good enough to stop the splatter.

http://www.detailcity.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3533
 
Just like there can be good and bad silicones, this applies to petroleum distillates also. I asked Mike Phillips this same question a while back and this is his response:


"I know a lot of people have a knee jerk reaction when they see the words Contains Petroleum Distillates, on the label, but that doesn't always mean a bad thing.

(I used to be one of them and still am upon smelling some products),

From the FAQ

29. I have been told that products that contain petroleum distillates are bad for my car’s finish. What does Meguiar’s have to say about this considering some of your products list petroleum distillates in the “Caution Statement�, on the back labels?

Petroleum distillates are a huge category that includes thousands of products. In fact, the term refers to anything that comes from the distillation, or cracking process of petroleum crude oil.

This includes gasoline, propane, paint thinners, mineral oils, paraffin wax, baby oil, Vaseline® and even Chap-Stick® just to name a few.

All of the above-mentioned products fall under the category of Petroleum Distillates. While some petroleum distillates can be very dangerous, others are very safe. To group all petroleum distillates into one category and label them harmful or dangerous is unfair. Like the dishonest claim that silicones are harmful, claiming all petroleum distillates are harmful is also dishonest and disingenuous.

It is an indicator the person or company making the claim either doesn't know very much about the chemistry involved in manufacturing car care products, or they are willfully engaged in deceitful marketing ploys in an effort to fool their target market.

While it's likely there are car care products on the market that do use inexpensive solvents derived from petroleum crude oil in their formula's, Meguiar's only uses ingredients, including petroleum distillates, that are combined in a way to create a product that is beneficial to the paint. In other words, the product improves or creates beauty; it does not diminish or lessen beauty. Because we work closely with automotive paint companies, we know how to protect and maximize all aspects of automotive surface coatings.

Meguiar's Petroleum Distillates

The petroleum distillates Meguiar’s uses are,

* Environmentally Safe
* Contain No Aromatic Hydrocarbons
* Contain No other Serious Air Pollutants

They are also distilled multiple times to remove,

* Carcinogens
* Reproductive Toxins
* Multiple other Impurities


You will be hard pressed to find another automotive appearance care company that goes to the extent Meguiar's goes to in order to create products that are both environmentally safe as well as safe for use by their customers.

I couldn't easily/quickly snag the picture of Chap Stick that is imbedded in the FAQ, so use your imagination. On the label it says, contains 44% petrolatums."
 
kimwallace said:
I agree with Bill D,
I had the same problem with the Meg's Endurance and their Hot Shine Tire Spray
It seems like a lot of the tire products cause the browning. These two were some of the worst for me.
I don't know whether it is the rubber changing colors or the crap that get collected by the dressing.


Browning of tires has really nothing to do with the type of dressings you use. Do a search on the web for tires and blooming. The sidewalls are designed to do that when they heat up. The brown stuff is anti-oxidizing chemicals that protect the sidewalls from UV. Some tires do it more than others. Here's another quote from Mike phillips:

"Most people don’t give a lot of thought to their tires except for, how they look. Truth be known, your tires are designed to perform under extreme conditions of heat via kinetic energy transfer, high speeds for long periods of time and incredible forces of torque and flexing.

That’s a lot to ask from a chunk of rubber, inflated with air like a cream filled donut.

The science behind the modern rubber formulas used by major tire manufactures today is both complex and interesting.

The rubber itself contains and ingredient called Antiozonant.

Antiozonant is an ingredient that helps to prevent the exterior rubber surface from cracking, checking, oxidizing, and deteriorating. The rubber is designed in such a way as to constantly work its way to the outside of the tire and as such, continually replenish the exterior surface with fresh antiozonant.

After the antiozonant works its way to the outside of the tire and is exposed to the air, it oxidizes and turns brown. The technical term for this effect is, blooming.

This is why you see a brown film on the surface your tires. You can wash your tires with soap, or an all purpose cleaner and remove this film, but in a few weeks it’s back. That’s because the antiozonant continually works its way to the outside of the tires every time you drive your car.

Because your tires contain a limited amount of antiozonants, harsh detergents and other cleaning agents should be avoided because these types of product tend to clean too well and can remove or strip the original antiozonants from the surface. Instead, use a gentle cleaner, or premium quality car wash soap.

To maintain your tires and keep them looking sharp with a deep, dark black color, Meguiar’s offers three unique tire dressings that treat the rubber with Meguiar’s own special conditioning agents as well as patented antiozonants that replenish your tires original antiozonants and keep your tires looking blacker longer than generic tire dressings and protectants. Special polymers actually penetrate and cure to the surface to form a long lasting barrier-film that protects your tires from inclement weather and exposure to corrosive elements."
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III,
I think the browning has everything to do with the dressings.
I have zero browning with Poorboys Bold and Bright on the same tires I had problems with other dressings. Or maybe the other dressings agravated the problem.
Who knows ... I just know what works for me.
 
I read somewhere that browning comes from either two things:

Dressings with silicones can react to humidity by turning brown. :dunno or as stated before, it is the antioxidants in the tires.
 
I had used ProWax Blue Ice Gel Tire Dressing which I thought was good but after I trying out the PB Bold N Bright it is now my favorite tire dressing. A little does go a long way. I spray around the tire and use a yellow foam applicator to spread and buff the product evenly. It turns out great everytime.

The reason why I like the Poorboy's Bold N Bright is the fact that it comes off when I drive in wet conditions. It makes cleaning up that much easier. Also, it does not sling.

With Aloha,
Ranney :)
 
I use silicone and water based products. Whenever I do a complete tire cleaning, I spray the tires and wheels down with EO A2Z and actually scrub the tire down with a brush. When the tire is clean, I will dress it with a water-based product like 303 or Vinylex to actually absorb, treat and preserve the rubber. It is crucial, especially with 303 that you wipe the tire DRY as possible after letting the product soak in. Now that the rubber is actually conditioned, in future washings I will use EO Wet or Megs Endurance and they both work great over a well-conditioned tire. Well, at least that's what I do. For my purposes, my favorite is Vinylex - some gloss, but not greasy, conditions the rubber and looks great IF you buff it dry. If not it, and all water-based products will run.
 
No votes for the Stoner's MSLT? I like it, but don't know enough about the PD's and long term use. Anybody?
 
I got rid of my case of it, in addition to the bad PDs,it slings incredibly, also seemed to accelerate browning of tires as well
 
kimwallace said:
III,
I think the browning has everything to do with the dressings.
I have zero browning with Poorboys Bold and Bright on the same tires I had problems with other dressings. Or maybe the other dressings agravated the problem.
Who knows ... I just know what works for me.
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Hmmm. Maybe you're right. Maybe like eggroll stated that it's the silicone reacting to the humidity or mositure? Or maybe it's both this and the antioxidants/ whatever particular tire you have? Maybe each tire reacts differently? I can tell you that I have a little browning in some areas of my tires and I have used nothing but 303 on them.
 
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I have observed tire dressings looking different on different brands of tires. For instance, 303 looks fairly matte especiallly without multiple applications on my Pirellis while it looks considerably shinier on my gf's Michelin HydroEdges. :dunno
 
I think the cleanliness of the tires has something to do with it also ...
One of my favorite products for cleaning tires is still Westley's Bleche White.
I understand it can be hard on some wheels and I am carefull how I use it.
I have tried Simple Green, Meg's APC and many other cleaners but always come back to Bleche White cause I melts away all the brown stuff and leaves the tires ready for a good application of dressing.
Once again ... Just my opinion.
 
kimwallace said:
I think the cleanliness of the tires has something to do with it also ...
One of my favorite products for cleaning tires is still Westley's Bleche White.
I understand it can be hard on some wheels and I am carefull how I use it.
I have tried Simple Green, Meg's APC and many other cleaners but always come back to Bleche White cause I melts away all the brown stuff and leaves the tires ready for a good application of dressing.
Once again ... Just my opinion.
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Id have to agree with that also.In my case i always scrub my tires down with each wash and I just wait till the previous dressing applied expires.Makes clean up for me easy and I dont have to worry about whether or not i gave the tire a full scrubdown.

From what i noticed,if you dont scrub the tires down well enough and just keep adding dressing to them then it tends to build up a layer and thats when you get the browning of your tires.JMO
 
Bill D said:
I have observed tire dressings looking different on different brands of tires. For instance, 303 looks fairly matte especiallly without multiple applications on my Pirellis while it looks considerably shinier on my gf's Michelin HydroEdges. :dunno
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Good point. I agree. You think this has something to do with the compound on the sidewalls being different from maker to maker?
 
Yes, that makes sense to me, I'm also betting this may even vary from model to model of tire of specific brands as well
 
Man, Meg's stuff does not turn tires brown. You have to properly clean a tire before you can dress it. That is the whole reason why it slings it because the tire wasn't properly cleaned or you applied too much. In most cases, I clean a tire twice. Most of the car I get are neglected daily drivers, and one cleaning won't do it. I have found the degreasers with alkaline content work the best. But like kimwallace said, you must watch where you spray it near clear coated and polished wheels. If you don't have a wheel cover, I would highly suggest to get one if you detail alot. That way you can use the product/chemical you like and not worry about over spray.
 
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