Wash warning over tyres

I find that very hard to believe. What about the people that constantly curb their tires? My tires get power washed once per week at least and, knock on wood LOL, I have never had a side wall blow on me.
 
I powerwashed my tires and then a ufo landed in my yard, coincidence? I think not :D I'm sure this is true with a heavy duty power washer or directly aiming at the tire but c'mon use your head.



At a place I worked at we had a 440 volt industrial powerwasher with heated (super hot) water. That thing would take paint off powdercoated wheels!
 
Yep, that is very hard to believe. Not only do people like us PW our tires regularly, but think of all the people who go through the swirlomatics on a regular basis. They use high-pressure water to clean wheels. I would like to know exactly what kind of tires this theory was tested on.
 
It's real. I've peeled rubber off with a pressure washer.



It's a matter of how strong the pressure washer is, and how close you get it to the tire.
 
Yes, it is real. The point of the article is the risk of causing micro-damage which could lead to sidewall damage. This damage can't be seen. And, yes, it does depend on how close you get it to the tyre. Just because someone can drive in the wrong direction into on-coming traffic and survive doesn't mean its riskless or wise.



The other interesting point was regarding using strong cleaning chemicals on the tyre that can lead to browning and degradation due to the removal of anti-oxidants/anti-ozonants.
 
This is from a publication that rated Turtle Wax as the best wax you could buy. They also recently reviewed wash mits & sponges & marked down the Megs mit as no matter how hard they scrubbed it wouldn't remove stubborn marks but a good sponge would. :wall
 
This was a news article reporting comments from DEKRA and TyreSafe, not an Auto Express review. I agree, their tests and reviews are questionable.



The report is basic common sense. Foxtrapper's experience is noteworthy.
 
Yes, you can cause serious damage to the tires. With a big Kärcher, I was able to cut into a tire with the jet. I saw a report on German TV, and I decided to try it. The water cut into the sidewall like butter, and the damage went down to the plies.
 
I don't use any soaps on my tires and unless your using a 5 to 20,000 psi washer, it's unlikely to do damage. Plus I stand at least five feet away from the tires and constantly move the gun
 
To add to this, a whole lot of the problem is the tire. The sidewall specifically.



Something like the Sumitomo car tires have tissue paper thin sidewalls. They are very easily damaged. They are so thin and fragile that you can probably shove a dull pencil through them. The rubber coating over the single sidewall ply is so thin that the cute ribbing you look at as texture is actually the cord itself.



But a typical truck tire or such has a stout sidewall with much thicker rubber over it. These tires are much less likely to be damaged by a pressure washer, or much of anything else for that matter.
 
I'm not sure what the bar measurements are but if the pressure washer operates at 1500 psi or less which should be safe for fully-cured OEM paint it should be safe for the tires. I have used Westley's Bleche-Wite 1:1 on tires and I've notice that most of the tires I clean have been left with the "brownish watermark" but once I dress them they look fine normal. When they refer to taking off the anti-oxididizers it must be the dressing-like protection and shine it previously had and was striped by the tire cleaner. When the tires have been dress within the past month or so I usually resort to plain carwash solution.
 
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