Tire Dressing
- Thread starter KBsToy
- Start date
vaca22
Member
- Feb 12, 2020
- 388
- 3
Most insane acronym ever LOL
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
Looking to do some shopping this labor day weekend.
Have been using the Adams Tire shine in the white bottle, it's nice and Matte, but doesn't last long at all. I was going to try Car Pro PERL, but don't see it on AG's store.
Anything else people can recommend that has a nice, matte finish that can last longer?
Edit: And how about a reco' for a dedicated tire cleaner? I've used a high alkalaline degreaser (diluted 1:3), but not happy with the results. Now willing to try a dedicated tire cleaner....
In your case, I would echo the other suggestions for Duragloss 253.
Although I can't comment on durability just yet, I have been really impressed with Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing lately, it can also finish down to a matte look.
For tire cleaning, I keep trying different products for this role, however I keep coming back to Brake Buster at full strength.
The Guz
Well-known member
- Jun 17, 2013
- 8,785
- 65
In your case, I would echo the other suggestions for Duragloss 253.
Although I can't comment on durability just yet, I have been really impressed with Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing lately, it can also finish down to a matte look.
For tire cleaning, I keep trying different products for this role, however I keep coming back to Brake Buster at full strength.
Adams won’t last as long but it does look good. It will last as long as Perl.
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
This is certainly a thing, mostly on the Pilot Sport 4S from what I can tell.
The waxiness of the PS4S sidewall is quite weird in how it reacts to dressings, causing a blotchy appearance depending on the product used. I think the best method for these tires is to not aim for a glossy finish as this tends to exaggerate the blotchy look. I have found a water-based dressing applied as normal and then wiped generously after 15 minutes to level the finish to an even look.
This is freshly applied Carpro Perl neat -
Perl buffed back to an even, matte finish -
On the flip side of this, I have the older design Pilot Sport 3 on a car that dresses amazingly, but it extremely hard to achieve a bare, clean surface no matter what product or strength I use. The only thing that comes close is Tarminator.
All of that compares to the variety of different Dunlop's I deal with, along with Pirelli and Bridgestone. None of these are as finicky to clean or dress than the Michelins.
The other thing to note is that Darkside has a solvent base and will be naturally messier to remove. This is in both the chemical makeup of the product but also the dirt that sticks to it.
DFB - Terminator is strong stuff.....are you okay using it on your rubber
I have a $2700 PS4 order due as well, and been thinking about what to dress it with. Coating or dressing....and stumbled upon this thread. Haven't used coating in awhile as I don't like how it wears. So dressing it is.
I am on the opposite spectrum. I'd rather top up dressings than go to town scrubbing till brown is clear - whether it be on new or old tires. Granted these are tires for my own use, and not a *customers car* with unknown goop that is sitting on the surface, so the POV of brown vs. not brown may be sorta a YMMV approach
I have a $2700 PS4 order due as well, and been thinking about what to dress it with. Coating or dressing....and stumbled upon this thread. Haven't used coating in awhile as I don't like how it wears. So dressing it is.
I am on the opposite spectrum. I'd rather top up dressings than go to town scrubbing till brown is clear - whether it be on new or old tires. Granted these are tires for my own use, and not a *customers car* with unknown goop that is sitting on the surface, so the POV of brown vs. not brown may be sorta a YMMV approach
PA DETAILER
Well-known member
- Mar 5, 2011
- 6,017
- 250
:iagree:
dgage said:
I keep trying to find something better but I keep going back to DG253, primarily due to ease of application and it being as durable as anything else out there.
Coatings last longer (3+ months) unless the sides get scratched and then it is very hard to touchup.
Coatingsarecrack
Well-known member
- Dec 9, 2018
- 7,879
- 565
Get a drill brush. Makes cleaning tires soooooooooooooo much easier.
If your tires are low profile I’d go with a dressing as well. Edges get to worn and need recoating every couple weeks anyways
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
Tarminator is very strong, a sledgehammer in fact. I have been using it on tires for a while now and have not come into any issues. Keep in mind that I only Tarminator on tires occasionally, mainly when I'm attempting to get tires completely stripped. As mentioned, those PS3's resist everything. It's also good for getting brand new tires cleaned and conditioned for dressing, helping to remove fitting soap and release agents and improving the bond of the dressing.
These comments/observations are on my own cars, no way am I spending extended time scrubbing away at a customer's car when they won't even notice if the tires are clean or not. For those situations, they get a simple, single pass over with a tire cleaner, rinsed and then dressed. No repeated passes until no brown shows through.
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
From all I have tried, and there are too many to publicly admit to, there are a couple of products that seem to work well on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S -
- As mentioned earlier, Carpro Perl. I use this neat as I don't love runny dressings, but its probably best diluted for tires and would require less knock back.
- Auto Finesse Satin is another low gloss dressing that works well on PS4S. Don't expect any gloss whatsoever, in fact this is the least noticeable tire dressing I have ever used.
- NV Onyx is another water based dressing, able to deliver more gloss if desired. Again, best knocked back to achieve a uniform appearance.
- The one I use the most is OG Tire Dressing. No idea why, but this seems to suit these tires the best. It will deliver gloss if you want but it's best given a gentle wipe to level it down to a more satin sheen.
I have used Darkside, just not on PS4S's -
Overall, it's a nice product. You need to work for it though, Darkside lacking the silky smooth application of the above and needs to massaged into the tire more.
Desertnate
Well-known member
- Aug 5, 2013
- 6,236
- 291
I'm surprised you got PERL to work on PSSs and PS4Ss. My experience wasn't so great. I tried both neat and diluted 1:1.
Going neat it looked pretty good but you could almost watch it fade while looking at the tire. Any sign of moisture and it was gone. Diluted, it worked better. Durability was actually a week or so and it would survive the morning dew, unlike going neat which would streak. Appearance wasn't quite as good, so it becomes a trade-off of appearance vs durability.
The funny thing is I have PS4's (different from the PS4S) and a set of Defender LTXs on our cars at home right now. Both of those struggle with PERL as well, but in different ways. However, I also use PERL on a set of Kuhmo's and it's fantastic; looks great and holds up a long time. In fact, PERL works better on the Kuhmo's better than any tire from any brand I've tried it on.
Going neat it looked pretty good but you could almost watch it fade while looking at the tire. Any sign of moisture and it was gone. Diluted, it worked better. Durability was actually a week or so and it would survive the morning dew, unlike going neat which would streak. Appearance wasn't quite as good, so it becomes a trade-off of appearance vs durability.
The funny thing is I have PS4's (different from the PS4S) and a set of Defender LTXs on our cars at home right now. Both of those struggle with PERL as well, but in different ways. However, I also use PERL on a set of Kuhmo's and it's fantastic; looks great and holds up a long time. In fact, PERL works better on the Kuhmo's better than any tire from any brand I've tried it on.
Rsurfer
Well-known member
- Jan 26, 2007
- 14,159
- 26
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
DFB - I feel left out you didn’t mention my MPSAS4 tires - Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires.They’re also finicky with tire dressings but are the best all season sport tires I’ve used.
Still miss the Firestone Firehawk SZ50 as the best high-performance tire I’ve driven except for tread life. I was lucky to get 18,000 miles on them but they handled in the wet like most tires handled when dry.
I only get anywhere from a season or so on the PS4S so cleaning away all the bloom agents is not that much of an issue so the rubber goes away ..... I was remarking that for me, while I can see the cleaning benefits of terminator, I'm just not the type to -put product down- and scrub till brown looks clean. I tend to just -err- on mild wash, dress it and just dress it often....as in my -mind-, I'm leaching out all the blooming agents to some degree...
It also depends on what you’re doing. If just using a dressing, it doesn’t have to be “clean until white foam” but if you’re trying to put a coating on the tires, it may need more than one “clean until white foam” for the coating to last. Dressings may not last as long initially when the tire is just put on but as you say, eventually it will leach out enough and the dressing will last longer with more minor cleanings.
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,880
- 2,940
DFB - I feel left out you didn’t mention my MPSAS4 tires - Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires.
Still miss the Firestone Firehawk SZ50 as the best high-performance tire I’ve driven except for tread life. I was lucky to get 18,000 miles on them but they handled in the wet like most tires handled when dry.
Just keep in mind that I'm from Australia, we have no use for all-season tires here, hence me not mentioning it.