Best way to clean and dress tires without having to repeat entire process?

[joebruin77]

I noticed that all of my tires were looking dirty and brown, so this weekend I cleaned them thoroughly and dressed them. I used Meguiars Non-Acid Wheel and Tire Cleaner diluted 2 to 1. I sprayed and scrubbed each tire until the cleaner no longer turned brown, which was about 3 to 4 times each tire. Once the tire was hosed off and dried, I then dressed each tire using Chemical Guys VRP. The tires came out looking great.

My question is, is there a way to maintain the tires without having to do all that work? The whole process was a bit time consuming and a bit hard on my shoulder. Now that the tires have been thoroughly cleaned, do you think I would be able to hose off each tire in a week or so, maybe wipe it down once with some ONR, and then dress them with another coat of VRP? Or should I use the Wheel and Tire Cleaner prior to every time I apply another coat of VRP?

I know I could go the route of a tire coating. But if I want to keep using VRP or a similar water-based tire dressing, what is the fastest and most simple process to keep my tires looking good?

Thank you,
Joe

 

[The Guz]

For sometime now I changed how I clean the tires. If I am going to be using the same tire dressing then I will simply wash them with soap and water using a tire brush for light agitation if I am doing a bucket wash and dress them after every wash. I will do the same thing if I am doing a rinseless wash.

When I am ready to switch over to a new tire dressing then I give them a good cleaning.

 

[Don M]

For sometime now I changed how I clean the tires. If I am going to be using the same tire dressing then I will simply wash them with soap and water using a tire brush for light agitation if I am doing a bucket wash and dress them after every wash. I will do the same thing if I am doing a rinseless wash.

When I am ready to switch over to a new tire dressing then I give them a good cleaning.

I do something similar. Ever since I switched to the Turtle Wax foaming tire cleaner and Graphene/Acrylic Tire shine. I'll deep clean the tires ... takes two times MAX (the first time with a tire brush & the cleaner, the 2nd time with a wet microfiber & cleaner) ... probably overdoing it, but that's OCD for you.

Once the tires are dry, I spray the dressing on a dressing applicator sponge, and wipe around the tire until it's evenly coated.

Subsequent washes of the wheels/tires are done with car wash soap and a microfiber towel I keep for that purpose ONLY. I can go a good month or two without feeling the urge to deep clean them again, and just reapply the tire shine as I feel it's needed.

 

[Desertnate]

I can't help but wonder if some of the tire cleaners or even the dressing themselves lead to the browning of the tires.

When I clean my wheels while washing the car, I just run the brush over the sidewalls to get rid of any dirt that might be embedded in the texture of the tire. Once they dry out, I hit them with the dressing. No browning, no scrubbing, just a quick wash and a quick application of dressing.

Since I moved to a mild wheel cleaner like Griots and used either Duragloss 253 or PERL, I've not had any tire browning on any of the vehicles I maintain. When I still used some OTC Meguiars wheel cleaners and tire dressings, I was fighting a constant battle with browning.

 

[SameGuy]

I said this in another thread, but TW Jet Black Endurance coating was recommended to me maybe a decade ago. For the price, it’s incredible. I cleaned out a local big box store seven or eight years ago when it went on sale, a kit with the tire cleaner, brush, applicator sponge, and MF, all for $7. I think I got eight kits; I still have four. A full set of 225/65 tires uses maybe ⅛ of a bottle for two coats to produce a nice, even, satin black sheen. I just swapped to winter tires on our cars, and the Crosstrek’s all-seasons that I scrubbed and coated with TW in early spring are still black and satiny after seven months and ~8000 miles. NB the TW tire cleaner is nothing to write home about; I prefer Meg’s Non-Acid at 2:1, and I usually use an aqua Cyclo on a dedicated DA for deep cleaning before coating.

 

[PA DETAILER]

I do something similar. Ever since I switched to the Turtle Wax foaming tire cleaner and Graphene/Acrylic Tire shine. I'll deep clean the tires ... takes two times MAX (the first time with a tire brush & the cleaner, the 2nd time with a wet microfiber & cleaner) ... probably overdoing it, but that's OCD for you.

Once the tires are dry, I spray the dressing on a dressing applicator sponge, and wipe around the tire until it's evenly coated.

Subsequent washes of the wheels/tires are done with car wash soap and a microfiber towel I keep for that purpose ONLY. I can go a good month or two without feeling the urge to deep clean them again, and just reapply the tire shine as I feel it's needed.

That is the magic of the two products. Once applied, just soap & water to clean the tires. If a touch up is needed, just apply more.

 

[2black1s]

For daily drivers I don't go through a whole lot of cleaning/scrubbing. I'll give the tires a quick once-over with a wash mitt and/or a tire brush during the wash and that's about it for cleaning. Then I'll apply a spray application of "No Touch" and finish by wiping with a terry cloth towel 5-10 minutes later.

That process is so easy, literally takes only minutes, and the results are plenty good enough for me for a daily driver.

View attachment 75993

 

[DFB]

The key thing here is regular cleaning.

This is my daily driver, washed once a week with the tires scrubbed each time (Brake Buster at 100%, P&S Undressed, Wise Guy or Adams Rubber Cleaner). Note how the chemical is mostly white rather than brown -





This one is a garage queen, the tires scrubbed at each wash -



The effect of regular cleaning is that you keep on top of them, rather than having to do repeated scrubbing.

These are cars that I detail from time to time, the tires will never be scrubbed between visits to me -











So, a little bit and often rather than a lot, less often.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Get a drill brush for once a month cleaning. One pass will keep them clean.


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[SameGuy]

Once you coat them you don’t have to go through all that, though. Just one thorough cleaning, and then five minutes with a sponge applicator, and you don’t have to scrub them again for months and months. Just soapy water at the end of your wash with a dedicated mitt or brush.

 

[SameGuy]

For daily drivers I don't go through a whole lot of cleaning/scrubbing. I'll give the tires a quick once-over with a wash mitt and/or a tire brush during the wash and that's about it for cleaning. Then I'll apply a spray application of "No Touch" and finish by wiping with a terry cloth towel 5-10 minutes later.

That process is so easy, literally takes only minutes, and the results are plenty good enough for me for a daily driver.

View attachment 75993

I’ve used this a bunch of times on quick details for people who did not ask for dressing trim and tires, and it just amps up the wow factor on delivery. Without exception, they love it, and it takes me all of five minutes. I used to use a “satin” ratio of Hyper Dressing, which I still use (and love to use) for engine bays, but No Touch is just such an easy way to score bonus points it’s a no-brainer. :xyxthumbs:

 

[2black1s]

I’ve used this a bunch of times on quick details for people who did not ask for dressing trim and tires, and it just amps up the wow factor on delivery. Without exception, they love it, and it takes me all of five minutes. I used to use a “satin” ratio of Hyper Dressing, which I still use (and love to use) for engine bays, but No Touch is just such an easy way to score bonus points it’s a no-brainer. :xyxthumbs:

I agree that it's a no-brainer. It's so quick and easy and from 5 ft away it looks just as good as if you spent an hour or two scrubbing and coating.

The only downsides are; overspray on the wheels, and it leaves a slightly wet finish. That is why I'll usually follow-up with a quick wipe shortly after application.

I've also used some homemade wheel protectors to eliminate/minimize the overspray on the wheels.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

For daily drivers I don't go through a whole lot of cleaning/scrubbing. I'll give the tires a quick once-over with a wash mitt and/or a tire brush during the wash and that's about it for cleaning. Then I'll apply a spray application of "No Touch" and finish by wiping with a terry cloth towel 5-10 minutes later.

That process is so easy, literally takes only minutes, and the results are plenty good enough for me for a daily driver.

View attachment 75993

Wow… use to use that in my teens…. Taking me way back…


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[SameGuy]

There are still some really good big-brand/big-box products that serve a purpose (see my repetitive praise for TW Jet Black Endurance tire coating). :dblthumb2:

 

[SameGuy]

I've also used some homemade wheel protectors to eliminate/minimize the overspray on the wheels.

Ah crap I just discarded a few sheets of plastic sign board that I’ve used in the past to make “wheel covers” for stacked stored winter/summer wheels (under a weatherproof protector) in the shed. I could’ve made a range of 16-22” wheel masks now that you mention it.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

There are still some really good big-brand/big-box products that serve a purpose (see my repetitive praise for TW Jet Black Endurance tire coating). :dblthumb2:

Yeah only problem is it’s not available. Kinda like talking about that super hot girlfriend from high school you use to date

Wish it was around though [mention]Eldorado2k [/mention] seems to really like it too.


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[SameGuy]

Yeah only problem is it’s not available. Kinda like talking about that super hot girlfriend from high school you use to date

Wish it was around though [mention]Eldorado2k [/mention] seems to really like it too.

I wouldn’t be surprised if their graphene acrylic spray on coating is exactly the same thing, but designed to waste more so you go through it more quickly lol.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I wouldn’t be surprised if their graphene acrylic spray on coating is exactly the same thing, but designed to waste more so you go through it more quickly lol.

I only get 2-3 solid weeks from the GAS coating. It is a nice product though.


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[SameGuy]

Oh wow. Good to know. I guess I’m sticking with Tuff Shine then.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Oh wow. Good to know. I guess I’m sticking with Tuff Shine then.

Yeah nothing going to be as good as a coating.

My only problem is I have low pro tires and the edges were from cornering. Not so noticeable on a large tire but more so in the short sidewall. Looking for something that will last 2-3 washes and I’ll be a happy camper.


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