MicroFiber towels for cleaning tires

CEE DOG

CEE DOG

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Ok, that was a very general statement but my point is brushes don't clean it as thoroughly as an mf towel in my experience.

I scrub the tire with the brush and my cleaner first but (after rinsing) on the second go around with a bit more cleaner I scrub with an old mf towel as well.

I haven't seen anyone else using a towel for the second wash.

Do any of you do that?

If not give it a try and you will see stuff come off on the towel that didn't come off already.
It's only logical since the bristles of a brush are unlikely to brush against every square nanometer with enough pressure to remove the dirt.

Btw: I know a lot of people like a black towel for wheel care but I like my all purpose lighter colored towel (blue in my case) for tires. That way I can see if anything is still being removed.


This video does NOT show my mf towel step but Skillet offers some great music! And this post is in desperate need of some media. LOL
When this video was made I was using an mf towel during the second rinse phase but since then the towel has moved to the main wash media during the second wash and rinse phase.

Video: Preparation of Tire

[video=youtube_share;4LYGz7EgPX4"]Wash Tire.wmv - YouTube[/video]
 
Corey, I use a similar method when we do tires/wheels, we use a variety of brushes for the barrel and face of the wheel but tires get washed with mf wash mit and it truly works well
 
After being surprised a couple times I have not cleaned the tires well enough, I will drag out the MB or the vac n blo to check to see if they are really clean since it is deceptive when wet.

I do not use mf on tires.
 
I use a MF mitt on mine. Since it's white I can always see what I missed. It's amazing how much more stuff comes off using MF
 
I don't use MF towels on tires...I have a very ample supply of old and used cotton bath towels/wash cloths that I use for the 'wiping of tires'. :)

Bob
 
I use a toothbrush and a Q-tip. Works wonders on Euclid tires!!







Seriously. I have a stiff and a softer bristled brush and use a combo of both with good success.
 
FUNX725 said:
I don't use MF towels on tires...I have a very ample supply of old and used cotton bath towels/wash cloths that I use for the 'wiping of tires'. :)

Bob
Click to expand...

I'm with you Bob. I have stacks of old cotton towels I used before MF was even introduced into detailing. I use them for tires and wheel wells.
 
I generally use old cotton terry towels on the tires soaked in OPC, another APC, or car wash soap if the brush doesn't get them clean.

I don't seem to have as tough time with black staining of towels with UTTG and WETS as dressings, so they come clean pretty easily. I can normally dry with a MF towel dedicated to tires and wheels without getting a lot of black on the towel.

My son will sometimes wash our friend's cars that have been washed at the local car wash. I don't know what the car wash uses on the tires but some oily black stuff gets all over the tire brush which is a bear to remove. Last time, I ended up using Dawn Power Dissolver which seemed to work best on the brush bristles.

When all else fails, I end up taking out some strong mojo APC cleaner to get the old, crappy black dressing off the tire. I keep a peice of old terry towel around to make sure that it is clean.
 
I use the same method as cee dog. Brush them then use old MF to get any left over dirt/brake dust.

Tom
 
Just tried this. Worked very well with OPC. Damn Pirelli truck tires with all the damn grooves, serrations and white letters. Now they really look clean.
 
I've been doing a weekly Ultima WWP wash on my car now for the past couple of months. and I've found the easiest and quickest way to do the tires was to simply spritz it down with the WWP and take a old MF and wipe. Comes out great, very clean and no mess or spilled/dripping water. If you do it regularily it's real easy. I apply Meg Endurance Tire Gel once a month and that makes the weekly cleanup a breeze. I haven't touched my tire brushes in a while.
 
It also removes any residual brake dust and grime that is lingering on the wheel.
 
FUNX725 said:
I don't use MF towels on tires...I have a very ample supply of old and used cotton bath towels/wash cloths that I use for the 'wiping of tires'. :)

Bob
Click to expand...


Agree.

Also wrote an article that references your point...

The 4 minimum categories of wiping cloths


Mike Phillips said:
Wiping cloths
Just as important as any product or tool in your detailing arsenal are your wiping cloths. You can use the best compound, the best polish, the best LSP and of course the best buffing pads and top of the line polishers but if you're using any type of wiping cloth that is in some way, shape or form contaminated then you risk putting swirls and scratches into your car's finish. For this reason it's important to separate your wiping cloths into dedicated categories and have some type of labeling system so that you or others know what a collection of wiping cloths can be used on safely.

The ultimate goal is to have confidence that when you go to remove your LSP of a finish you've toiled over all day long, that the end results will giddy with glee, not because the paint looks fabulous, not loathsome and infuriated because you just instilled scratches back into the paint you've worked on so hard.

More than that, you want friends, family and even employees to be enabled to choose the right cloth in case they're are to perform any kind of detailing task with or without your supervision. For example, you're gone, a bird leaves a bird dropping on the hood of your girlfriend or wife's car and in their attempt to remove the bird dropping you don't want them grabbing the wrong microfiber polishing cloth and remove the bird dropping but create a new Saturday Detailing Project for you in the process.


4 Categories Minimum
Everyone should have at least 4 types of wiping cloths, some of you may have more categories like a dedicated collection of glass wiping cloths, or wiping cloths dedicated towards leather and vinyl dressings. These are the minimum, feel free to separate your wiping cloths as much as you like and places like Target offer plastic roll-around bins with drawers that you can label and store your different groups of wiping cloths. It's important to separate any cloth deemed worthing of wiping a high gloss finish from all the rest.


Good Microfiber Polishing Cloths
You can 'touch' paint with microfiber polishing cloths from this collection. These are the microfiber polishing cloths in your collection that are new or you have washed and dried and you trust them to be safe on a high gloss, polished finish.


Tatty Microfiber Polishing Cloths
These are washed, dried and clean, but their quality has fallen to a level that you have deemed them not worthing of touching a high gloss, polished finish. You don't throw them away because they still have value for wiping spray detailers or cleaner/waxes out places like door jambs, chrome wheels or bumpers, a roll bar, the paint on a boat trailer, or some components in the engine compartment. You might even keep them around for checking the oil or wiping grease off your hands after changing the oil. The point is they are still great at removing residue, just not off a swirl-free, scratch-free, high gloss surface.

Good Cotton Towels
While microfiber is superior at removing polishes, waxes and paint sealants off paint, and especially trace residues off smooth, high gloss finishes, there's still a place for good quality cotton towels. For example, cleaning you pad on the fly. Cotton towels with a large nap work better than microfiber towels. Some people prefer a cotton towel with a large nap to remove compounds because they offer a more aggressive bite but then switch over to microfiber for removing polishes and LSP's. Your good cotton towels should be clean and soft and worthing of working on paint in good condition or better.

Tatty Cotton Towels
Tatty Cotton Towels are cotton towels that are washed and dried but for whatever the reason, their quality is fallen off to far from what's acceptable to touch paint in good condition or better. They still have value however for mundane tasks like wiping excess tired dressing off the face of a tire, applying or wiping cleaners and dressings in the fenderwell area, applying or removing cleaners, dressings or cleaner/waxes in the trunk area or door jambs and engine compartments. They have value because they are absorbent, clean and ready to use and paid for. After some projects you might be better of discarding them versus trying to clean them well enough that they can be used again.
Click to expand...



:)
 
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