lane5515
New member
- Mar 3, 2013
- 660
- 0
If you’re like me you like a nicely dressed tire to go along with your perfectly detailed car. I’ve been using water based dressings for years now and although I like the look nothing seems to last very long.
I bought McKee’s 37 Tire Coating a couple months ago and have been waiting for the opportunity to try it. A few weeks ago I learned that a “New Formula” was available and Nick at McKee’s was sending out bottles free of charge to replace the original formula since it had been a disappointment to so many others.
This is the first time I’ve tried a tire coating so I’m hoping it will replace the numerous water based dressings I currently use.
Tires: 3 year old Goodyear Eagle LS2 with 24,500 miles
For the past 2 years these tires have always been cleaned and dressed – at least twice a month.
Product on Tire Before Cleaning: Gyeon Q2M Tire was applied about 1 week prior
Products Used for Cleaning
- Shine Supply Wise Guy 1:3 – used for first round of cleaning
- McKee’s 37 Tire & Rubber Rejuvenator
- Tuff Shine Tire Brush
- Kranzle Pressure Washer
McKee’s Directions for applying the Tire Coating
**TIRES MUST BE CLEANED WITH McKee's 37 Tire Cleaner & Rejuvenator**
1 Ensure surface is cool to the touch.
2 Thoroughly clean tires using McKee's 37 Tire Cleaner & Rejuvenator until all browning and previously applied dressings are removed. The tires are cleaned properly when a white foam is produced as you scrub them. IF YOU NEGLECT TO PERFORM THIS STEP THEN THE COATING WILL NOT PROPERLY ADHERE.
3 Allow the tire to dry completely before applying McKee's 37 Tire Coating.
4 For best results, apply McKee's 37 Tire Coating with a soft-bristle brush, like the Carrand Brush & Shine Tire Dressing Applicator.
5 Apply the coating directly onto the bristles and spread over face of tire, evenly distributing the coating.
6 Pay special attention to raised letters, ribs, and grooves.
7 If a glossier finish is desired, wait 30 minutes and apply a 2nd coat.
My Cleaning Process
Shine Supply Wise Guy was sprayed on the dry tires and left to dwell for a couple minutes and then sprayed off with the pressure washer.
As you can see in the next picture the tires were pretty dirty.
For the next several rounds of cleaning McKee’s 37 Tire & Rubber Rejuvenator was used with the Tuff Shine Brush and then pressure washed.
I didn’t count how many cleaning rounds I completed but the next picture shows some progress.
The most important thing I’ve heard about tire coating prep is to make sure the rubber is as clean as possible. When the cleaner is “white” on the tire it should be clean. Just when I thought I had cleaned enough I did another round.
Last Round of Tire Cleaning
After cleaning the tires they were blown dry with my Metro SideKick blower and left alone until the next morning. The tires had about 14 hours of dry time in my garage which was around 65 degrees.
Dry Tires – Ready to apply the Coating
Since I had never applied a tire coating before I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it apply like water based dressings? The only reference I had was Nick’s YouTube Video and pictures with descriptions on the Autogeek Store product page.
I applied the coating directly to the brush and then spread onto the tire.
The next pictures are a series of shots taken at different points of the process. I completed 3 coats with a minimum of 30 minutes between them. I hope the pictures are helpful to others so you can see how much different the coating applies compared to water based dressings.
First Coat
The coating has a blue tint to it and is very watery. I found it difficult to apply an even layer but the coating self levels and turns clear as it dries.
First Coat after 30 minutes
You can see some excess product in different areas of the tire. I was tempted to take a rag and wipe it off but after watching some of the application videos it said not to wipe with a rag.
First Coat at 60 minutes – the product leveled out pretty good. In person the finish is fairly “Matte” and I like a little more sheen or “satin” finish so I decided to apply additional coats.
Second Coat – 1 minute after application
Second Coat after 30 minutes
As you can see I didn’t have as much excess product left behind. It didn’t take as much product this time either.
I liked the look after 2 coats but decided to go for a third!
Third Coat – 1 minute after application
Third Coat – 30 minutes after application
You can see some excess product remained but I left it alone.
Third Coat – 60 minutes after application
After 3 coats I achieved the look I wanted. The tire is dry to the touch and I shouldn’t be worried about any sling.
Overall I am impressed with the ease of application and the finished look. The only thing I don’t like is the bottle. When trying to pour it onto the brush it was like a 90 year old man trying to pee. It dribbles out and with the watery consistency it ends up running down the side of the bottle. They could improve the cap for dispensing the product – maybe a longer microtip spout.
Time will tell how well the coating stands up. I plan to update this thread over the next several weeks/months
I bought McKee’s 37 Tire Coating a couple months ago and have been waiting for the opportunity to try it. A few weeks ago I learned that a “New Formula” was available and Nick at McKee’s was sending out bottles free of charge to replace the original formula since it had been a disappointment to so many others.
This is the first time I’ve tried a tire coating so I’m hoping it will replace the numerous water based dressings I currently use.
Tires: 3 year old Goodyear Eagle LS2 with 24,500 miles
For the past 2 years these tires have always been cleaned and dressed – at least twice a month.
Product on Tire Before Cleaning: Gyeon Q2M Tire was applied about 1 week prior
Products Used for Cleaning
- Shine Supply Wise Guy 1:3 – used for first round of cleaning
- McKee’s 37 Tire & Rubber Rejuvenator
- Tuff Shine Tire Brush
- Kranzle Pressure Washer
McKee’s Directions for applying the Tire Coating
**TIRES MUST BE CLEANED WITH McKee's 37 Tire Cleaner & Rejuvenator**
1 Ensure surface is cool to the touch.
2 Thoroughly clean tires using McKee's 37 Tire Cleaner & Rejuvenator until all browning and previously applied dressings are removed. The tires are cleaned properly when a white foam is produced as you scrub them. IF YOU NEGLECT TO PERFORM THIS STEP THEN THE COATING WILL NOT PROPERLY ADHERE.
3 Allow the tire to dry completely before applying McKee's 37 Tire Coating.
4 For best results, apply McKee's 37 Tire Coating with a soft-bristle brush, like the Carrand Brush & Shine Tire Dressing Applicator.
5 Apply the coating directly onto the bristles and spread over face of tire, evenly distributing the coating.
6 Pay special attention to raised letters, ribs, and grooves.
7 If a glossier finish is desired, wait 30 minutes and apply a 2nd coat.
My Cleaning Process
Shine Supply Wise Guy was sprayed on the dry tires and left to dwell for a couple minutes and then sprayed off with the pressure washer.
As you can see in the next picture the tires were pretty dirty.
For the next several rounds of cleaning McKee’s 37 Tire & Rubber Rejuvenator was used with the Tuff Shine Brush and then pressure washed.
I didn’t count how many cleaning rounds I completed but the next picture shows some progress.
The most important thing I’ve heard about tire coating prep is to make sure the rubber is as clean as possible. When the cleaner is “white” on the tire it should be clean. Just when I thought I had cleaned enough I did another round.
Last Round of Tire Cleaning
After cleaning the tires they were blown dry with my Metro SideKick blower and left alone until the next morning. The tires had about 14 hours of dry time in my garage which was around 65 degrees.
Dry Tires – Ready to apply the Coating
Since I had never applied a tire coating before I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it apply like water based dressings? The only reference I had was Nick’s YouTube Video and pictures with descriptions on the Autogeek Store product page.
I applied the coating directly to the brush and then spread onto the tire.
The next pictures are a series of shots taken at different points of the process. I completed 3 coats with a minimum of 30 minutes between them. I hope the pictures are helpful to others so you can see how much different the coating applies compared to water based dressings.
First Coat
The coating has a blue tint to it and is very watery. I found it difficult to apply an even layer but the coating self levels and turns clear as it dries.
First Coat after 30 minutes
You can see some excess product in different areas of the tire. I was tempted to take a rag and wipe it off but after watching some of the application videos it said not to wipe with a rag.
First Coat at 60 minutes – the product leveled out pretty good. In person the finish is fairly “Matte” and I like a little more sheen or “satin” finish so I decided to apply additional coats.
Second Coat – 1 minute after application
Second Coat after 30 minutes
As you can see I didn’t have as much excess product left behind. It didn’t take as much product this time either.
I liked the look after 2 coats but decided to go for a third!
Third Coat – 1 minute after application
Third Coat – 30 minutes after application
You can see some excess product remained but I left it alone.
Third Coat – 60 minutes after application
After 3 coats I achieved the look I wanted. The tire is dry to the touch and I shouldn’t be worried about any sling.
Overall I am impressed with the ease of application and the finished look. The only thing I don’t like is the bottle. When trying to pour it onto the brush it was like a 90 year old man trying to pee. It dribbles out and with the watery consistency it ends up running down the side of the bottle. They could improve the cap for dispensing the product – maybe a longer microtip spout.
Time will tell how well the coating stands up. I plan to update this thread over the next several weeks/months
