Tarminator on Tires

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chefwong

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I know some or many may use Terminator to clean rubber as a 1st pass at times....I cringe at the thought.

In my mind, tarminator is pretty solventy and today reinforced that.
Swapped winter shoes to summer shoes so I'm doing a full on clean of the winter wheels. New car, new wheels with about 1400 miles on them with the *some remaining sticker* that the install had left when I had snow tire mounted.
Here I was, goo gone, plastic scraper, making very slow progress but not much. Out came terminator, spray, rub, spray , rub and 8 seconds in, the remaining VHB was gone.

Which re-inforces IMO that it's strong solventy stuff. It works wonders on tar, asphalt bits, etc.
I can't see myself using it on rubber, even if it's just to do a 1st pass to help on cleaning the mold release on brand new rubber.
With that said, summer rubber I'll be lucky if I get 9K miles on them, so it's not going to be that Tarminator accelerated me needing need summer rubber when it runs down

But IMO, it's strong stuff to use on rubber....
 
As long as it’s not done often, no issues. I’ve used that on new tires for a few sets now and never had problems. Great way to clean the new tires and the gunk from installation.
 
Bruno Soares said:
As long as it’s not done often, no issues. I’ve used that on new tires for a few sets now and never had problems. Great wheel to clean the new tires and the gunk from installation.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Nothing will happen. It’s not needed often.
 
chefwong said:
But IMO, it's strong stuff to use on rubber....
Click to expand...

Tires are made of rubber, yes.

But it's a compounded blend that is very different from say, rubber door seals.

You'll be fine. :)
 
Exactly, I have written this before, but about 4 years ago, I bought one of armor- all's new tire coating products, put it on, and was very upset with the inconsistency of the product. It literally was impossible to takeoff with everything that I could think of, including kerosene, three different tire cleaners, alcohol etc. etc. etc.… I called them and got their tech service and ask them what was going on, they agreed that the new formulation was bad and suggested I use tarminator to take it off. I thought it was unusual for them to recommend another company, but they said that’s what they used whenever they wanted to strip a tire back down to a virgin state. I did and it worked perfect. I think it’s fine for occasional use.
 
There is no doubt that Tarminator is an extremely strong solvent, one that is only even advisable to use as a last resort or in occasional instances.

Tarminator is one of those products that can do what others simply can't. At the same time, I have also been very clear that this product should be used with caution and any overspray should be removed as soon as possible. That's why I also recommend spraying the product into a towel rather than directly onto the surface to be treated.

In terms of using it on tires specifically, Tarminator should/can be used on an occasional basis. Where mineral spirits will leave tires very dry, Tarminator seems to actually prevent that from happening despite it also being a solvent. From what I can gather, there is an element of citrus oil in the formulation, which will be playing a factor here.

There are only two instances where I use Tarminator on tires; to prepare box-fresh tires, or to remove an extended accumulation of dressings that are not able to be removed via traditional avenues. Overall, you may only ever use Tarminator once or twice during a tire's life. Once the tires have been prepped like this, the regular cleaning with a traditional rubber cleaner and dressing them will maintain at this level for as long as you desire.



I totally understand the reluctance in using this product, it's certainly harsh, but it's recommended usage has always been on the "occasional" side of the spectrum.
 
chefwong said:
I know some or many may use Terminator to clean rubber as a 1st pass at times....I cringe at the thought.

In my mind, tarminator is pretty solventy and today reinforced that.
Swapped winter shoes to summer shoes so I'm doing a full on clean of the winter wheels. New car, new wheels with about 1400 miles on them with the *some remaining sticker* that the install had left when I had snow tire mounted.
Here I was, goo gone, plastic scraper, making very slow progress but not much. Out came terminator, spray, rub, spray , rub and 8 seconds in, the remaining VHB was gone.

Which re-inforces IMO that it's strong solventy stuff. It works wonders on tar, asphalt bits, etc.
I can't see myself using it on rubber, even if it's just to do a 1st pass to help on cleaning the mold release on brand new rubber.
With that said, summer rubber I'll be lucky if I get 9K miles on them, so it's not going to be that Tarminator accelerated me needing need summer rubber when it runs down

But IMO, it's strong stuff to use on rubber....
Click to expand...

9k…. Let off of the right pedal. What’s the tire brand an size?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't detail for a living so the only cars I see are mine

Got a hot deal from the dealer on rubber for a song.....customer had winters mounted, never came back for the summers.

OMG, the dressing on this is nasteeeeeeeee.....glossy and sticky. Who wan'ts sticky tire dressing. I've never even knew tire goop can be sticky when dried.




I went 360* on this post. I did end up using Terminator as a 1st pass to get this muck off
 
chefwong said:
I don't detail for a living so the only cars I see are mine

Got a hot deal from the dealer on rubber for a song.....customer had winters mounted, never came back for the summers.

OMG, the dressing on this is nasteeeeeeeee.....glossy and sticky. Who wan'ts sticky tire dressing. I've never even knew tire goop can be sticky when dried.




I went 360* on this post. I did end up using Terminator as a 1st pass to get this muck off
Click to expand...

Sometimes, you just need that sledgehammer to save the day. :xyxthumbs:
 
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