Tire dressing? (Do or Don'ts)

[Laughing Coyote]

I don't know if this topic was ever discussed, but I was wanting to know if any of you use a tire dressing on your tires to give them that nice sheen and black rich color. If so what do you use and if there are any drawbacks of using a tire dressing.

Thanks

[capngrog]

I hate tire dressing!  I'm no show car guy and don't appreciate the mess that commercially available tire dressings make ... even though they look good until they attract dirt, dust, grease, grime and grit.   Just keep your tires clean.  I don't recall seeing even showroom new cars with tires that glistened like the skin of a belly dancer on a hot night in Tangier.

 

Just sayin'.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[mrspeedyt]

i've tried a few. even using old brake fluid. nothing has impressed me yet.

[Restorer32]

Growing up in Dad's tire shop in the 1960s one of my jobs was "dressing" used tires. We painted them with cheap black enamel thinned with gasoline to the consistency of water. 

[60FlatTop]

Awful stuff. Greazy and attracts dirt. I clean my tires with Westley's and have a piece of 800 wet or dry in the bucket to pretty it up.

 

Those belly dancers never appealed much to me. Maybe I was too young when I met the Royal Baby. Any shellbacks out there?

 

Bernie

[Mark Shaw]

I just scrub my tires with a brush when washing the car.  If there are scuff marks on the white walls, I use a mildly abrasive cleaner to remove the dark spots.

[60FlatTop]

3 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

Growing up in Dad's tire shop in the 1960s one of my jobs was "dressing" used tires. We painted them with cheap black enamel thinned with gasoline to the consistency of water. 

 

We bought the five gallon bucket of rubber based paint, but thinned it with a lot of cheap gasoline as well. You had to save a little thick stuff if the grooving iron cut into the cords, though.

 

Just remembering the bluish red rainbow effect all that gas gave the black paint.

[Bhigdog]

Don't use anything with silicone, Armour-all, etc etc if you plan on painting your car again.

Oh yeah, that shiny black tire dressing is plain ugly.......................Bob

Edited September 25, 2017 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[JACK M]

Those soap filled SOS pads work the best.

[Terry Bond]

I too detest that slippery shiny look.   If you feel the need to put something on, I've used McGuires vinyl cleaner.  It is not glossy, dries quickly so it isn't tacky, and leaves a good natural matt finish.  When we acquired our MG TC the tires were clean but were not "new" looking.  Soap and water and an application of the Mcguires made them look fantstic.  I use it only about once a year and when getting ready for a show, just spray a bit on a rag and wipe.  I think McGuires also makes something in a matt finish specifically made just for tires but I suspect it's the same thing in a different bottle. 

Terry

[Vila]

Water and a scrub brush.

[60FlatTop]

True fact! On soft parts like rubber, vinyl, or leather, I have just scooped my fingers into the D&L hand cleaner tub and rubbed that lanolin right in with my fingers. I did most of a Jaguar leather interior like that. Quite a bit of good stuff was hidden under some cheap seat covers.

 

I have finger applied bathroom Soft Scrub to a couple of very dirty (deep in the grain) white vinyl tops and been pretty happy, as well.

Bernie

[Joe in Canada]

I dealt with the major tire manufactures that supplied the auto industry before I retired. The vender reps knew I was interested in vintage cars so the topic came  up at times over coffee. One thing I was told is to not use tire dressers as they will cause tires to prematurely crack. Also as Bob mentions is to never use a product on your car that has silicon in it.

[61polara]

Looks like the vote is 100% no tire gloss at this point.  To me, it ranks as the #3 don't do for a car show, especially on the show field.  Number 2 is mirrors on the sides of the car showing the undercarriage.  Number 1 is displaying all the trophies you have ever won in front or in the trunk of the car.

[Laughing Coyote]

Thanks for all the comments so far. I'm not a big fan of the real shinny stuff either that looks like your fingers after eating deep fried chicken. I like the rich black color (the shade darker than a raw tire color) with a hint of sheen. A mat to semi look. 

[Guest MitchellWells]

I like the look of nice, clean tires. No extra polishes or cleaners here.

[danleblanc]

I use Pinnacle Black Onyx tire dressing. It is water based and makes the rubber look clean and black without gloss. It dries and does not attract dust. If you want a glossy look apply a few coats and it will gloss up. I like the tires matte and black. 

 

A silicone base will leach out the oils in the rubber and cause cracking in rubber or vinyl. That's why water based dressings and protectants are important. On my interior parts, I use Pinnacle vinyl and rubber protectant. It's water based also with UV inhibitors but doesn't give that glossy greasy look either. Just natural deep matte colours on plastic as if they were fresh out of the mold. 

[cutlasguy]

I prefer dressing my tires with Vinylex. It gives your tires that "like new" effect without being overly shiny! Don't you just hate those guys that spray that tire shine all over the blacktop at a car show while dressing their tires, then drive away with stains where the car sat? Vinylex is also very durable and does not wash away and leave your tires looking chalky and gray after driving through a downpour!

[60FlatTop]

On 9/25/2017 at 9:24 PM, 61polara said:

To me, it ranks as the #3 don't do for a car show,

 

These awful things have to rank pretty high.

 

The stuffed baby clothes, not the Corvette. I'm surprised they aren't required a tag "No human babies were harmed in the construction of this item"

 

I'd rather have greazy tires.

Bernie

[Rusty_OToole]

If you want to be genuine old fashioned us black lead ( graphite ). I got this tip from an old timer writing to Autocar magazine in 1957. He used it on his tires for years. They used to sell the stuff for stove polish when everyone had a black cast iron cook stove in the kitchen.

Edited September 30, 2017 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[capngrog]

1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said:

 

These awful things have to rank pretty high.

 

The stuffed baby clothes, not the Corvette. I'm surprised they aren't required a tag "No human babies were harmed in the construction of this item"

 

I'd rather have greazy tires.

Bernie

 

Arrrrrgghhh!  I'd hoped to have to never look upon one of those bean-bag toddler things, yet here's another one.  Oh, the cruelty, the humanity!  They don't even make decent shop rags, and the only thing I found them good for, was to stuff up the chimney at Christmas time, to keep that well known home invasionist, "Santa" up on the roof with his damned reindeer.  Talk about "greazy", that reindeer exhaust residue ... but I digress.  That's a hole 'nother story.

 

On ‎9‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 10:43 AM, 60FlatTop said:

 

Those belly dancers never appealed much to me. Maybe I was too young when I met the Royal Baby. Any shellbacks out there?

 

Bernie

 

As one of the rites of passage from Pollywog to Shellback, the kissing of the Royal Baby's greasy belly would certainly make a Shellback somewhat less enthusiastic when it came to the viewing/contemplation of a sweaty belly dancer's assets/talents.  Alas, I'm just a mere Slimy Pollywog, but I understand the distress I may have caused you with my reference: " ...  glistened like the skin of a belly dancer on a hot night in Tangier."    For that I heartily apologize and recommend a medicinal dosing of rum to erase any bad memories that may have been dredged up as a result of my callous and reckless reference to ... well, you know, the tummy terpsichorean.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[AnniesSS]

I use Meguiar's Tire Foam - not the Hot Shot version that's very shiny - It cleans the tires and leaves a nice clean look.  

 

As for the sidebars... So glad AACA shows don't have the mirrors, trophies, dolls, etc that so many other shows have.  It takes away from the vehicle... but gives the non-car people something to look at.

[MarrsCars]

I don't care for glossy tires, I prefer a more sedate "as delivered" semi-matte look that a clean tire naturally has. I always use simple green and this also works wonderfully on whitewalls with a simple nylon scrub brush, no sandpaper, no wire brush, no harsh chemicals, etc. needed.

[ghostymosty]

I found that spraying 'Son of a Gun' on a tire and rinsing it off after about 30 seconds gives the cleaners a chance to work but not the 'shiners' so I end up with a matt finish. 

[keninman]

This post made me think of a phenomena that I had never experienced before. I bought new tires for my 29 GL Dictator and they kept getting this dirty rusty look that I  learned is called, 'blooming'. I also learned that cleaning the tires with something like transmission fluid knocks it right off. I don't know if this qualifies as dressing but if it does then I am all for it.  

Edited October 2, 2017 by keninman (see edit history)

[Joe in Canada]

12 hours ago, AnniesSS said:

  

 

As for the sidebars... So glad AACA shows don't have the mirrors, trophies, dolls, etc that so many other shows have.  It takes away from the vehicle... but gives the non-car people something to look at.

I fully agree with that statement. But what is a nice touch is a photo album showing the restoration. Back in the 80s I was at the Hershey car corral with a friend looking at an album with the owner explaining all the work he did to restore his car. Only problem was Walter that I was with actually restored the car and this fellow was the second owner after restoration. There was a very red face when we were leaving.  

[mrspeedyt]

maybe i'll try that atf trick on an old tire... i have a quart of old cheap atf in a damaged leaking old style can. 

Edited October 17, 2017 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)