Best soap for foam gun (already searched)

[BigAl3]

the eagle car wash produces lots of foam, and you can find it at big lots right now for $2...

[detail1]

Okay, so far the choices are:

1. Megs Deep Crystal
2. DP Xtreme Foam
3. CG Maxi Suds II
4. Poorboys Super Slick & Suds
5. Optimum

I already have: Pinnacle (I wont use this in foam gun bc too expensive); Griots car wash and Surf City.

This is a tough choice and I only want to buy one. Which is the BEST?

[CocheseUGA]

I've also read of people who'll add a little bit of a super foamy wash like one of the CG's to their favorite wash.

Maxi Suds. That's what I was trying to remember.

[bigjizzles]

CG citrus wash, Maxi Suds!!!

[BigAl3]

Gilmour shampoo test

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by detail1

Okay, so far the choices are:

1. Megs Deep Crystal
2. DP Xtreme Foam
3. CG Maxi Suds II
4. Poorboys Super Slick & Suds
5. Optimum

I already have: Pinnacle (I wont use this in foam gun bc too expensive); Griots car wash and Surf City.

This is a tough choice and I only want to buy one. Which is the BEST?

Noting once again that the way *I* use a foamgun might not be the way *you* use a foamgun...

The best IMO? Griot's or Optimum (their regular shampoo, not ONR).

The Meg's Deep Crystal is one crappy shampoo...save it for your wheelwells or something like that.

The Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo is good stuff with great lubricity, I used it for years (I've probably washed the Jag more with that than all my others combined). But I always found it surprisingly harsh on LSPs, as in, *very* harsh. I like the Griot's a lot better.

[vroomr4]

I only tried the CG Citrus, but I love it so much I don't see a reason to switch. This is on a pressure washer though and I get thick foam. And when it drips, you can see the shine coming back to the car without touching it. Of course I mitt it afterwards to get all the dirt off, but the car really shines. And on the wheels, it breaks up the brake dust so well that I just need a wet rag to wipe it away, no effort at all and no other chemical cleaners.

[GoudyL]

Originally Posted by detail1

I am kind of late in buying a foam gun but i have a cheap $10 one & i liked the idea so i am going to get a gilmour gun.

There are so many car wash soaps.

What is the best soap for the gun. My car will be washed once a week during good summer weather and at least once every 2 weeks during the fall & winter.

Thanks

Any of the top shelf OTC car washes will be superb (E1, Turtle Wax Ice Wash, Meg's GC, Mother's California Gold etc) but IMHO they are overkill for a foam gun, unless you really like to create lots and lots of long lasting suds.

Remember that car washes, are intended to be diluted 128:1, and your foam gun's injection rate may be much higher, in which case you want to predilute your base solution so that whats comming out of the tip is properly diluted. It's the water that does the cleaning, the soap's job is to get things into the water.

I'd go with KIT Carnauba Wash n Wax. Or more generally any wash n wax or "self-drying" type product. These won't foam as much, but they will rinse away much quicker which is more useful in the long run.

[wogdog]

Originally Posted by GoudyL

...Remember that car washes, are intended to be diluted 128:1...

Doesn't that depend on the car wash product being used? Can such a blanket statement cover all car wash products?

[Accumulator]

wogdog- Welcome to Autopia!

Actually, the "one ounce per gallon of water" dilution really is pretty standardized. Check the label on most *any* shampoo and that's what it'll say.

Now whether that's really the *best* dilution to actually use is another matter...

I mix up a gallon of concentrate using 5-6 ounces of shampoo and the rest water. Yeah, that's stronger than I used to use but the Griot's doesn't strip my LSPs at that strength. That dilution probably won't give the thick, clingy foam that some people like though.

I then adjust the actual end-result dilution by adjusting the mixing bar on my(gilmour) foamgun. I usually use the settings around the middle of the bar. Stronger for the initial pass(es) with the BHBs, weaker for subsequent passes with the mitts.

Note this is *not* something I'm really precise about. IME it simply doesn't matter with the shampoo I'm using...a bit too strong doesn't strip the LSP (just wastes some shampoo mix), a bit too weak and I notice that it's not cleaning well enough (so I crank it up).