Ultima T&TGP durability and look

[SVR]

Dear David

I am looking for a tire gel that lasts three months on soft compound tires, two months on mediums and one month on hard compounds

Of all the gels I have tried, Sonus is still the king as I love a rich dark wet look that is dry to the touch
it doesn't sling and is temperature reactive which I love but one month is about as long as it lasts
Until I wash them, which is one every few months, the tires never go back to brown which is great but I want something that makes the tires never lose their just applied gloss in that time.

I prep the tires with Carlack 68 plastic care and follow with 2 to 3 coats of sonus
Would ultima outlast sonus on the same compound tires and can ultimate give the same rich dark finish

Hoping to add a tire gel to the product range that I sell which includes my own products
A spray version of T&TGP for SUV/4WD cars would be awesome as carlack 68 doesn't last that long on them.

[DavidB]

In general, no silicone-based product is going to last very long. Silicone tire & trim treatments sit on top of your rubber and plastic, but they do not bond. Many silicone-based dressings (including Sonus) include a polymer to strengthen the hold and staying power of the product, but it won't hold up to more than a couple washings.

Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus is different; it is a polymer base with a silicone added to give a little shine. It will never shine and darken as well as a silicone gel, like Sonus Tire & Bumper Gel. We could add more silicone to make it shine, but then it would have some of the same problems as a silicone. We wanted to eliminate these problems.

What I am doing on my own car is using both. I use UTTGP exclusively on my black trim (painted, plastic and rubber). On my tires (because I do like mine to be very dark), I use two coats of UTTGP followed by a top coat of the Sonus Gel. I allow a good 30-45 minutes of drying time on the UTTGP before applying the Gel.

What I'm finding with this combo is the perfect tire, both in look and how long it lasts. The UTTGP seals the tire, so it won't turn brown and nasty, and the Gel finishes it off with the right color and richness. I'm going 3-4 washes before I have to apply another coating of Gel, and the UTTGP seems to last 3+ months. I don't clean my tires with harsh cleaners... no need... Ultima Paint Guard Wash does the trick and does not strip the tire treatment.

db

[SVR]

Thankyou David for kindly adding your input

I didn't know that sonus had silicone in it.
Which of these two does the Ultima contain?
(Water based polydimethylsiloxane (PDS) or dimethal (DMS) solvent based silicone)

What are the problems associated with silicone on tires?
Is it anything like what it does to paint?(drift in, cause appearance issues or dry rot)

Personally, my preference is to not wash the tires for the period that the gel is left on
This is usually one month or longer. I find that there is no need to wash them each week because there is nothing stuck to them. A quick clean with high pressure water usually does the trick if there is heavy dust and grime

The shine is lost for a little while but it comes back the next morning

It sounds like Rick's Ultima is the go, 3+ months and just a little sonus to boost the gloss means I'll achieve my target
Fortunately I have my own product (trim dream) for all types of trims, wiper arms and unpainted spoilers which is a permanent glass based polish (converts the material to painted) so no issues with silicone or other dressings

The 12 oz bottle is my preference as 4 oz is just too small, even for sales to enthusiasts

Cheers Dave