Matte Tire Dressing Contest

[JonB]

I have finally settled into using cotton Chenille mitts on the car. I have one Viking which is very plush and holds together very well. I also have two from CMA and these are larger, not quite as plush, and tends to shed especially in a washing machine!



That left me with my lambs wool mitt from CMA. Deciding not to use it because of increased chance of swirls (over the Chenille mitts), I tried it on my wheels yesterday. The wheels have a coat of AIO, and I decided that the OXO brush might be a bit too abrasive on the wheel. The lambs wool mitt worked great!! Using plain old Armour All Car Wash concentrate and the mitt, I was able to get into most of the cracks and cranny`s and even reach behind the spokes to get into the middle portion of the wheel. It was at least as quick as the OXO and probably more effective at the details... Now the OXO is reserved for the tire`s only.



H

[imported_akimel]

Three weeks ago I decided to do a comparative review of four different tire dressings that are generally characterized as matte or low gloss: Mother`s Reflections Tire Care, Showroom FX White Pearl Tire & Trim Dressing, Surf City Garage Beyond Black, and Duragloss 253 Tire and Rubber Dressing. I applied them to the tires of my wife`s CR-V.

I cleaned and brushed the tires with Eimann Fabrik Tire Cleaner. I then applied each dressing with an Eagle One tire sponge and then moved the car and attended to the bald spot. All were easy to apply, though Beyond Black tends to be a little runnier than the others. I waited 30 minutes and then gently went over each tire with a dry sponge to remove any excess, of which there was very little, if any.

I then asked my wife to walk around the car with me and to judge each tire by gloss and blackness. We looked at the tires outside under the noonday sun and in the garage. My wife has a much better eye for these kind of judgments than I do.

Mother`s Reflections Tire Care

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0945.jpg?t=1275933540

Reflections gives the most natural look of the four. It is both the least glossy and the least black. If you are looking for a truly matte dressing, this is the one you want.

Duragloss 253 Tire and Rubber Dressing

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0954.jpg?t=1275934038

The Duragloss is a touch glossier than Reflections, as well as a touch more black.

Surf City Garage Beyond Black

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0956.jpg?t=1275936548

Beyond Black lives up to its name. It provides a deep black look. But somewhat surprisingly, it also gives a wetter look than either Reflections or DuraGloss.

Showroom FX White Pearl Tire & Trim Dressing

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0948.jpg?t=1275934409

The blackness of White Pearl is equal to the blackness of Beyond Black but a tiny step up in sheen. Of the four low gloss dressings I tried today, White Pearl is the shiniest. We aren`t talking high gloss, of course; but the difference between White Pearl and Reflections is noticeable.

My wife tends to prefer a glossier look on her tires, and so not surprisingly she voted White Pearl as her favorite. I tend to prefer a more matte look, so I found myself favoring Reflections and DG 253. Reflections has been my favorite for the past year, but I can see Duragloss giving it a run for the money for my affections. But honestly, I like all four dressings. The differences between them are minor and mere nuance.

Two Weeks Update

The car has not been washed in the past two weeks. It has been driven in the rain and has sat outside in an airport parking lot for several days. On Monday my wife and I walked around the car and assessed how the dressings were holding up.

Reflections

The gloss has disappeared completely. What we now have might be called a natural black look.

Duragloss 253

A little gloss remains and it`s a touch blacker than the Reflections tire.

Beyond Black

Blacker and glossier than Reflections and Duragloss.

White Pearl

The White Pearl tire looks very similar to the Beyond Black tire. It`s equally as black but still has a tiny bit more sheen.

As the tires began so they are today. Reflections began as the least glossy dressing of the four and has kept that distinction--its gloss has disappeared. White Pearl began as the most glossy dressing of the four and remains the most glossy dressing. It`s looking pretty good today.

In my eyes, after two weeks White Pearl and Beyond Black look the best, closely followed by Duragloss. It`s impossible for me to compare the tires as they looked when first dressed to how they look today. My guess is that White Pearl and Beyond Black basically look today like how the Duragloss initially looked.

Conclusions

If you want a matte, natural look, then I recommend Reflections and Duragloss. Duragloss does appear to be more durable than Reflections. Reflections has been my preferred tire dressing for the past year, but Duragloss may soon replace it in my affections. If you want a matte, natural look after a week or two of driving time or prefer a somewhat glossier tire, then I recommend either White Pearl or Beyond Black. I`m impressed by both dressings.

[Old Pirate]

Thanks for the write up akimel!:wizard:

[imported_akimel]

Thanks, Angelo. The photographs simply do not capture the differences between the dressings. But it was fun to do the comparison and to watch the tires over a period of three weeks. If I had had a 5th wheel, I would have added 303 to the review. :)

[imported_Luster]

Very nice review. Excellent and informative!:biggrin:

[Mobilejay]

Nice review, I have been using Optimums tire dressing and have found that leaves a matte, very clean look that I like a lot.

[t-dawg]

I have tried both White Pearl and AG Instant Tyre Dressing, and found them both to be very similar. It is helps, AG is more easily available off the shelf.

[bmw5541]

Very nice review.

Thaks for posting it here.:clap:

[imported_akimel]

Durability update: Last week I cleaned the tires and applied one tire dressing to all four tires. Yesterday I noticed that while this dressing was doing well on three of the tires, it was not doing well on the left front tire. I mention this because this was the tire to which Reflections was applied in my comparative contest. It is possible that this right front tire simply does not hold onto water-based tire dressings as well as the other three tires; hence one should be careful about drawing any conclusions about the durability of Reflections in comparison to the other three dressings used in the review.

[imported_CH.Detailing]

Nice review, I have been using Optimums tire dressing and have found that leaves a matte, very clean look that I like a lot.

Is that the Opti Bond gel or the Tire Shine spray? I`ve been meaning to try a bottle of Opti Bond.

[Leadfootluke]

Nice review, I have been using Optimums tire dressing and have found that leaves a matte, very clean look that I like a lot.

The Gel, or the tire shine? I have been using opti-bond gel and diluting it 1:1 and finding it leaves a very nice finish [not matte, but not glossy].