Thrifty Vs Fifty Ep 2 : Optimum Power Clean vs LA`s Totally Awesome (Tire Cleaner)

[ihaveacamaro]

Hey guys, this is the second episode in a series of videos I`m making called Thrifty vs Fifty.



Essentially I`m comparing two products that can do the same function: one with a low price tag and the other with a high one... and to see if the added price is worth it. Hence, the thrifty vs fifty.



I`m not just going around finding the cheapest and most expensive options out there and comparing them. In my eyes, that comparison would be useless. I am comparing two products that people on forums have highly recommended for a certain task and then if they have big enough different price points, making a video comparison.



Today`s episode is on tire cleaners. LA`s Totally Awesome vs OPC at a 1:3 dilution!



So without further ado, here is the video:







Thrifty Vs Fifty Episode 2







LA`s Totally Awesome:



$6 dollars







OPC:



$36 a gallon







Conclusion:



Both products work extremely well. OPC cleaned a bit better and a bit faster.



Advantage:



LA`s Totally Awesome gets the advantage nod from me, because even though it may deliver a bit less performance, the price being $30 cheaper outweighs that.



Furthermore, a higher dilution of LATA might overcome the performance difference, but I have not done any tests on that...





Hope you guys enjoyed

[Nth Degree]

Good video and evaluation. I use LATA for cleaning tires on DDs all the time, usually undiluted since I spray the wheel and tire down first. If I have any trepidation about the wheels I will use OPC as I have more trust in it`s safety. On aftermarket wheels that are not CCed I will stick with Sonax or P21s.



Your results for comparison purposes are excellent. While I was watching I had a few thoughts.



1. What dilution of LATA would achieve the same results as the OPC @ 3:1? There is no question that the same results could be achieved at the right ratio. The answer to this question would give a better cost analysis for those who do volume. For the enthusiasts, a slight cost difference might not be significant enough to.



2. What is the safety of each? There might be a slight edge in cost for a product, but if the risk of damage is higher any savings might be offset by repairs.



3. In your bonus footage you applied the tire cleaner to a dry tire. Given the nature of tires and their "blooming" tendencies I wonder if applying either of the other products to a dry tire would have lifted more as well.





Ultimately you answered the question and, I believe, fairly. Keep the comparisons coming. Your idea is great.

[ihaveacamaro]

Good video and evaluation. I use LATA for cleaning tires on DDs all the time, usually undiluted since I spray the wheel and tire down first. If I have any trepidation about the wheels I will use OPC as I have more trust in it`s safety. On aftermarket wheels that are not CCed I will stick with Sonax or P21s.



Your results for comparison purposes are excellent. While I was watching I had a few thoughts.



1. What dilution of LATA would achieve the same results as the OPC @ 3:1? There is no question that the same results could be achieved at the right ratio. The answer to this question would give a better cost analysis for those who do volume. For the enthusiasts, a slight cost difference might not be significant enough to.



2. What is the safety of each? There might be a slight edge in cost for a product, but if the risk of damage is higher any savings might be offset by repairs.



3. In your bonus footage you applied the tire cleaner to a dry tire. Given the nature of tires and their "blooming" tendencies I wonder if applying either of the other products to a dry tire would have lifted more as well.





Ultimately you answered the question and, I believe, fairly. Keep the comparisons coming. Your idea is great.

Thanks for the nice words Nth Degree



In fact, a lot of your concerns were brought up on other forums too! I would`ve liked to test and make videos of all sorts of dilutions vs each other to better compare equivalent performance rather than equivalent dilutions. Sadly however, I don`t think anyone is going to watch a 45 minute video on tire cleaning lol!



1) Absolutely, I think the LATA at full dilution would be equal to the OPC. Even straight, it would be cheaper than OPC (but not by much). LATA = $6 a gallon straight whereas OPC = $9 a gallon at a 1:3 dilution.



2) That is the catch 22. Even if you save a few dollars, is it worth the possible damage to a wheel. I`m thinking of the disastrous results megs wheel brightener has on uncoated bare wheels. If that happened with LATA, the higher cost of OPC would totally be worth it.



As always with products not designed for automotive uses, it is best to try a test spot. In fact, the same principle applies to all automotive products as well!



3) Actually I applied all the cleaners to dry tires. If you rewatch certain parts of the videos I applied the OPC to a dry tire and then rinsed, and then reapplied to a wet tire. Initially, however, it was applied to a dry tire.



The LATA was applied to a mostly dry tire. Just the tire by the tape was wet from rinsing OPC. However the rest of the tire was dry.





Great points Nth Degree and thanks again for the compliments! I really appreciate it and thanks for watching! :

[Nth Degree]

I would`ve liked to test and make videos of all sorts of dilutions vs each other to better compare equivalent performance rather than equivalent dilutions. Sadly however, I don`t think anyone is going to watch a 45 minute video on tire cleaning lol!



1) Absolutely, I think the LATA at full dilution would be equal to the OPC. Even straight, it would be cheaper than OPC (but not by much). LATA = $6 a gallon straight whereas OPC = $9 a gallon at a 1:3 dilution.

You don`t have to film every part of a test. Simply figuring out what dilution is capable of getting similar results beforehand will still get the point across as to the cost effectiveness/efficiency of the products being compared. You also don`t have to include everything you shoot. A simple explanation of your tests for dilution would suffice.



I actually get LATA in 32oz refill sizes. That brings it down to $4/gallon. I haven`t done a side by side comparison of the two but I would say 2:1 would be about the equivalent of OPC @ 3:1. By your equation that brings it to $2/gallon vs. $9/gallon. Not to mention no shipping charges for the LATA. Now you have me wanting to continue this test and bring in: Meg`s APC+ and Eagle1 A2Z.

[ihaveacamaro]

You don`t have to film every part of a test. Simply figuring out what dilution is capable of getting similar results beforehand will still get the point across as to the cost effectiveness/efficiency of the products being compared. You also don`t have to include everything you shoot. A simple explanation of your tests for dilution would suffice.



I actually get LATA in 32oz refill sizes. That brings it down to $4/gallon. I haven`t done a side by side comparison of the two but I would say 2:1 would be about the equivalent of OPC @ 3:1. By your equation that brings it to $2/gallon vs. $9/gallon. Not to mention no shipping charges for the LATA. Now you have me wanting to continue this test and bring in: Meg`s APC+ and Eagle1 A2Z.

The reason I didn`t do different dilutions was I wanted everything to be fair. If I had done LATA at 1:2 vs OPC at 1:3, people would`ve said I did that to make OPC lose. If I used different dilutions, I would`ve never heard the end of it. That`s why I used both products at the same dilution to compare them equally.



Hahah please go for it! I`d love to hear your results!

[ihaveacamaro]

LA`s Totally Awesome straight matched OPC 3:1 and also Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner straight... just food for thought

[tom p.]

To offer an opposing point of view, I`ve got a couple bottles of this LA Totally Awesome cleaner (based on an Autopian recommendation) and I also have the OPC. I would not place the two in the same category when it comes to more challenging cleaning jobs. I find the Totally Awesome to be totally weak compared to any other APC-like product I`ve used, and I`m trying to figure out appropriate light-duty uses for it so I can use it up and get it off my shelf. Granted, the stuff came from the local $ store and I`m out maybe $5.



I will go back and give it a closer look to be fair, but I`m not expecting much.

[ihaveacamaro]

What do you mean by more challenging jobs?



Because that has not been my experience so far. My tires were probably not cleaned for at least 3 to 4 months so showed a LOT of grime. I could just rub my finger against my tire, and I would have black rub off on my finger. It was that dirty. In my tests, LATA has been cutting through the grime pretty well.



Granted, I`m only testing on tires though.

[Nth Degree]

I use LATA for tires, wheel wells, engine covers (removed), pad cleaner/soak and towel pre-soak.

[imported_Quenga]

This comparison is flawed. Choosing LATA voids the results. OPC not only cleaned the tire with less applications, it did it better. Even with an extra application of LATA, OPC still pulled out more old dressing/dirt. Faster/better job, but you still chose LATA? Makes no sense, whats the point of doing a comparison when the better product loses??



Your point of making it "fair" with the same dilution is what held this video back from being a lot better. As you said, LATA at full strength is still cheaper than OPC cut 3:1...but is it a better cleaner? If LATA @ full strength is NOT a better cleaner than OPC cut 3:1, then you have a great reason to spend the extra $3 per gallon of diluted OPC.





And just another note on the video...way too long. Not many people are going to watch a 13 minute video. I didn`t...I skipped through it.





Edit --



I watched your other videos and I think the only one you got right was the Speedy Towel vs Clay. But, like the above video, I didn`t watch any of the videos all the way through. Way too long man, you can shorten these videos up a lot. I would suggest doing voice overs, planning out your video on paper and really cutting out the jibber jabber. I make YouTube videos and watch too many of them. I know you`re trying to make money off them as well, which I also do. Take it from me, short, quick videos will make you much more money. No one watches the long videos. I don`t even do it. You have 3 minutes or less, get it in there and you`ll start seeing increases in your clicks...aka $$.