Tuff Shine Tire Shine Kit-Review

[Pats300zx]

I just wanted post a quick review on the Tuff Shine Tire Shine Kit. I have always heard great things about Tuff Shine and the tire clear coat since it was released. Thanks again to Meghan for sending me out the kit to try.

Product: Tuff Shine Tire Shine Kit
Cost: $31.99

Product Description (from Autopia-Car Care website):

Give your tires a deep shine and permanent protection! TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner deep cleans tires for a great bond. TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat provides outstanding protection.

What Does the Kit Include:

TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat, 6 ounces
TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat is a permanent protective coating for your tires. It seals the rubber and keeps the factory lubricants from escaping. TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat has anti-static properties that repel dust, dirt and water. The superior UV and ozone protection it provides adds to the longevity of the sidewalls.

TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner, 22 ounces
TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner is designed to cleanse your tires of any polymers, silicones, waxes, grease, or dressing. Use TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner prior to applying TUF SHINE Tire Clear Coat or any tire dressing for best results. You can use TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner to clean stained rubber floor mats as well.

TUF SHINE Tire Brush
This specially designed tire brush will gently agitate the rubber to make TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner more effective.

TUF SHINE Tire Applicator Sponge
The Tire Applicator Sponger is a soft, open pore applicator that makes applying TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat evenly a breeze. Simply apply a couple of drops to the Tire Applicator Sponge and apply, following the natural curve of the tire.

1 Pair Nitrile Gloves
Nitrile Gloves will protect your hands from the Tire Clearcoat or Tire Cleaner. Nitrile Gloves provide exceptional puncture and tear resistance.

The TUF SHINE Tire Appearance Kit includes what you need to prepare and protect your tires for the long haul!

Contents:

6 oz. TUF SHINE Tire Clearcoat
22 oz. TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner
1 Applicator Sponge
1 Tire Brush
1 Set Nitrile Gloves


My thoughts and application:

The test vehicle is a 2009 Dodge Charger SXT. This is my daily driver for work and it gets a ton of abuse. I felt this would be the perfect vehicle to test the durability of the tire clear coat as the vehicle is not washed as frequently as my other cars and does see a lot of road miles. The wheel was cleaned with Wolfgang Uber Wheel Cleaner prior to using the Tuff Shine Tire Shine Kit.

Let me start by saying that the Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner is probably one of the best tire cleaners I have used. Yes in most reviews people tend to say that this product is the best but I can honestly say that the Tire Cleaner holds true. I feel it pulled out more dirt from my tire than any other cleaner. This includes most APC’s (Blackfire, OPC, Amazing Roll Off, etc). Tuff Shine Tire cleaner probably rivals my all time favorite tire cleaner which was Eagle One Tire Cleaner. Unfortunately this product is not made anymore.

The tire brush that comes with the kit is perfect. The head is just the right size to clean the tire and it fits in your hand really well.

Here is a picture of the kit contents:



Wheel cleaned and ready for application of tire cleaner:



Applying Tire Cleaner:



Working in Tire Cleaner with supplied brush. You can see the crud that is already starting to come out of the tire. This is just with one application.



The direction state to allow the tires to completely dry before applying the clear coat. I decided to let my tire dry over night and applied the clearcoat the next day.

Here is a picture of the applicator sponges and tire clear coat:



Applying Tire Clear Coat to tire:



Just a word of caution. The Tire Clear Coat is very runny. It is not a thick gel. When I went to apply it to the applicator it did pour very quickly from the bottle and some did spill.

I applied two coats waiting about 15 mins per coat. The directions state that the gloss level can be controlled by the amount of coats applied. Three coats will produce a high gloss.

Final results after 2 coats:



Thoughts and observations:

The kit is extremely easy to use and the tire cleaner and brush is fantastic. I like more of a higher gloss on my tires so I will probably apply one more coat. The tire was dry to the touch after the product was dry. I will try and post back on durability and how the Tire Clear Coat is holding up.

[tropicsteve]

definitely gets my vote if it really lasts !

[Concours.John]

Nice review! This does sound interesting.

[classofshine]

Nice review!

I used it for the first time this weekend as well. I too was surprised at the consistency, its a white liquid, and as watery as megs hyper dressing.

Please update with a durability report.

[Pats300zx]

Nice review!

I used it for the first time this weekend as well. I too was surprised at the consistency, its a white liquid, and as watery as megs hyper dressing.

Please update with a durability report.

Yeah I was surprised as well. I ended up pouring it out onto the applicator and right on my driveway lol.

A little goes a long way. I have applied three coats and hardly used any at all.

[Rocket]

Thanks for the review Pat. I have heard good things about the tire cleaner and like you I really liked Eagle One`s product. I think 2 coats might be exactly how I like the finish on my car. This is something I`ve been wanting to try for a while but just haven`t ordered.

[BobbyG]

Looks like a quality product Pat. I like the way it finishes up and a nice satin shine.

[Woob]

Prep is by far the most important aspect of the product! Use the tire cleaner multiple times. Dot the protectant and just wipe gently.

[GTO_04]

definitely gets my vote if it really lasts !

It definitely does! One application lasted me through the entire winter of 2011-2012.

This is the best tire dressing I`ve ever used period.

Great writeup BTW! Those tips will be very helpful.

GTO_04

[TroyScherer]

Nice review Pat.




How many applications of the tire cleaner did it take to get them totally clean?

You need to clean them until the foam from the cleaner is pure white.

Did you wash out the applicator sponge?

Make sure you wash it out well or when it dries it will ruin the applicator.

I agree 2 coats is the sweet spot as far a looks go. I have done 3 on a black truck just to see how it would look.

[Todd@RUPES]

Great review Pat! TUF SHINE is really good stuff. In my experience the Tire Clearcoat`s protection never stops. All you will need now to clean the tires is soap and water. However the shine/look will slowly fade after a couple of months.

The good news is that another easy-to-apply super thin coat will bring the shine right back.

[Todd@RUPES]

I guess I should add the obvious, right now TUFF SHINE is still on sale at a great price, but even I don`t know how long it will last.

[Pats300zx]

Nice review Pat.




How many applications of the tire cleaner did it take to get them totally clean?

You need to clean them until the foam from the cleaner is pure white.

Troy..I did one application of the tire cleaner. I probably should have done two but I will try it on another car.

Did you wash out the applicator sponge?

Make sure you wash it out well or when it dries it will ruin the applicator.

Yes I washed out the applicator after some forum members suggested it.

I agree 2 coats is the sweet spot as far a looks go. I have done 3 on a black truck just to see how it would look.

I put on three coats on my black Charger and it looks really good.

[TroyScherer]

Pat, You will know if the tire was clean enough or not as the "Clear Coat" will start to haze and crack. I had this happen on 1 tire I did that I didn`t double check how clean it was...

[Trouble]

I`ll be looking for a durability report