Tire Gloss Products: Eagle 1 vs. 4 Star UTG vs. Meguiars Hot Spray

**HondaMan** · 01-03-2005, 09:39 PM

(Sorry, no pics !! I know, I know, I have to get a digital camera. I`ll try and revisit this in a few months with pictures...in the meantime, bear with me as I`ll provide lots of detail to make up for the lack of pics).

OK, the products are the Eagle 1 Tire Swipes, Meguiars Hot Tire Spray, and Four Star Ultimate Tire Gel.

Eagle 1 comes with 2 curved tire applicators. They have foam plastic on one side, absorbent foam on the other. The formula comes in a little bottle -- looks like one of those mini-hair spray bottles for travelling packs -- but maybe there`s a bigger one for sale without the applicators. Dunno.

Meguiars Hot Spray comes in an aerosol can or a spray bottle. I used the aerosol can.

Four Star UTG comes in a 16-oz. bottle. It came with a foam applicator that is not curved.

Ease of Application: The Meguiars HTS was the easiest to apply. The nozzle has 3 different settings depending on how wide you want the spray. I used the lowest setting and 2 go-rounds of the tire completely hit the sidewall. The spray comes out nice and easy. When the bottle is 1/2 used, you won`t be able to go straight in a clock-motion, as the bottle will not spray when pointed at the bottom of the tire. No major problem; just rotate your hand. The angle problem re-appears when the can is about 90% empty, but again, moving your body and arm you can pretty much still apply the entire contents with little trouble.

The Eagle 1 product was frustrating. The little bottle squirts the formula like water coming out of a water pistol: you have a short, sharp jet of fluid which hits one very small part of the tire and then bounces off, runs all over the place, etc. Depending on what part of the tire you`re working on, it was easier to spray the stuff directly onto the curved foam applicator. Unfortunately, when you squeeze the applicator to apply the product either way, it tends to run/squirt out of the foam part of the applicator and down your hands, sidewall, rims, whatever. This is messy and a waste of product.

The Four Star UTG applicator tended not to have the liquid run out like the Eagle applicator. Also, the formula comes out of the bottle in a viscous gel, which means most stays on the surface of the foam and is spread easier than the Eagle 1 combination. Like the Eagle 1, you have to work the product in and there will be some product runoff. But nowhere near as messy.

Time Factor: The Meguiars HTS took about 5 minutes to do 4 passenger tires. The Eagle 1 product took about 12-15 minutes. The Four Star UTG took about 8-10. Needless to say, continuous spraying of the Meguiars HTS is alot easier than 6-8 spritzes for the Eagle product or 4 or 5 pours from the UTG bottle.

Appearance: The Meguiars HTS and the Four Star UTG each had the super-wet, shiny, black appearance. The Eagle product tires looked less black, owing in part to the difficulty no doubt in getting as much product on the tires (and not in the applicator or on my hand or the rims). I think equal amounts of product or time would have still put the Eagle 1 at a disadvantage -- the product doesn`t seem to penetrate the sidewalls as much as the HTS or the UTG.

Cost: Meguiars HTS ($6) and the Four Star UTG ($12, plus another $2 for the applicator) are costlier, owing in part to the tiny size of the Eagle 1 bottle ($3 for the kit). 1 can of Meguiars HTS should be good for 3 passenger cars, depending on how much you hit each tire. The UTG is probably good for 4-6 cars, judging by how much I used. I`d say the Eagle 1 package is good for 2-3 cars, although you waste so much product on your hands/tires/rims/applicator that it`s tough to say.

Longevity: This is something I will revisit. The UTG and Eagle 1 were applied on Saturday the 1st and the Meguiars HTS on the 2nd. So it will be easy to see how they all hold up over the next few days/weeks. I will update this thread to see how long they each last.

**HondaMan** · 01-04-2005, 04:50 PM

No questions ? Good...I see alot of hits, any questions, let `er rip !

**kimwallace** · 01-04-2005, 04:58 PM

Great review ... especially on the time factor of application.
Personally I have found it quicker to apply the tire dressing I use with the Eagle One Swipe ... I used to spend more time cleaning the overspray off the wheels and if windy, the side of the car, than it takes to wipe on the product.
Please keep us updated with durability and if you see any browning of the tires.

**HondaMan** · 01-04-2005, 05:33 PM

Kim, I didn`t try it but I think the curved applicator from the Eagle 1 package combined with the Ultimate Tire Gel would be a good combination. The applicator I bought or came with the UTG was mediocre; I may apply the UTG with the other curved one I didn`t use.