No More Browning After Switching to OPC

[Setec Astronomy]

Short version: I switched to Optimum Power Clean as my tire cleaner, and my tires no longer get brown between washings. Unexpected bonus.

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Long version:


Somewhere here in the .org depths is a thread I started years ago about tire cleaning--basically about how many darn times you have to scrub before the brown suds stop (a now common topic when prepping for Tuf Shine). At the time I was using Hi-Temp tire cleaner, and I was taken aback at how aggressive the product was, and wondered if it was actually pulling anti-ozonants out of the tire, because the more I cleaned, the more brown seemed to come out.

I finally settled on using it diluted 1:4 and went about my business. Spray it on, brown suds, scrub til clean, dry, dress, a week or two later, tire is turning brown, repeat the process.

So I ran out of the Hi-Temp and wanted to try something else...tried Meg`s 101 I had around...didn`t like that...had some A2Z, Mother`s Foaming...decided that I was going to give Optimum Power Clean a shot as my regular cleaner. Had a little trouble dialing in the dilution, it seemed to not really be working because when I started at 1:3, there was really no brown suds. Then I went to 1:2, 1:1, straight, and back to 1:1. Still wasn`t sure it was really doing a good job, because no too much brown suds, and it was a little more expensive to use than I would have liked at the 1:1 dilution.

Fast forward to using it all year...my tires don`t get brown anymore. Sure they get dull and "undressed", but they don`t turn brown like they used to. This is on several different brands of tire and at least 2 different dressings. This was an unexpected side effect and bonus.

Anyone else experience this?

[House of Wax]

I`ve had the exact same experience on our vehicles. The stuff just works awesome on tires

[Junebug]

I use Bleech White, once and after that if I was every 2 weeks, I get by with just car wash to clean tires.

[RaysWay]

Very interesting! I`ve never considered the cleaner as the cause of browning.

[jsou]

This is crazy because I was searching this forum wondering what members were using to get their tires completely clean. I found the thread where you asked about the anti-ozonants.

I was heading out the door to Lowe`s to grab a gallon of zep 505. Looks like I`ll be adding this to cart instead.

P.S. Just a thought, if you were to try hi temp after using opc for a year would you reintroduce the browning? Perhaps opc doesn`t "attract" the browning as hi temp does? Idk just thinking out loud, maybe I`m off base here.

[Bunky]

Optimum had been my cleaner of choice and looked at others until I found Mothers. I have two different Michelin tires. The ones on my truck do not really exhibit any blooming but the ones our our cars can do it. I am suspect the tire dressing more than the cleaner is a major variable. I know some of the crud coming off is tire dressing.

[Setec Astronomy]

Very interesting! I`ve never considered the cleaner as the cause of browning.

P.S. Just a thought, if you were to try hi temp after using opc for a year would you reintroduce the browning? Perhaps opc doesn`t "attract" the browning as hi temp does? Idk just thinking out loud, maybe I`m off base here.

I don`t know, it seems like some of these caustic tire cleaners pull the anti-ozonant out of the rubber. I`d love to hear what Dr. G has to say about this.

[Setec Astronomy]

Optimum had been my cleaner of choice and looked at others until I found Mothers. I have two different Michelin tires. The ones on my truck do not really exhibit any blooming but the ones our our cars can do it. I am suspect the tire dressing more than the cleaner is a major variable. I know some of the crud coming off is tire dressing.

I generally use a "wheel bucket" when I`m doing wheels and tires, and frequently I`ve been using a "tire bucket" where I rinse off the tire brush. OPC definitely turns the water really black, I guess this is some combination of dressing, brake dust, dirt, and oxidized rubber. It`s just with OPC the suds on the tire and what comes off seems to be more gray/black than brown like with some other tire cleaners.

[Ronkh]

Very interesting! I`ve never considered the cleaner as the cause of browning.

Me either

Cool info, thanks Setec

[GearHead_1]

Make that 3. I`ve never made the association of the cleaner causing browning.

[GettingStarted]

Could it be that OPC rinses out of the tires fully while the more caustic aggressive cleaners don`t rinse out as freely causing the browning?

[Blade9]

I`ve been using OPC on my tires since I saw Scottwax`s how-to video on using ONR + OPC to clean tires and wheels with a MF towel. I guess that`s about 7 years ago, not sure. Over the years, I`ve just graduated to using OPC by itself with a Mothers tire brush at 1:1 ratio, and 1:3 ratio, whatever spray bottle is easier to grab from the cabinet. Like you, I`ve noticed less browning between washing and actually during washing as well. Never attributed it the browning to the cleaner, I just thought that the tire was actually cleaner using OPC. But you may have a point. Someone might now venture a test to prove this!

[TroyScherer]

This is really good info.

I think I will need to pick up some OPC and try this myself.

[Zelfiris]

I picked up zep 505 for tire cleaning but after using it on one tire, I noticed the liquid dripped onto my forged rims coated in opti-coat had an effect. It covered the rim in stain marks as if zep was too aggressive and chewed a bit of the opti-coat. I tried to clean it off but it definitely etched the surface. Right now the rims are in storage for winter so I will try polishing it and re-coating them next Spring.

I also used OPC for tire cleaning but found the cost to be higher than just using Meguiar`s APC+ ..perhaps I should go back to OPC for better results.

Thanks for sharing!

[Nutbread]

...was going to give Optimum Power Clean a shot as my regular cleaner. Had a little trouble dialing in the dilution, it seemed to not really be working because when I started at 1:3, there was really no brown suds. Then I went to 1:2, 1:1, straight, and back to 1:1. Still wasn`t sure it was really doing a good job, because no too much brown suds, and it was a little more expensive to use than I would have liked at the 1:1 dilution.

Fast forward to using it all year...my tires don`t get brown anymore. Sure they get dull and "undressed", but they don`t turn brown like they used to. This is on several different brands of tire and at least 2 different dressings. This was an unexpected side effect and bonus.

Anyone else experience this?

What dilution did you finally settle on?