Can't seem to get tires clean

19trax95

19trax95

New member
Hello. This is my first post other than my intro so bear with me.

I have been trying to get my tires to look good for a few weeks. I bought my truck back in April and the dealer put new tires on it. They are Mastercraft if it matters. But since day one I could not get any tire dressing to "stick" to them. It weird and I'm not quite sure how to describe it.

So far I've tried some cheap m tech tire shine and I hated it so I'm glad that didn't stick. Then I tried tire wet since I had it around. No luck there either. Finally I bought some back to black tire renew (it claims to clean tires). I couldn't believe the black stuff that came off on the rag. So I thought that it would work. And it sort of did. So I followed that up with some surf city tire pro dressing (the matte finish one)

I liked the look of it and the level of shine (not too glossy, I don't like ultra shiny tires). So here's my problem still. In a circle around the sidewall (the thickness of the white wall lettering) is a different type of shine. Almost like it's a different color or a different rubber.

I exhausted all the things I know trying to clean them. I also know that the products I'm using probably are not the best but that's what I have. I'm not opposed at all to buying something that will get me an even shine.

Thank you in advance for any tips and help. All feedback is appreciated.
 
Try to clean them really well with some whitewall cleaner like Bleach White from Walmart or Auto Zone. That or some All Purpose Cleaner. Wet the tires down, soak them with White Wall, scrub the day lights out of them, then rinse. You need to get all of that old dressing off along with whatever goop came on the tires when you got them. If they still look splotchy after they dry, repeat those steps. Once all of that stuff is off of the tires, you should be good to go.
 
For cleaning I have used an APC called Purple Power from Auto Value. It is cheap and it works great. I also bought a similar APC from Wal-Mart from the auto department but haven't had a chance to use it yet but it seems the same. For a treatment I bought BlackFire tire gel and it leaves the tire with a clean look but not shiny and seems to through a couple washings.
 
I will have to try some purple power. I use that at work so I have some. Will any of these hurt my rims? They are clear coated. Obviously I know not to let it sit in the rims for longer than needed
 
I use both APC and Wesley white wall cleaner. The APC requires more scrubbing than the white wall cleaner.
You do not need white wall or white letters it works on black wall tires as well.
Get a stiff brush and scrub them really hard to remove what is on them.
The Wesley white wall cleaner can be found at any auto store or Meijer or Wal Mart.
It is not expensive.
 
I like Mothers Back to Black Tire Renew or Mothers Wheel and Tire Cleaner to clean tires. It cleans better than many APC's without a lot of scrubbing.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I'm going to try and use what I have here first then if that doesn't work I'll make a trip to get some bleach white or similar. I will post pictures if I remember before and after.
 
If none of these suggestions work, try cleaning with laquer thinner. Some tires don't look right no matter what you do, but that is rare
 
Here's some pictures. All of them are after some cleaning. I couldn't find my stiff scrub brush anywhere so I'll have to buy a new one. There is some improvement but not much. I used the back to black tire renew (a lot of it) and scrubbed it with the only brush I could find. And the. Washed them off and repeated. Then I sprayed them with the tire pro dressing and applied two coats of that.
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As you can see the shine kind of hides it. But I can still see it in person.
 
Those are the exact same tires I have on my Tahoe. Ive had 3 sets and they are always greasy looking from the factory. I still say and couple cleanings with white wall cleaner will knock it in the head.
BTW these tires never look perfect. I don't really know why, but its like they ooze oil for months.
 
Well at least it's not just my set then. It must be the release compound they use or something.

On an off topic note, how did you like the tires?

I am going out soon so I will try and pick up some white wall cleaner. We sell the Napa bleach white at work so maybe I'll try some of that (since it's free)
 
They are great tires, especially for the price. Ive put 100k miles on my truck and put 3 sets of tires on it, so the mileage is right up there with the best of them.
 
That's good news. They look good if it wasn't for this. I will be sure to report back once I use the white wall cleaner.
 
I always hate those types of tires that have the smooth surface on the face because any scuffs or rubs always show up (sort of like an inner tube.) Many new tires have chemicals from factory and shipping that take time to wear off.

Has anyone tried Black Perl on these yet and have photos. I'm betting it would be the best bet. I've just done a small test on my own car with the sample I have and I'm very impressed so far.
 
Zep Citrus 1:4. Sell it at Lowes by the gallon and its cheap. Its a great APC especially for tires, engines, and wheel wells. Its also safe for many wheels but when in doubt I will use OPC on the wheels.
 
dc52nv said:
OPC 1:1 or Tuf Shine with a Tuf Shine tire brush has always worked for me.
Click to expand...

^This (Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner). Try it if you can. Might need to order online as I don't know if anyone sells it locally. Get the brush too. Really stiff, short bristles that do a nice job of cleaning. Even using water based tire dressing, my tires will still take about 4 rounds of the tuf shine twice a year to get the foam to white.
 
I think they will be able to be cleaned. They have shown an improvement over when I got them from using the stuff I have here at home. The stuff I have just isn't cutting all the way through it.

I'm confident that with the products suggested above that I can get them clean.

I have my plan of attack now, in going to start with simple green and if that doesn't work try some purple power. If both those fail then move to the bleeche wite. I see that the bleeche wite is some pretty nasty stuff so that's why I'm sort of making that my last resort. I don't want to risk damaging my rims.
 
What chemical is being used to clean the tires? Tire dressings are designed to protect, not clean. I really like TUF SHINE Tire Cleaner.
 
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