Does anyone not dress their tires on a detail?

Nothing wrong with a good scrub down with something like Griots Rubber Cleaner and moving on with nothing more but I never leave it at just that. I personally have never not dressed a set of tires, but I never go super bling either. At minimum for me,303 applied and then buffed makes for a great clean look, better than how brand new tires look from the factory. I always got to scrub and clean those any way, just to get rid of the residue, and then apply some 303, so they don't look so dry.



What brands and models of tires do you consider best totally untreated?
 
Bill D said:
What brands and models of tires do you consider best totally untreated?
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Preferably low profile tires on non-chrome wheels. (chrome begs for juice). I actually have one client that requests no dressing on his vehicles. He comes to me from Miami which is over an hour away and is afraid of sling on his new finish. I try reassuring him that I use non-sling dressing, but he's still hesitant. I actually like it that way.
 
I see his point. For me, I rarely dress the tires and then drive. Typically, I dress them in the garage and the car sits overnight but that's not possible in a pro situation.



However, I also haven't had a problem with detail-for-pay cars regarding any sling. The nice thing about folks who don't want dressing of any kind,especially if non on the dash and interior and the tires, mean less work and more product saved for the detailer :).
 
I can see someone not wanting sling, but it just adds so much to the look of the car.
 
I pretty much always dress tires unless the vehicle is going to be delivered out into the rain or if the client lives on a dirt road -- then the dressing would just act like a dirt magnet.



Only time I've ever regretted the decision to dress a set of tires was when I tried out a product someone gave me to test (I forget now what it was even called -- it was from a wholesale distributor) on my personal vehicle at the time, and found that it made the tire look like I'd sprayed it with clearcoat. Amazingly it didn't sling, but I absolutely hated the look....



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Folks like customers might not be aware of the look products like 303, heck even good ol' Armor All, can provide especially if it's buffed right away. Nothing greasy looking, satin-like at most, the rubber looks "finished off" and certainly no sling.



I've always found certain brands of tires to have a certain look to them and respond to dressings differently. For example Continentals typically found on Mercedes tend to look satin to matte alone and with the water based dressings I've tried, (maybe with the exception of Z-16--which looks terrific on any tire I've used it on).



Continentals are great for folks who want the low sheen look. For those who have these tires but who want a higher gloss, I've found a tire gel can do the trick. SmartDressing looks great on them for those who want some rich sheen and no sling.



Pirelli, like on my Audi, are similar. Michelin seems to be another good tire for the low gloss look, although the ones on my Caddy vs the ones on the Accord have a different composition, and therefore a different look to them.
 
David Fermani said:
Some tires just look really good naked? Anyone agree? Some customers don't care for the bling.
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I agree. In general, I like matte finishes not only for the tires, but for the interior as well.



I put on Optimum Opt-bond I think it's called only once in a while. (Directions clearly indicate to wipe off excess after enough time has passed for rubber penetration.) For the 5-10 washes of the car that pass between dressings, I just wipe the tires, firmly and quickly, usually with T-shirt material, though I've used terry before as well. I honestly think the tires look great every time, as long as the rubber looks "nourished". I dislike super bright blingy tire dressing. This has to with my own vehicles.



For others, I pretty much always use the aforementioned dressing, because most cars I detail are not so loved for, and could use all the TLC they can get! I am obviously not an established high end detailing pro. I am quite a fan of the Optimum, but I've tried so little out there . . .
 
I agree with the "nearly naked" look being best. Nourished, but not glossy or wet. I love PB Natural Look for this effect and Opti-Bond. The Opti-Bond seems to be holding up much better than my PB's stuff. And after a wash or rain, they still look nice and black, just not dripping.
 
I can't say I like the clear coat look, but I love when tires look like black licorice.
 
I've been able to get away without dressing a number of tires, usually on the dog-haulers (dressings can be problematic given some of the places I drive those vehicles).



I had some Goodyear tires (one of their "Triple Tread" types, only so-so tires in most respects but I doubt most SUV owners would be critical of them) on the Yukon that were absolutely great in this regard, looked brand-new with just a cleaning (Griot's Rubber Cleaner). That vehicle had the "machined finish" wheels that looked like chrome, and I liked those undressed tires better on it than my other tires with Z16.
 
Some cars and tires respond well to a somewhat shiny appearance. Some cars I do quick dress followed with a wipe for a matte natural finish. Low profile tires especially.
 
I ask. I'm finding more and more people ask me not to dress, just to clean. I used to like super shiny tires but I find now I like it less, so I generally just keep mine very clean and occasionally hit them with a rubber protectant.
 
I don't unless they specifically ask for it. Most people nowadays want a flat, matte finish and not glossy, so just clean with APC, brush, and rinse.
 
It looks cheesy IMO, plus the wrong product will make the rubber crack. Maybe 1x a year I apply the most matte-looking product I can find (but have never really found one that doesn't look shiny). It does require a stronger cleaner to get the brown goop off to reveal that flat black goodness.
 
I find myself using it less and less. If cleaning them back to a neutral look works, then I leave them. If they have had solvent dressing or do not look right then they will get a water based dressing.
 
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