Zelfiris
New member
Hey everyone, I have been meaning to write my four star products review for several weeks now but I have been caught up attempting to renovate my house.
Recently I picked up a box of Turtle Wax Jet Black Tire Coating and wanted to test out the product on my daily driver. Since the box includes a tire cleaner, why not compare it?
First up - the test subject:
This is my daily driver, and believe me, it puts down A LOT of brake dust. It is the ISF model with big brakes. The tires and rims were not washed for a month (frankly the car too *cough cough*). You can see a lot of brown spots (brake dust build up) on the tires in photos below. Rims are coated in opti-coat 2.0 and vinyl coated in opti-gloss coat. The tires are 4 months old Michelin Super Pilots.
Products for comparison:
Photo credits for the box of turtle wax jet black.
I will be comparing the Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner to Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Turtle Wax Jet Black Endura Package - $13.95 USD from Walmart.com
- Includes:
1. one tire applicator
2. a pair of gloves
3. TW Superior Tire Cleaner
4. TW Tire Coating
Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel - $17.99 USD from Autopia.org (as of this review)
- Includes:
1. one bottle of Four Star Tire Cleaner Gel
Thoughts on price - I think the turtle wax jet black package is a better deal for what you get. Prices would vary during promotions of course, but I think you are getting more items for less money. The turtle wax tire coating has high praises on Autogeek forum which was why I wanted to try it out myself.
Directions from products:
From TW Superior Tire Cleaner:
1. Tires should be cool to the touch. Rinse tires with water. Clean tires one at a time.
2. Spray product on tire surface and wait a few seconds to activate. For extremely dirty tires, agitate with brush.
3. Rinse off cleaner with water. Dry with towel. Surface is ready for Black Endura-Shine Tire Coat.
From Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel:
Shake well before using. Clean one tire at a time. Spray on tire. Agitate using a medium bristle tire brush. Rinse using a heavy jet of water. When using to clean fender wells, spray entire fender well and agitate with a soft bristle brush or a small wash mitt. Rinse with water. Avoid long contact with polished aluminium wheels.
Thoughts on direction - I felt TW superior tire cleaner was more friendly and less alarming to use compared to Four Star here. My rims are clearcoated with opti-coat 2.0 over it so I was not worry about the long contact while the cleaner dwells on rims. From the directions I also felt four star was the stronger cleaner as it provided some warning about hitting your fender wells and needing 'heavy jet of water' for rinsing.
Strategy for comparison
1. I know the brake dust on the front tires are heavier compared to the rears so I will use one product in the following sequence:
Front Driver Tire - Four Star
Rear Left Passenger Tire - Four Star
Front Passenger Tire - TW
Rear Right Passenger Tire - TW
2. I will use one brush and rinse it after every application in order to avoid transferring residue for next application
3. The product for testing will be applied, agitated with brush and rinse until the foam turn 'white'
4. Each side will be dry with a MF towel for residual dirt/brake dust/grime comparison
Applicator Choice:
Tuf Shine Tire Brush
Thoughts on the brush - awesomeeee! (love this brush)
Process Photos:
1. Front Driver Tire - Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Covered in brake dust as you can see.
Four Stars after sitting on for 10 seconds
After agitating, it started to foam in brown
I rinsed and repeated. This is how it looks after the 3rd agitation with my brush. It started to foam white consistently
2. Rear Left Passenger Tire - Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Also used four star for the rear here. After two applications, it started to foam white
3. Front Passenger Tire - Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
This tire received TW. I was losing sunlight as the minutes went by. Foam turned from brown to consistently white from 2nd application
4. Rear Right Passenger Tire - Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
Rear right tire also received TW. One application was enough.
Overall it took 3 applications for four stars to 'deep clean' the front tire and two applications for rear tire. As for turtle wax, it took 2 applications to 'deep clean' the front tire and 1 application to deep clean the rear tire.
MF Towels after drying (left from four star side and right from turtle wax).
Prior to drying I had also cleaned my rims so they would not interfere by catching extra brake dust. As you can see, after using both products there are still residual grime left.
You can see above it is night in the photo and I was not able to get after photos. My apologies. I tried to take one and you cannot see the tire
Thoughts on the comparison:
Four Star Tire Cleaner Gel
I will start by saying I really hate the bottle four star uses for their products. It feels really cheap and does not spray well. It often drips as well and I hurt myself trying to take photos and using the bottle in the other hand. While spraying the cleaner also has a unpleasant smell. Bearable smell but I did not like it. I also noticed as I was using the product, the liquid coming is brownish in color. Maybe that is part of the reason why it turns brown when I scrub?
Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this bottle. It sprays REALLY WELL and I felt I used less product for each spray compared to four stars. I plan on reusing the bottle after I empty it. It felt very nice in my hand and did not give off any scent. The cleaning solution for the foam to turn white used one less application than the four star which is a big plus in my opinion.
Both are great products, but given the price on each and the quality (based on my experience), I would prefer to buy the turtle wax package.
I hope you enjoyed my comparison review!
Recently I picked up a box of Turtle Wax Jet Black Tire Coating and wanted to test out the product on my daily driver. Since the box includes a tire cleaner, why not compare it?
First up - the test subject:
This is my daily driver, and believe me, it puts down A LOT of brake dust. It is the ISF model with big brakes. The tires and rims were not washed for a month (frankly the car too *cough cough*). You can see a lot of brown spots (brake dust build up) on the tires in photos below. Rims are coated in opti-coat 2.0 and vinyl coated in opti-gloss coat. The tires are 4 months old Michelin Super Pilots.
Products for comparison:
Photo credits for the box of turtle wax jet black.
I will be comparing the Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner to Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Turtle Wax Jet Black Endura Package - $13.95 USD from Walmart.com
- Includes:
1. one tire applicator
2. a pair of gloves
3. TW Superior Tire Cleaner
4. TW Tire Coating
Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel - $17.99 USD from Autopia.org (as of this review)
- Includes:
1. one bottle of Four Star Tire Cleaner Gel
Thoughts on price - I think the turtle wax jet black package is a better deal for what you get. Prices would vary during promotions of course, but I think you are getting more items for less money. The turtle wax tire coating has high praises on Autogeek forum which was why I wanted to try it out myself.
Directions from products:
From TW Superior Tire Cleaner:
1. Tires should be cool to the touch. Rinse tires with water. Clean tires one at a time.
2. Spray product on tire surface and wait a few seconds to activate. For extremely dirty tires, agitate with brush.
3. Rinse off cleaner with water. Dry with towel. Surface is ready for Black Endura-Shine Tire Coat.
From Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel:
Shake well before using. Clean one tire at a time. Spray on tire. Agitate using a medium bristle tire brush. Rinse using a heavy jet of water. When using to clean fender wells, spray entire fender well and agitate with a soft bristle brush or a small wash mitt. Rinse with water. Avoid long contact with polished aluminium wheels.
Thoughts on direction - I felt TW superior tire cleaner was more friendly and less alarming to use compared to Four Star here. My rims are clearcoated with opti-coat 2.0 over it so I was not worry about the long contact while the cleaner dwells on rims. From the directions I also felt four star was the stronger cleaner as it provided some warning about hitting your fender wells and needing 'heavy jet of water' for rinsing.
Strategy for comparison
1. I know the brake dust on the front tires are heavier compared to the rears so I will use one product in the following sequence:
Front Driver Tire - Four Star
Rear Left Passenger Tire - Four Star
Front Passenger Tire - TW
Rear Right Passenger Tire - TW
2. I will use one brush and rinse it after every application in order to avoid transferring residue for next application
3. The product for testing will be applied, agitated with brush and rinse until the foam turn 'white'
4. Each side will be dry with a MF towel for residual dirt/brake dust/grime comparison
Applicator Choice:
Tuf Shine Tire Brush
Thoughts on the brush - awesomeeee! (love this brush)
Process Photos:
1. Front Driver Tire - Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Covered in brake dust as you can see.
Four Stars after sitting on for 10 seconds
After agitating, it started to foam in brown
I rinsed and repeated. This is how it looks after the 3rd agitation with my brush. It started to foam white consistently
2. Rear Left Passenger Tire - Four Star Ultimate Tire Cleaner Gel
Also used four star for the rear here. After two applications, it started to foam white
3. Front Passenger Tire - Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
This tire received TW. I was losing sunlight as the minutes went by. Foam turned from brown to consistently white from 2nd application
4. Rear Right Passenger Tire - Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
Rear right tire also received TW. One application was enough.
Overall it took 3 applications for four stars to 'deep clean' the front tire and two applications for rear tire. As for turtle wax, it took 2 applications to 'deep clean' the front tire and 1 application to deep clean the rear tire.
MF Towels after drying (left from four star side and right from turtle wax).
Prior to drying I had also cleaned my rims so they would not interfere by catching extra brake dust. As you can see, after using both products there are still residual grime left.
You can see above it is night in the photo and I was not able to get after photos. My apologies. I tried to take one and you cannot see the tire
Thoughts on the comparison:
Four Star Tire Cleaner Gel
I will start by saying I really hate the bottle four star uses for their products. It feels really cheap and does not spray well. It often drips as well and I hurt myself trying to take photos and using the bottle in the other hand. While spraying the cleaner also has a unpleasant smell. Bearable smell but I did not like it. I also noticed as I was using the product, the liquid coming is brownish in color. Maybe that is part of the reason why it turns brown when I scrub?
Turtle Wax Superior Tire Cleaner
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this bottle. It sprays REALLY WELL and I felt I used less product for each spray compared to four stars. I plan on reusing the bottle after I empty it. It felt very nice in my hand and did not give off any scent. The cleaning solution for the foam to turn white used one less application than the four star which is a big plus in my opinion.
Both are great products, but given the price on each and the quality (based on my experience), I would prefer to buy the turtle wax package.
I hope you enjoyed my comparison review!
