Questions about tire dressings

[Blockbuster]

Hi there,

I have some questions on tire dressings that I could not answer searching this forum. Maybe you can help me out here:
I know that tire dressings make my tires look shiny and black, but:

• Do tire dressings really have a positive effect on the tires in terms of preventing them from drying out, protecting them from ozon/ oil etc and so prolonging their life?
• If so, is there any difference between the numerous tire dressings that Meguiar's has on offer?
• Can I "overprotect" my tires, by applying too much/ too often, thus causing a negative effect?
• What is your recommendation for brand new tires off the shelf - apply or not apply?
• Is there any difference in how to treat winter and summer tires?
• Before putting tires into storage - how shall I clean them? Can you recommend a tire cleaner?
• Is it useful to apply a dressing before storage for protection reasons (see above)? As the tires or not on the car anymore, can I apply the dressing to the whole tire (not only to the "front") then, or is this not recommended?

Thanks for duscussing my questions, knowledgeable folks!

[Suh]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

I have some questions on tire dressings that I could not answer searching this forum. Maybe you can help me out here:
I know that tire dressings make my tires look shiny and black, but:[*]Do tire dressings really have a positive effect on the tires in terms of preventing them from drying out, protecting them from ozon/ oil etc and so prolonging their life?

Yes it can, some tire dressings provide UV protection that will help them from drying out.

[*]If so, is there any difference between the numerous tire dressings that Meguiar's has on offer?

Yes there is a difference. For example, from Meguiar's detailing line Hyper Dressing is water based and depending on the dillution level gives you a different finish. All Season Dressing is not water based and seems to last a bit longer.

[*]Can I "overprotect" my tires, by applying too much/ too often, thus causing a negative effect?

Dont know, I haven't seem to have had that problem so far.

[*]What is your recommendation for brand new tires off the shelf - apply or not apply?

I do it, I like how it looks.

[*]Is there any difference in how to treat winter and summer tires?

As mentioned before, you might not want to use a water based dressing for the winter as it will come off quickly.

[*]Before putting tires into storage - how shall I clean them? Can you recommend a tire cleaner?

You can use a few different things. To actually clean the tire itself you can spray an all-purpose cleaner (properly dilluted) and scrub with Meguiar's wheel brush or any other brush. Things like Simple Green, Meguiar's All-Purpose Cleaner, etc. You can also use a dedicated tire cleaner such as NXT Tire Cleaner and scrub. All of them seem to work fine for me.

[*]Is it useful to apply a dressing before storage for protection reasons (see above)? As the tires or not on the car anymore, can I apply the dressing to the whole tire (not only to the "front") then, or is this not recommended?

Entirely up to you

[Murr1525]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

1. I dont think a thin layer of oil on a tire is going to do a whole lot to stop UV rays, and it doesnt really matter. I would just look at them as for looks.

2. Different tires also react differently. So one dressing may stick well to one tire, but sling off another. Or shine differently, etc.

3. No, but I find it is better to clean off old dressing/sludge and then apply new dressing for best looks.

4. Sure, why not.

5. No, it will just wear off quicker.

6. APC, APC+ or Safe-Degreaser and a soft brush are best. No Simple Green anywhere near my car anymore.

7. No, probably just going to be messy.

[Blockbuster]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

OK, thanks for the first two replies.
I sum up:

• No real "protection" benefit of tire dressing - but also no negative effect (?)
• Overuse of tire dressing is not an issue
• No difference between winter and summer tires
• The tire cleaners you recommended did not ring a bell, unfortunately. I am even not sure if they are available in Germany. NXT Tire Cleaner for example isn't. Can I just pick up anything that says "tire cleaner" or do I have to check for possibly harmful substances?
• As there is no huge "protection" benefit of tire dressings, there is no need to apply them before storage.

Is that about right?

Any more comments/ experiences on the main issue ("do tire dressings really offer some sort of protection") are of course still welcome!

[Murr1525]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

As far as "protection" goes, a tire is desinged to hold hundreds of pounds of weight, handle high speeds, high pressure, large temperature swings, hard impacts, and lateral stress. Whats a thin layer of oil on the surface going to do? So even if there is a benefit, it isnt big. But there is nothing harmfull about them.

The only difference from winter to summer could be that different tires can react different to the same dressing. So kind of combining answer #2 and #5.

Let me give you some pictures if I can here, so you at least see what I meant. Meguiars does make a tire cleaner, and it works, but no better than other other things I mentioned, which are in bulk. I also never cleaned tires before I started using Meguiars (I was normal back then) so I dont know what other products would be good. Hopefully someone from Germany can chip in and say what products they get.

All Purpose Cleaner



Safe D-Greaser



NEW NXT Generation Tire Cleaner

[Setec Astronomy]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

As far as "protection" goes, a tire is desinged to hold hundreds of pounds of weight, handle high speeds, high pressure, large temperature swings, hard impacts, and lateral stress. Whats a thin layer of oil on the surface going to do? So even if there is a benefit, it isnt big.

Following that logic, I could just as easily argue that the paint on your car is designed to withstand wind, rain, and punishing sun, what's a thin layer of was going to do?

My opinion is that some UV and ozone protection is afforded by dressings. Will it make the tire last forever? No. I personally dress tires before I store them, front and back (that's usually the only time I get to dress the back), but be sure never to put any dressing on the tread.

[Blockbuster]

Re: Questions about tire dressings

Mike,
I was just thinking about making a similar comment on the relation between dressing->tire and paint->wax, so I fully agree.

I think your last paragraph summarizes it quite well:
Even constant application of a tire dressing will not give eternal life to the tire - but nobody was expecting this.
My initial question, that made me start this thread, was more: "do tire dressings have more benefits then detriments (in terms of tire protection/ longer lifetime)?"
If the answer to this is "yes, they really do offer some benefits" - that's fine with me, even if those benefits are quite small.
If there were big benefits, tire manufacturers would recommend the use of tire dressings, which they do not (at least to my knowledge).

Regarding the storage, I am planning to do the same. I know that you are not supposed to apply anything to the tread, as it may make them slippery. But I wonder if that still applies when you put them in your garage for a few months. By the time you use them again, the dressing will most likely have evaporated and/ or soaked into the tire, I presume. Anybody have any experices with this?