Question about Meguiars tire gels and dressing sprays

[strader327]

Can you use them for the entire surface of the tire and not just for the outer side wall? I mean, I won't go heavy on the stuff just enough to give the whole tire that "new" look. And plus if I apply it and let it set on the tires overnight won't it really help condition the tire rubber and maybe even help the tires last longer? At the very least it should help prevent them from dry rotting. Thoughts?

[Ryan Dodd]

I actually read somewhere where it says not to let it set for that long. And I would assume that you can use them on every part of the tire. I haven't tried it, but it might help the appearance...

[Ravi_1992]

By entire surface I'm assuming that you mean the side walls and the tread?

I wouldn't apply tire dressing to the tread at all what so ever because its just gonna rub off as you drive and might even reduce your tires traction.

I would suggest Meguiars Endurance tire gel, I find it lasts the longest ( 2 - 3 weeks ) on my car . Plus it provides some protection from the sun and helps prevent your tires from turning brown.

[Michael Stoops]

It's common practice at concours events to dress the tires completely with a very low sheen dressing - sidewalls, tread blocks and between the tread blocks to give the tire a very uniform and clean appearance.

But on a street driven car it's a complete waste of time and effort. By the time you got to the end of your street, assuming you live on a very short street, anything you applied to the tread surface would be gone. And some tire dressings, applied this way, could actually cause a loss of traction, if only for a very brief period until it wore off (which, as noted, it would do pretty quickly). But this loss of traction is the primary reason why we highly recommend against using a tire dressing on motorcycle tires. We've actually had calls from people complaining of having their bikes lay down in a corner due to the tire dressing they had applied to the side wall. Obviously in a car you don't lean on the sidewalls in a corner like you do on a bike so even the slipperiest dressing in the world isn't a big deal on a sidewall on your car tires. On the tread it could be a different story - no matter how short lived.

From a risk standpoint on a car or truck, it's very minimal. But it's also a waste of time and effort, unless you're on display at a car show.