Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

[Punt1959]

Anyone with raised white letters or even the old white walls themselves needs to give this a try.
I have been doing this over 30 years now and still believe there is nothing out there better or as easy to use.
Many talk about the popular SOS pad. Cleans pretty decent but when it comes to cleaning those letters it is a pain and time consuming. It constantly gets caught on the edges of all the individual letters on the tire and all the stiff brushes I have ever used do not leave that perfectly clean letter.

Here is the trick.
Apply your favorite white wall cleaner and start scrubbing down your letters using 320 or 400 grit wet sandpaper and rinse. It's quick, easy and I think your letters (or white walls) will be the whitest that they have been in years. Here is a YouTube video that my son and I made a couple of years ago that shows the actual procedure being done. Have fun with it.

http://youtu.be/K5Wdj9aCpmA

[Eldorado2k]

Another good way is to spray Advanced Shout stain lifting foam [the kind used for your laundry] and let it sit for about 25-30 sec. and then hit it with a high pressure hose. *New whitewalls*

[tundraotto]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

bleache-white

[larry0071]

Westleys bleach white is the cheapest and most effective product for this. If your whites are really bad and neglected, use a firm bristled brush with bleach white.

[Punt1959]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

I personally use the Westley's (Black Magic) BLECHE WITE and is the product being used in my video. I know that spraying on BLECHE WITE and simply rinsing it off does not get your letters clean, there has to be some type of agitation or scrubbing that needs to take place. Over the years I have tried the pressure washer 3500 psi, (be careful with this one, you can do damage to the letters or whitewall), the green scrubby pads, SOS pads and numerous stiff brushes, brass or other wise, but as I mentioned in the above video, when I put that bad scuff mark on my brothers car years ago (1 1/2" white wall), it was the wet sandpaper that got it out with with very little effort.
I know for a lot of us with all this cold weather, it is not the time of year to be talking about detailing cars, mine are not looking there best right now either, but I would encourage you to try this little experiment. Clean your white letters like you usually would and then reapply your white wall cleaning solution and now try scrubbing your letters (as in the video) with the 320-400 grit wet sandpaper. I am convinced that you will see a noticeable difference and appreciate how quick and easy this process really is.
Reply's appreciated

[h_bomm]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

I have had really good luck just using the Hot Rims All Wheel and Tire Cleaner.

[Blueline]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

Nonsense. Everybody wants to sell you something to spray. Simply take an SOS pad, and give it little buff. Did it for years on whitewalls . Everyone want to sell you something, and everyone want to buy it. To the original poster...you didn't just do it right

[Detailing by M]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

interesting. I like the "smoothing out" of the letters too,
I think I'll give this a try but with a much higher grit.

[Punt1959]

Re: Best way to clean your white letters on your tires

Nonsense. Everybody wants to sell you something to spray. Simply take an SOS pad, and give it little buff. Did it for years on whitewalls . Everyone want to sell you something, and everyone want to buy it. To the original poster...you didn't just do it right

I believe the whole idea behind these forums is to share real life experiences and ideas with different people with whom we share the same interests. I am registered with a number of different forums and have picked up many great ideas and tips over the years. I started this new post directed at cleaning white letters on tires and years ago, I too used SOS pads on white wall tires, but on letters I just found them frustrating too use. The sandpaper seems to glide over the individual letters a lot better while scrubbing them down and I feel it leaves them a lot whiter in appearance. In hindsight, I should have labeled this post "Best way I think to clean your white letters on your tires".
I can assure you, I do not make a dime on any type of tire cleaner sold out there.
On another note, cleaning letters on tires is not rocket science, ( just ask my wife), nor is using an SOS pad properly.