Time to talk tyres - cleaning and dressing
Why is it important to clean tyres?
Well just like every surface on your car keeping it free from dirt and contaminants will increase the longevity and enhance the appearance.
Tyres are constantly exposed to harmful UV rays in the summertime and harsh road salts during winter. Tyre dressings help to protect the surface from premature cracking and aging. Cleaning the tyres helps to ensure the dressing adheres to the surface and stays on there for as long as possible.
How do we clean tyres at the Bear’s Detailing Workshop?
We have found that applying Bilt Hamber Surfex HD through an IK Foam Pro2 gives a super thick clinging foam that allows for a long dwell time. After several minutes allowing the. product to do its thing we simply scrub the sidewall with our tyre brush and then rinse off!
Of course if you don’t have a foamer a spray bottle is absolutely fine and is what I use at home on my own driveway.
Tyres have a brown chemical within the rubber compound which is an ANTIOZONANT, this is there to prevent premature aging of the tyre and is perfectly normal and doesn’t need to be removed- tyre dressings are designed to work with this organic chemical.
Which dressing to choose?
We offer two dressings, both from Gyeon:
Firstly Tire Express, which is super simple to use and can be applied to a damp (not soaking wet!) tyre. This product gives a clean satin finish and is simply applied and then wiped off after a few minutes. This is my go to dressing at home and I love the simplicity and satin look after application.
Our second offering is simply called Tire and is more durable giving a deep natural non greasy satin finish. With its ceramic ingredient it is also hydrophobic helping to keep your tyre cleaner for longer! After cleaning and drying the tyres application is as straightforward as express. I like to leave the product to cure for 15 minutes or more to maximise the depth of colour, some people even apply a second layer to increase the gloss level!
How to apply dressings.
Over the years I have tried about every method from a big fat painter’s brush in my trade days, slopping it all over the show as soon as the car moved off to overpriced dedicated tyre applicator sponges to cutting my own sponge shapes and even using microfibre cloths.
Thankfully we have tried and tested everything for you and can now offer the best solution as we see it. Our dressing applicator is a small round brush with soft, dense fibres to work products deep into the textured sidewall. This gives a really consistent even finish across the surface and helps to prevent over applying the dressing. As a bonus the applicator even comes with its own protective stand which keeps the brush free from attracting debris between uses!
Important tips:
1) Never apply dressings to the tread area and wipe off any accidental residue immediately.
2) For increased longevity you can heat up the tyres before dressing… some say this is going too far! I say it’s likely you will be judged by your neighbours!
3) Tire Express can be used on top of Tire for quick top ups between deeper cleans.
Happy Detailing - Fletch