Tire and rubber cleaner - What am I doing wrong?

[tj59510]

Been using the tire and rubber cleaner for my last 3 washes, with 2 week and then 1 week interval between washes. Dressing with what's left of a bottle of Griot's version of VRT. I noticed after about a week of driving, my tires were looking a bit more dated than I would expect and showing a few brown spots. Used the T&R cleaner on a wet tire and brushed with the wheel brush (didn't have a firmer bristle brush). Tires looked..."okay." 

Fast forward to yesterday's wash. Found a firmer bristle brush (basically a scrub brush like you would use to scour a floor). Same deal - wet tire, T&R cleaner, scrub. Rinse. This time my tires are noticeably MORE brown AFTER cleaning. I can see traces of brush marks in the brown...it almost looks as if the T&R cleaner MADE the brown stains. Seems like I'm getting the opposite results of what I should be seeing. Has anyone has issues with this? 

Will post pics in a few minutes....

[shane@detailedreflections]

Sometimes it will take multiple applications in the same wash to get the desired effect. 

 

We typically apply, scrub with a firm bristle brush and rinse. We repeat this until we start getting white or near white foam out of it. That’s when you know you’re no longer pulling contamination from the rubber.

 

New tires sometimes take a while, but old non-maintained tires always take time. Tire & Rubber Cleaner typically is not a single application at a time product. Keep going and it’ll get better. 

 

 

[falcaineer]

Highly recommend the Adam's tire brush. I wasn't using it early on and once I swapped, wow! And like Shane said, it can take a few passes. Then get some VRT or, for longer lasting protection you can still knock down the shine if wanted, Tire Shine.

[tj59510]

10 minutes ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

Sometimes it will take multiple applications in the same wash to get the desired effect. 

 

We typically apply, scrub with a firm bristle brush and rinse. We repeat this until we start getting white or near white foam out of it. That’s when you know you’re no longer pulling contamination from the rubber.

 

New tires sometimes take a while, but old non-maintained tires always take time. Tire & Rubber Cleaner typically is not a single application at a time product. Keep going and it’ll get better. 

 

 

 

Just now, falcaineer said:

Highly recommend the Adam's tire brush. I wasn't using it early on and once I swapped, wow! And like Shane said, it can take a few passes. Then get some VRT or, for longer lasting protection you can still knock down the shine if wanted, Tire Shine.

Thanks guys. Maybe today I'll take a couple more passes with it. The odd thing is that before I got the Tire & Rubber cleaner, I was just using APC...and it didn't look nearly this bad.

[tj59510]

Some photos of the undressed tires after being cleaned yesterday late afternoon. Hard to notice in the direct sun, but they're even more brown than before they were cleaned. You can see in the third pic what I was talking about with the bristle marks.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Those bristle marks are from the stuff the cleaner pulls out of the rubber. It continues to bring it up and you didn’t take the contamination off. 

 

Lather, rinse and repeat. Until you get white foam. Then live happy with black tires. 

[Rich]

I hate Michelin tires.  Back tires on the Cadillac lasted 3 years and wore out in the  middle.  Replaced them with the same tires (as recommended) and two years later they're doing the exact same thing even though I dropped the air pressure in them.  I was told at the garage today (getting my inspection done) that I'll need new back tires before next inspection.   Won't ever buy them again.  

[ZMAN024]

I've found that it sometimes takes 2 or even 3 passes with T&RC to get all of the tire bloom (brown) off certain tires, especially if they've been treated with a protectant.  You may want to try another pass with APC first and follow up with T&RC again. That should help break down any remaining tire protectant left from your initial application and allow the T&RC to do it's thing and remove the bloom. 

[pirahnah3]

As some have said, rinse and repeat util you get the white foam from it or at the very least only hints of Brown. On my work truck that had 2 year old tires it took 3 or 4 tries per tire to get it out, now its 1 or 2. This is def not a one shot product, but the results are worth the effort, your tire dressings if you use them will last longer, and if oyu just like that black tire look, you will be good to go and only need to clean as they get dirty. 

[Appleman]

Try using Adam's brush that is what i use.

[tj59510]

Well, it looks like the fourth time is the charm. It's taken me 3 more scrubbings ON TOP of the initial one I did to get to some level of "bare" black. You can see the progress photos from after first application today (2nd overall), after second, and finally after the third consecutive application (fourth overall). Hoping I don't have to go to this event again after today....

 

Bought a new tire brush, too. $5 dish washing brush at the grocery store. I'm sure Adams tire brush is great, but I don't know if I can justify $15 for it...

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

[falcaineer]

Tires look good, Tommy!

[Firebuff17]

Looks good. And now that you’ve got them back to black. All it should take is regular routine maintanence to keep the black. Tire shine or VRT as dressing. And every other wash or so one round of tire and rubber cleaner to clean them and then reapply your dressing of choice. 

[LSX Maestro]

Let me tell you right now, as I had those exact tires on my GMC....they're browning machines.  Literally a day after cleaning and dressing they're brown.  Spend time in the sun or driving in the summer, and they're crazy brown.  I couldn't ever get it to scrub off and stay off for anything more than a day or two so I upgraded to some Nitto tires and wheels...(Ok I didn't do it because of the blooming but still, solved that problem).  

 

Use the TRC in multiple passes, as it appears you've found.  But no doubt about it, your BIGGEST issue is those Michelin LTX tires.  Not that they're bad tires, performance wise/mileage they're great, but the blooming is out of control.  

[pirahnah3]

Took me 4 times on my trucks tires, I think they are continentals (I forget its the work truck, I buy too many sets of tires down there) so thats not unusual the first time.