Cleaning Tires. I mean REALLY CLEANING

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Somebody sprayed something extra on the tires. Some people claim Fuji HM in Japan does, others say the dealer. The dealer denied it, SOA gives me a blank response. There is some pretty heavy coating over the wax and mold release. It was raining when I left the dealer and I have never driven a car with less traction in my life. Of course they got a bit better, but I changed over to winters when I got home.

Brake cleaner? Do I look like a fool?
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Hey don't answer that!! Why would I add more silicone? Are you just trying to come across as an expert?
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See above. Read what I said I am going to do.

I need to go over the pass one more time March 28-31. Then I will get them out of the shed.

Thanks!
 
amazing roll off and a good a stiff bristle brush will take care of your deep cleaning on your tires. rinse well and your tires will be left clean. you will find many other uses for ARO and it can be diluted to suit many types of cleaning,so it is worth buying.
 
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Originally Posted By: matrass
amazing roll off and a good a stiff bristle brush will take care of your deep cleaning on your tires. rinse well and your tires will be left clean. you will find many other uses for ARO and it can be diluted to suit many types of cleaning,so it is worth buying.


So I bought a jug. It says it leaves a protective coating behind and contains sodium silicates. Hmmm..... not sure what to think.
 
Originally Posted By: matrass
amazing roll off and a good a stiff bristle brush will take care of your deep cleaning on your tires. rinse well and your tires will be left clean. you will find many other uses for ARO and it can be diluted to suit many types of cleaning,so it is worth buying.


Dude.

Amazing Roll Off is AMAZING! I've cleaned everything from some nasty fence boards, the cat box, BBQ, outdoor table. THAT stuff is the shiznitts!! WOW. Simply the best GPC I have ever used. THANKS for the recommendation and I haven't even cleaned the tires yet.
 
A good burn out will fix that. I never really noticed much of a problem even with some 303 spills that didn't wear off very fast.
 
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THAT took longer than I thought. There was a LOT of goop on the outer sidewall - I mean a LOT. I am not at all sure what was on those tires, but when I hit them with water it became white and slimy. Then I went after them with Amazing Roll Off and a stiff brush. It didn't really cut into the stuff, but did help a bit. Then I used Chemical Guys Bug and Tar remover, which actually did a pretty good job (amazing because it's not a very good Bug and Tar remover!) And finally two complete scrubs with with straight Orange degreaser. Good rinse and dry. Much, much better. There is still something there compared to the inside sidewall, but it's not coated and exuding onto the tread. Took me a couple hours, and I left them to dry in the sun, did some yard work then mounted them up. Nice to have some "non-snow" tires!
 
Pablo,

First, thanks for the update.

But of those 3 things that you tried, which do you think worked the best?

And lastly - ANYONE - What do you think that stuff was?
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Pablo,

First, thanks for the update.

But of those 3 things that you tried, which do you think worked the best?

And lastly - ANYONE - What do you think that stuff was?


I would say the Zep Orange degreaser did the best bulk removal, it alone didn't do it all. The ARO cut into it and brought the grime stuck to it off. The CG Bug and Tar juice began to make it more soluble but didn't go as deep as the Zep orange and stiff brush. The tires look very pro now. Just a nice black, black almost satin finish but still smooth with something still on the sidewall surface. The contact surface is finally like a good tire - grippy. I'm going to be really careful the first time it rains.

It was definitely some silicone compound applied HEAVILY to the outside sidewall. I think the lesson here is that ALL tires have mold release and for the first 100 miles the car should be driven cautiously, particularly when wet. That said, compounding the problem is applying ANY type of appearance or preservative compound to NEW tires is a very bad practice, especially something thick with the ability to mix with the mold release compound and bond further to the tire.
 
Recently, I've found that lacquer thinner works incredibly well at cleaning tire sidewalls. It works better than any degreaser I've tried. Just put some on an old rag and start rubbing vigorously.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Recently, I've found that lacquer thinner works incredibly well at cleaning tire sidewalls. It works better than any degreaser I've tried. Just put some on an old rag and start rubbing vigorously.


I can't emphasize loud enough that using any sort of petroleum products - ESPECIALLY A SOLVENT - is very bad on a tire. Rubber not only absorbs petroleum products - thereby changing the properties of the rubber - but some cause the rubber to breakdown (LIKE SOLVENTS!!)

DO NOT USE LACQUER THINNER, PAINT THINNER, GASOLINE, BRAKE CLEANER, BRAKE FLUID, ETC. ON TIRES!! I have my reservations about alcohol as well, even though that is sometimes used to clean tires before applying a patch.
 
While toluene and xylene are great cleaner of polysilicones and the like I definitely don't recommend hitting your tires with them and yes I kept thinking how much they would have sped up the project!

BTW My summer tires stick like glue. WOOT!
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Recently, I've found that lacquer thinner works incredibly well at cleaning tire sidewalls. It works better than any degreaser I've tried. Just put some on an old rag and start rubbing vigorously.


I can't emphasize loud enough that using any sort of petroleum products - ESPECIALLY A SOLVENT - is very bad on a tire. Rubber not only absorbs petroleum products - thereby changing the properties of the rubber - but some cause the rubber to breakdown (LIKE SOLVENTS!!)

DO NOT USE LACQUER THINNER, PAINT THINNER, GASOLINE, BRAKE CLEANER, BRAKE FLUID, ETC. ON TIRES!! I have my reservations about alcohol as well, even though that is sometimes used to clean tires before applying a patch.


That's good to know. Thanks.
 
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