Carpro Darkside; blotchy, streaky??

[Bill D]

I’m going to continue using thin products. My next one is going to be 253. I’ll just continue routinely reapplying

[Setec Astronomy]

Is it possible for you to post a picture of the 2 you haven't dressed yet? It sounds like it could be that you didn't get all the mold release off of the tires.

[chefwong]

It's very thick.
OP, I re-read the 1st post. Tires appeared uniformly even and dry during initial app ?

[Optimus Grime]

How thick is DarkSide?

One thing I've noticed now that I've used Optimum Tire Gel and Griots Ceramic Tire Dressing, is its really hard to get a good even look with the thicker products. For me, these thicker products take a lot of repeated spreading to get applied evenly, and even then they may not absorb into the rubber evenly. A good looking application when fresh might turn out a little blotchy after it dries.

Thinner, water based products like PERL and Duragloss 253 have traditionally gone on really fast and easy for me with a very even appearance.

It's thicker than your typical tire dressing but the key to using Darkside is to level it with your applicator. Once I apply it to all 4 tires I go back over it with the applicator and smooth it out. I find it to be a pretty easy product to use.

[Optimus Grime]

Conversely if neglected they can grow into dangerous killers . . .
Attachment 77287

Rubber is a fantastically weird movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[chefwong]

All foam or soft foam, sponge applicator ?

A hard foam core with a softer face does help you press in to get into all its nooks and crannies .
To go back a few reply earlier, how did the tire look pre application - did it look dry and even ?

[raysaint]

So the 2 tires I first did, and experimented on, after 24 hours of sitting, they didn't look that bad from 5 feet away, with some natural light. And I realize that the tire face has at least 3 different mattes of rubber; smooth dull bare rubber, embossed slightly glossy, and unsmooth courdory type design. And it all looks a bit different when dressed, so my initial perceptions may be because of that.

So today I decided to do the 2 undressed tires; laid them down and applied a good coat of Darkside with a 4" waffle type foam tire applicator with a grip on the backside. Also used a soft foam small applicator I had, for the one inch of rubber close to the rim.
Applied it, then lightly wiped it down with a mf cloth. Didn't look too bad. Definitely a darker sheen than the bare rubber before dressing. So I concluded that even after wiping, some dressing remained and the blotchy/streaky areas I saw before were maybe due to the different rubber sheens, and not wiping down properly.
I now know it isn't supposed to be too much of a sheen, unless you layer it.
So I'll have them installed in 2 days and see how they look in complete daylight. The 2 I experimented on may look different, but it'll wear down and I can make them all similar enough.
Looking at them in some daylight in my back porch, from 5 feet away, most people would know they are dressed and like the look.

Oh, and Darkside is maybe slightly thinner than other gels but it isn't thick in my opinion.

So I think my expectations and skill level probably was the culprit, and I took your up time to figure something out that wasn't the product. But I guess that's how we all learn. Thanks to all.

[Setec Astronomy]

So I think my expectations and skill level probably was the culprit, and I took your up time to figure something out that wasn't the product. But I guess that's how we all learn. Thanks to all.

Don't apologize. As an old boss of mine used to say "the only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked". That's what these forums are here for.

[DFB]

Sandro's Prep and Application, along with comparison to Perl and Blackout.

Take note how much he works the products, then follows after 30 minutes for a final wipe.

[raysaint]

Suggestions on the wiping part on the interweb are not consistent. Some say wipe right away, some say after 30 minutes. This morning I did a second coat on one tire, worked it in well, lightly wiped, and it seemed not too bad.

One video I saw the guy used 3 or 4 squirts from the bottle for a whole tire; I tried that but it seemed like nothing was left in the foam as I moved it around the whole tire. I did 3 or 4 pumps for half a tire.
The video above he uses 3 or 4 pumps for a 1/4 tire

Wiping right away; wouldn't that remove product that should stay on the tire? Wiping after 30 minutes; might it dry unevenly?
Is wiping mainly to avoid sling?

I guess I'm used to using mass market dressings that you apply and work in with the foam applicator and then leave it.