Matte Tire Dressing Contest

[akimel]

Today I thought I would apply to my wife's Honda CR-V four different tire dressings that are generally characterized as matte or low gloss: Mother's Reflections Tire Care, Showroom FX White Pearl Tire & Trim Dressing, Surf City Garage Beyond Black, and Duragloss 253 Tire and Rubber Dressing

I cleaned and brushed the tires with Eimann Fabrik Tire Cleaner. I then applied each dressing with an Eagle One tire sponge and then moved the car and attended to the bald spot. All were easy to apply, though Beyond Black tends to be a little runnier than the others. I waited 30 minutes and then gently went over each tire with a dry sponge to remove any excess, of which there was very little, if any.

I then asked my wife to walk around the car with me and to judge each tire by gloss and blackness. We looked at the tires outside under the noonday sun and in the garage. My wife has a much better eye for these kind of judgments than I do.

Mother's Reflections Tire Care

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0945.jpg?t=1275933540

Reflections gives the most natural look of the four. It is both the least glossy and the least black. If you are looking for a truly matte dressing, this is the one you want.

Duragloss 253 Tire and Rubber Dressing

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0954.jpg?t=1275934038

The Duragloss is a touch glossier than Reflections, as well as a touch more black.

Surf City Garage Beyond Black

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0956.jpg?t=1275936548

Beyond Black lives up to its name. It provides a deep black look; but it also gives a wetter look than either Reflections or DuraGloss.

Showroom FX White Pearl Tire & Trim Dressing

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/afkimel/Tire%20dressing%20contest/IMG_0948.jpg?t=1275934409

The blackness of White Pearl is equal to the blackness of Beyond Black but a tiny step up in sheen. Of the four low gloss dressings I tried today, White Pearl is the shiniest. We aren't talking high gloss, of course; but the difference between White Pearl and Reflections is noticeable.

My wife tends to prefer a glossier look on her tires, and so not surprisingly she voted White Pearl as her favorite. I tend to prefer a more matte look, so I found myself favoring Reflections and DG 253. Reflections has been my favorite for the past year, but I can see Duragloss giving it a run for the money for my affections. But honestly, I like all four dressings. The differences between them are minor and mere nuance.

Cheers,
Al

[ScottB]

now all you need is a 5th wheel and 303 protectant .. nice reviews. I might add with some dressings additional applications may change the final look also.

[Emile]

Nice review/write-up. I agree that 303 Aerospace is worth mentioning in this round-up. For whatever reason, I don't care much for the look of the Mothers Reflections Tire Care on my tires and other tires, so I ended up throwing away half the bottle.

Lately, I am digging Lexol Vinylex. I never thought I would care for it on my tires, but it provides a nice semi-glossy velvety black look without looking slimy or greasy in the sun.

[Da Fats]

did you happen to take those pics before of after buffing the tire to remove excess and prevent splatter? how long was the cure time?

[akimel]

did you happen to take those pics before of after buffing the tire to remove excess and prevent splatter? how long was the cure time?

The photos were taken after I buffed (gently) the tires.

The camera flash makes the tires look a tad shinier than they appear in reality.

[rwright]

The way I use SCG Beyond Black is to apply it to a microfiber applicator pad (lightly) then swipe the tire. I used a regular foam applicator pad and it absorbed more product than I cared for. The great thing about it is that not much is required. Have you tried Optimum Opti-Bond yet? One light swipe and you have a nice matte finish, a second swipe adds a little more shine. Also Poorboy's Bold N' Bright is supposed to be really good too. I like your write up though. :xyxthumbs:

[tempter927]

you should definitely try poorboys world bold n bright tire dressing, easy to apply, nice clean finish, durable and no splatter. its only 10.99 dollars on here, i dont even bother with my pinnacle tire dressing anymore since the pb is so easy to use and leaves a nice matte finish, if u want more gloss reapply after a few minutes. I apply with a microfiber.

[GatorJZ]

Thanks for doing this. It would be interesting if you would provide periodic updates on the durability aspect. Either just rinse them off or use nothing more than your regular car wash on them (please).

[akimel]

Two Weeks Update

The car has not been washed in the past two weeks. It has been driven in the rain and has sat outside in an airport parking lot for several days. Today my wife and I walked around the car and assessed how the dressings were holding up.

Reflections

The gloss has disappeared completely. What we now have might be called a natural black look.

Duragloss 253

A little gloss remains and it's a touch blacker than the Reflections tire.

Beyond Black

Blacker and glossier than Reflections and Duragloss.

White Pearl

The White Pearl tire looks very similar to the Beyond Black tire. It's equally as black but still has a tiny bit more sheen.

As the tires began so they are today. Reflections began as the least glossy dressing of the four and has kept that distinction--its gloss has disappeared. White Pearl began as the most glossy dressing of the four and remains the most glossy dressing. It's looking pretty good today.

In my eyes, after two weeks White Pearl and Beyond Black look the best, closely followed by Duragloss. It's impossible for me to compare the tires as they looked when first dressed to how they look today. My guess is that White Pearl and Beyond Black basically look today like how the Duragloss initially looked.

If you want a matte, natural look, then I recommend Reflections and Duragloss, but Duragloss does appear to be more durable than Reflections. Reflections has been my preferred tire dressing for the past year, but Duragloss may soon replace it in my affections. If you want a matte, natural look after a week or two of driving time, then I recommend either White Pearl or Beyond Black. I'm impressed by both dressings.

[GK Auto Spa]

Do any of them sling on the car?

[akimel]

Do any of them sling on the car?

I have not experienced any sling with these four dressings.

[akimel]

Durability update: Last week I cleaned the tires and applied one tire dressing to all four tires. Yesterday I noticed that while this dressing was doing well on three of the tires, it was not doing well on the left front tire. I mention this because this was the tire to which Reflections was applied in my comparative contest. It is possible that this right front tire simply does not hold onto water-based tire dressings as well as the other three tires; hence one should be careful about drawing any conclusions about the durability of Reflections in comparison to the other three dressings used in the review.