Tires getting cleaner scrubbing with a microfiber than a brush?

[Don M]

Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the Turtle Wax, or maybe I'm onto something. But ever since I tried the new TW foaming wheel and tire cleaner and the ceramic/acrylic tire shine, my tires have been coming exceptionally clean just rubbing them down with a microfiber cloth and car wash soap.


Since using the new tire shine, I've washed the car 3 times (including the wheels/tires) and I have not used anything stronger than Megs Hyper-wash and the tires look great. I'm pretty sure the tire shine has worn off by now (it's been over 1.5 months and over 3,000 miles since it was applied) and I'm cleaning bare rubber, but it's got me wondering what would happen if I cleaned a NEGLECTED tire with the foaming wheel cleaner and scrubbed it with just a microfiber cloth?


My next days off are Mon/Tues/Weds and the wife's Escape is due to get 'the treatment.' Her car hasn't been washed since the fall and the wheels/tires are NASTY, which makes it the perfect candidate for this experiment.


I'm just wondering what you guys think. IS a microfiber greater than a brush?

[luckydawg]

I dont think so

[Don M]

I dont think so

Maybe it only works on tires that have already been cleaned and are in good shape? Like on a maintenance cleaning?

[evo77]

Dirty tires need a stiff bristle brush to deep clean into the pores of the rubber.

Lightly soiled tires can get cleaned with a MF towel and tire cleaner, I suppose, but for long term use I don't see a towel being a great solution on a daily driver.

You could experiment. Assign one side to only cleaning with a towel for like 6 months straight and the other side with a brush. Compare and report back.

[Don M]

Dirty tires need a stiff bristle brush to deep clean into the pores of the rubber.

Lightly soiled tires can get cleaned with a MF towel and tire cleaner, I suppose, but for long term use I don't see a towel being a great solution on a daily driver.

You could experiment. Assign one side to only cleaning with a towel for like 6 months straight and the other side with a brush. Compare and report back.

You're probably right. I'll probably just use the towel method on my car which is washed several times a month and well maintained and never REALLY gets dirty.

[Calendyr]

Microfibers will clean better than any brush alone. No matter how much you brush a tire, there will always be some grime left behind. The microfiber is able to get that stuff off the rubber. If you don't believe me, clean the tire with a microfiber towel after you have done your normal cleaning with the brush, you will find it comes dirty every time.

I would not remove the brush from the equation, brushes are better at separating the dirt from the surface, especially where there is texture. So using both will give you the best result.

[dgage]

I bet a Scrub Ninja would work better than microfiber.

[Calendyr]

I bet a Scrub Ninja would work better than microfiber.

It may. I never found one locally ;( Even our local autofiber store doesn't sell them ;(

You should try it if you have a spare one. And then let us know

[Don M]

Microfibers will clean better than any brush alone. No matter how much you brush a tire, there will always be some grime left behind. The microfiber is able to get that stuff off the rubber. If you don't believe me, clean the tire with a microfiber towel after you have done your normal cleaning with the brush, you will find it comes dirty every time.

I would not remove the brush from the equation, brushes are better at separating the dirt from the surface, especially where there is texture. So using both will give you the best result.

I actually did this on my wife's tires, brushed first - the foam turned BLACK, then I rinsed, resprayed the cleaner and used a wet microfiber, the foam stayed white and the tire was perfectly clean when it dried, ready for the tire coating (See my post on the Torture Test).

[Tasmania]

I have seen the brush first and then a wipe over with a MF on YT
Can't hurt to try this method if it works for you then stick with it.