Cleaning brown tires

[Dadillac]

So I have Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires on my Subaru Outback. They are roughly a year and 7 months old. Tires started browning about 6 months ago and I decided I would get to them eventually. So I bought some Adams tire and rubber cleaner and a Chemical Guys stiff bristle brush. Cleaned the tires today, two times, and they are about 70% there. Still nowhere good enough. I still have more cleaner so the next time I wash the car I will probably try again.

Is there a better way or a better cleaner that will do an absolute clean? I would really like to do this only once more and be done. Someone on the interwebs mentioned wiping the tires with a rag soaked with gasoline. Does this actually work for removing the brown gunk and cleaning the tires?

Thanks

Don

[Eldorado2k]

Use this product if you really want to remove the browning from your tires.

Mothers Back to Black Tire Cleaner

[joebruin77]

So I have Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires on my Subaru Outback. They are roughly a year and 7 months old. Tires started browning about 6 months ago and I decided I would get to them eventually. So I bought some Adams tire and rubber cleaner and a Chemical Guys stiff bristle brush. Cleaned the tires today, two times, and they are about 70% there. Still nowhere good enough. I still have more cleaner so the next time I wash the car I will probably try again.

Is there a better way or a better cleaner that will do an absolute clean? I would really like to do this only once more and be done. Someone on the interwebs mentioned wiping the tires with a rag soaked with gasoline. Does this actually work for removing the brown gunk and cleaning the tires?

Thanks

Don

If you have a year and half's worth of gunk on the tires, it could simply take 3, 4 or even 5 rounds of the application of the tire cleaner followed by a good scrubbing with the brush and rinse to get them clean. Keep cleaning until the tire cleaner appears white during the scrubbing.

Once your tires are clean, you won't need to work as hard to keep them clean. I find that once tires are clean, all I need to do to keep them clean is to spray some ONR or Mckees 37 n914 on the tire and wipe them down with a microfiber towel. If you do this once every 2-3 weeks, they should stay clean.

[DFB]

So I have Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires on my Subaru Outback. They are roughly a year and 7 months old. Tires started browning about 6 months ago and I decided I would get to them eventually. So I bought some Adams tire and rubber cleaner and a Chemical Guys stiff bristle brush. Cleaned the tires today, two times, and they are about 70% there. Still nowhere good enough. I still have more cleaner so the next time I wash the car I will probably try again.

Is there a better way or a better cleaner that will do an absolute clean? I would really like to do this only once more and be done. Someone on the interwebs mentioned wiping the tires with a rag soaked with gasoline. Does this actually work for removing the brown gunk and cleaning the tires?

Thanks

Don

In those situations, you can use either mineral spirits or Stoner Tarminator. The benefit of Tarminator is that it doesn't dry out the rubber like mineral spirits can.






Clean the tires as you have been, then apply either product to a junk towel and rub the sidewall like crazy. This should get you there.

Both are sledgehammers, so only use this method occasionally. I would also caution against repeated cleaning cycles in one go, you will end up removing too much of the UV inhibitors in the rubber and cause premature degradation. I would stop at 3 passes. That applies to the mineral spirits/Tarminator method (you only need one pass with that) as well as the use of traditional wheel/tire cleaners.

[vaced]

Both are sledgehammers, so only use this method occasionally. I would also caution against repeated cleaning cycles in one go, you will end up removing too much of the UV inhibitors in the rubber and cause premature degradation. I would stop at 3 passes. That applies to the mineral spirits/Tarminator method (you only need one pass with that) as well as the use of traditional wheel/tire cleaners.

On autogeek the description for Mother’s Back To Black Tire Cleaner says

Mothers Back to Black Tire Cleaner is formulated with modern chemistry to ensure it’s tough on dirt, but gentle and safe for your tires at the same time

I realize companies wouldn’t want to say that they damage tires (if they do), but I’m guessing you have experience with tire cleaners damaging/drying out tires?

Or maybe the wiping/scrubbing repeatedly, at one time, is what causes damage?

[PA DETAILER]

The Mothers is a good product to strip and clean the tires.

[evo77]

Or maybe the wiping/scrubbing repeatedly, at one time, is what causes damage?

Unless your scrubbing tires with a wire brush, NO, this doesn't damage tires.

Damage comes from solvents and/or chemicals that *deteriorate* the antioxidants and antiozonants formulated in the rubber compound. These are designed to bleed to the sidewall to protect the tire from oxygen and UV light. Too harsh of a tire cleaner will remove this protection and expose the rubber to potential "cracking" over time, which of course compromises the safety of the tire.

When we used to own a 2015 Grand Caravan I was never able to get rid of the brown hue of the sidewall, no matter how many times I scrubbed with a tire cleaner, which at the time was Megs APC. Back then I didn't realize the nature of the antiozonants. But I have to believe that there are just certain tires with certain rubber compounds that just make it near impossible for a clean, black or black-ish sidewall appearance due to the antidegradation makeup. You'll just have to live with the brown appearance no matter how clean it is.

Here is the factory Yoko tire back when we had the minivan (scrubbed like 4-6x and nothing but white foam).

[Dadillac]

Thanks all. So I found a product called 3D Yellow Degreaser. Bought it and it should be here tomorrow. It got amazing reviews. If that doesn't work I will try the Tarminator.

Don

[Silly Rabbit]

Mothers has been talked about here. Question, how does it compare to Gyeon tire cleaner??

[Eldorado2k]

Lots of good info in these recent posts.^ You guys know what’s up.

As far as Tarminator, I have it, but I’ve never tried cleaning tires with it.



I find it interesting that you say it’s so harsh that you recommend spraying onto a towel and wiping the tire clean? That’s really enough? And if so, that seems to go against the whole belief [for lack of a better word] that less aggressive tire cleaners work much better when it comes to restoring tires back to black without inducing blooming once they dry. So you’re saying Tarminator is that aggressive yet doesn’t induce blooming? That’s interesting.

As Evo mentioned, most general purpose cleaners i.e. high alkaline APC’s & Degreasers will clean tires, but they’re typically so strong that the tires rubber blooms in self defense as soon as it dries, so you’re left with a clean yet brown tire no matter how many times you clean it. That’s why if you’re looking to achieve naked black clean tires, a degreaser isn’t typically the best choice.

That Mothers Tire Cleaner isn’t like traditional old school harsh tire cleaners, that’s why it’s able to clean without inducing blooming. Another tire cleaner that’s on par is Mckee’s Tire & Rubber Rejuvinator. I’ve used them both and they produce the same results, only reason I tend to recommend the Mothers is because it can be purchased almost everywhere and you don’t have to buy a whole gallon at a time so it’s cheaper.