Cleaning brand new tires before first dressing?

[raysaint]

Just read an old thread on here about tire cleaners, a product test and review by a member (DFB).

He said to use P&S Undressed to strip down old dirty tires I guess, not sure if that does the job I'm asking about.
Then he said to use Tarminator to strip away all the things that are in/on a new tire, before the first dressing.

I have brand new Nokians here, want to clean them properly before having them mounted on the rims.
Then I'll dress them.

Your thoughts appreciated as always.
Thanks.

[Bill D]

That procedure is the way I’m going to prep mine. Enjoy.

[DanaDetailingPros]

Tarminator Sounds like a great way to go! That stuff just works!

[Coatingsarecrack]

Subscribed. I have 3 new sets of tires waiting for 1st dressing. One thing I read is to let them breath a couple months before dressing to release all the mold agents.

[DFB]

Just read an old thread on here about tire cleaners, a product test and review by a member (DFB).

He said to use P&S Undressed to strip down old dirty tires I guess, not sure if that does the job I'm asking about.
Then he said to use Tarminator to strip away all the things that are in/on a new tire, before the first dressing.

I have brand new Nokians here, want to clean them properly before having them mounted on the rims.
Then I'll dress them.

Your thoughts appreciated as always.
Thanks.

I use that method when preparing brand new tires, or giving an older set a refresh. In your case, I would have the tires mounted first so that you don't have to re-clean them to remove the fitting soap.

1. Scrub the tires with a dedicated tire cleaner such Adam's Rubber & Tire Cleaner, P&S Undressed, Shine Supply Wise Guy or Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner.

2. Dry the tires with air or a B-grade towel.

3. You have two product options with this step, the use of Stoner's Tarminator or Mineral Spirits. Both do the same job, but Tarminator doesn't dry out the rubber like Mineral Spirits can do. Contrary to what you might think, the oils within Tarminator provide a foundation for your tire dressing.

To use, choose a B-grade towel, you will destroy this towel so choose carefully. Apply Tarminator to the towel, not the directly onto the sidewall, then rub the tire aggressively. Reapply Tarminator as needed. As you move around the tire, you'll find the Tarminator flashes away quite quickly, revealing a perfectly clean, stripped surface.









4. Once finished, there is no need to remove or rinse the tire of Tarminator like you would on painted surfaces. Be careful of matte finished wheels as Tarminator can stain those surfaces.

5. Dress the tires as normal. Most tires are at least a month or two old by the time they end up in customer hands, so you really don't need to let them off gas.

In the past, I have had people question this off-label usage of Tarminator, but I've been doing this for many years now without detrimental effect. And as mentioned, using Tarminator to do this job over Mineral Spirits seems to be safer as it won't prematurely dry out the rubber. Also keep in mind this is something you might only ever do once or twice over the life of the tire.

The big question is though, will you be de-nibbing the sidewalls........................................

[Desertnate]

Subscribed. I have 3 new sets of tires waiting for 1st dressing. One thing I read is to let them breath a couple months before dressing to release all the mold agents.

This is my method of new tire prep too. I let nature run it's course to let the mold release agents and any rim lube used by the tire shop wear off. I don't think I' let them go two months, but do go several weeks for sure.

[raysaint]

So if I wait a few weeks before first dressing, can I still go ahead and clean them now? Or wait until mold agents release before first cleaning.

If I can clean them now, I'll bring them home after mounting, and coat the barrels, and lay them down to clean/strip.

[raysaint]

I use that method when preparing brand new tires, or giving an older set a refresh. In your case, I would have the tires mounted first so that you don't have to re-clean them to remove the fitting soap.

1. Scrub the tires with a dedicated tire cleaner such Adam's Rubber & Tire Cleaner, P&S Undressed, Shine Supply Wise Guy or Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner.

2. Dry the tires with air or a B-grade towel.

3. You have two product options with this step, the use of Stoner's Tarminator or Mineral Spirits. Both do the same job, but Tarminator doesn't dry out the rubber like Mineral Spirits can do. Contrary to what you might think, the oils within Tarminator provide a foundation for your tire dressing.

To use, choose a B-grade towel, you will destroy this towel so choose carefully. Apply Tarminator to the towel, not the directly onto the sidewall, then rub the tire aggressively. Reapply Tarminator as needed. As you move around the tire, you'll find the Tarminator flashes away quite quickly, revealing a perfectly clean, stripped surface.









4. Once finished, there is no need to remove or rinse the tire of Tarminator like you would on painted surfaces. Be careful of matte finished wheels as Tarminator can stain those surfaces.

5. Dress the tires as normal. Most tires are at least a month or two old by the time they end up in customer hands, so you really don't need to let them off gas.

In the past, I have had people question this off-label usage of Tarminator, but I've been doing this for many years now without detrimental effect. And as mentioned, using Tarminator to do this job over Mineral Spirits seems to be safer as it won't prematurely dry out the rubber. Also keep in mind this is something you might only ever do once or twice over the life of the tire.

The big question is though, will you be de-nibbing the sidewalls........................................

Denibbing looks like a blade scraper job, would I do that first before cleaning/stripping?

[DFB]

So if I wait a few weeks before first dressing, can I still go ahead and clean them now? Or wait until mold agents release before first cleaning.

If I can clean them now, I'll bring them home after mounting, and coat the barrels, and lay them down to clean/strip.

I wouldn't bother waiting, as mentioned tires are usually a couple of months old by the time you get them, and even then, I've had an extremely fresh set of tires that I did the above process straight away with no issues. I guess if they had come off the production line and you had them the next day, you'd probably wait a bit.

Denibbing looks like a blade scraper job, would I do that first before cleaning/stripping?

You can do it before or after deep cleaning, but definitely before applying a dressing as they become far too slippery.

I pull a little tension on the nib and then touch it with a razor blade. Fingernail clippers or a set of pliers works too, but I find the razor blade does the job better.

Of course, we are talking about a completely pointless endeavor here, but trust me, once you see it done, you'll never go back.

[raysaint]

So as mentioned in my other thread about wheel weights, I'm having the rubber mounted on the rims and balanced, bring them home, then finish coating the barrels, clean/strip the rubber, have the tires then installed on the car, then first dressing.

Denibbing is more than I want to do, however, I'll maybe give it a try with needle nose and exacto knife.