Review and How-To: Tire Coatings - Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat No Sling No Mess

[Mike Phillips]

Review and How-To: Tire Coatings - Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat No Sling No Mess



Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat






What is it?

It's a water based acrylic resin that bonds to the tire sidewall to create a rich black appearance while drying to the touch.


What does it do?

Seals and protects the sidewall of your car's tires with a non-gooey, non-oily finish.


When do I use it?

After first THOROUGHLY washing and cleaning your car's tires sidewalls. And I mean they need to be CLEAN.


Why should I use it?

If you are tired of tire dressings that tend to stay oily, or greasy on the surface and then get everything that touches them oily or greasy, then you would ike a tire coating. It gives you the LOOK of a tire dressing with a finish that is clean and dry to the touch.

A tire coating also lasts a lot longer than a tire dressing as long as you don't do stupid stuff to the results. Stupid stuff would include washing or scrubbing the tire coating finish with harsh cleaners and/or harsh cleaners and stiff bristle brushes. Instead, treat like plastic or paint, just wash with car wash soap and a dedicated tire wash mitt.



From the manufacturer



Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat

Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat finally gives you the ability to provide your tires the same level of protection that you give your paint! Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat is a durable and tough tire coating that will far outlast any dressing or gel you’ve used in the past! Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat can be safely used on any type of tires, including white walls and raised lettering, thanks to its water-based formula. Whether you like a matte shine or a high gloss, you can select your level of shine simply by layering on more Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat!

The chemical composition of Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat strikes a crucial balance between rigidity and flexibility. Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat is rigid and durable enough to withstand the constant bombardment of harmful contaminants to which your tires are exposed. Yet, Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat is also flexible enough to flex WITH your tires, preventing it from de-laminating from the surface!

DIRECTIONS

Before application, tires must be extremely clean. Clean using the Pinnacle Black Label Gel Tire Cleaner. The Gel Tire Cleaner will remove all previously applied dressings and will allow the Tire Clear Coat to form a bond to the tire sidewall. Allow tires to fully dry.

Dispense a nickel-sized dollop to a foam tire applicator and smooth evenly along the sidewall of the tire. Allow the Tire Clear Coat to dry for 30-60 minutes between coats, if desired.

Important: Always wear nitrile gloves. Apply to white letters and whitewalls first and allow to dry completely before coating the rest of the tire.





My comments...

I love tire coatings and they are my preferred product for creating a deep, dark look to tire sidewalls and/or protecting white lettering and white sidewalls. That said, I have a RULE for when I will use a tire coating over a tire dressing.

My Rule for Tire Coatings

I will only use a tire coating if the tires have never had a dressing on them. Kind of harsh but it's my own rule and I'm sticking to it. The reason why is because I think it's all but impossible to remove some tire dressings. Some tire dressings penetrate into the rubber sidewall and I'm not sure if they can ever be 100% scrubbed and extracted out. And I simply don't want to deal with trying to remove a tire coating that is de-laminating. Thus I only coat new tires. I educate my own customs on this point and they know that the time to get their tires COATED is when they are brand new. They also know, or are smart enough that when they purchase new tires to inform the tire installer to NOT apply any dressing (as a courtesy gesture), to the tires. This same protocol could and would apply to ordering a new car, that is if you order a new car, tell the dealership to NOT put any dressing on the tires as most will do a "New Car Detail" as a dealership courtesy practice. If you are not firm in letting them know and they put some silicone or oily dressing all over the new tires on your new car - it's game over in my world.

BUT - if you get new tires and do nothing - then these tires are the perfect candidate for a tire coating.



Technique Tip

When cleaning tires for a coating, whether by hand with a tire cleaning brush or by machine with a brush, you should clean the tire until you see white foam created from the scrubbing action.

To get to white foam on the tire surface AFTER scrubbing the tire and rinsing - be sure to ALSO RINSE your brush or you'll never see white foam on the tire. The reason why is because the brush will likely how browning coming off and onto it and when you scrub your tire a second and third time this brown gunk will continue to turn you tire cleaning foam dirty looking again. Make sense? So rinse off your brush after each tire rinsing and then scrub again. By doing this, it will be a lot easier to see and monitor when the foam from your tire cleaner turns white and stays white. This is sign your tire sidewalls are in fact CLEAN.






The foam from you tire cleaner needs to look white to show that the tire is in fact clean.








Brand new, never been dressed BF Goodrich Radial T/A Tires

These are new, NEVER been dressed BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. I can see the factory BLUE PROTECTIVE TIRE COATING is still present on some of the white letters.






BLUE PROTECTIVE TIRE COATING

That blue stuff you see is applied at the tire factory to prevent the white lettering, or white sidewalls from being stained during transportation and handling. To me this indicates nothing has ever been applied to the tires. But just in case, I also asked the owner if he had ever applied a dressing and he said, "no". I also wiped the smooth tire sidewall with my clean hand and pulled NOTHING off. If there had been a dressing on the tires, normally some kind of black oily slime will come off and onto your hand and this is an indicator something has been applied to the tires in past and also the norm for most cars.


Tech Tip

I've seen people ask,

How do you remove the blue film on tire lettering and white wall tires?

The answer is simple and the method is easy - the film is water soluble and breaks down and washes off easily with simple soap and water. Of course a scrub brush helps too. I've actually found using dedicated tire cleaners and all-purpose-cleaners don't work as well as simple soap and water.






Machine Scrubbing Tires

Here's what these tires look like after a very thorough machine scrubbing. I machine scrubbed and rinsed each tire 3 times. I thought I took some pictures to show what I used but at this moment in time, I'm not finding the pictures. It would be same process you see me using here.






Close-up

Here's a close-up cropped out of the full size image above. This rubber is surgically clean.








Panel Wipe - Second Step Tire Cleaning

The last couple of times I've coated tires I've used the extra step of wiping the tire sidewall off with what is called a

Panel Wipe

A panel wipe is a product used in the ceramic paint coating industry to chemically strip paint before applying a paint coating. The idea is the panel wipe will dissolve and remove any compound or polishing oils left over by the paint correction step. When installing a ceramic paint coating it's of the utmost importance to make sure the paint surface is surgically clean so the paint coating can make a proper bond. I do this now just to make sure any soap residues or any other residues are removed off the rubber before I start installing the tire coating. In this example, I'm using the BLACKFIRE panel wipe, Paint Prep.


If you're going to do this step, the spray on a heavy or wet amount to a section o the tire and then wipe with a clean, towel.








Scrap Rags
I have a good collection of cotton terry cloth rags that were purchased at some big box store, can't remember where. They are simple, 100% cotton terry cloth. Because they are cotton terry cloth they are STOUT and work great for things like scrubbing/wiping tire sidewalls when cleaning. They also work great for door jambs, engine compartments and any place you DON'T want to use your nice microfiber towels.








Blasting Dry

After the final wipe, I like to blast the tire with compressed air. Why? To make sure all liquids are completely blown off the tire. Sometimes you can have trace water or panel wipe around the tire tread, any lettering and especially the TINY lettering and always at the bottom where the rim meets the tires.





This is the Tornador Air Blow Out Gun Black - it's not available yet but the first version is, see my notes at the bottom of this post. You can also use any air squirter and compressed air and if you don't have an air compressor then I highly recommend getting a MetroVac SideKick. Links below.







Bottom lip of the rim

You will always find water hiding down here....






LOOK HOW CLEAN THIS TIRE SIDEWALL IS!






Ready to apply the Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat






Step 1: Apply some of the Tire Clear Coat to a clean applicator pad.






Step 2: Apply the coating to the tire.

Be sure to wear gloves. If you get it on your hands it will dry and be there for a few days until it wears off.






Here you can see the tire coating and how it gives the tires the same look as a quality tire dressing.

The key difference is this is going to DRY TO THE TOUCH.








Excess product around raised lettering

This is normal and this is why I like to have a source of compressed air handy. You can also BLOT this area with your applicator pad. This is where it takes some experience to get good at this type of product application.






Next I blast all the lettering with compressed air. You have to work fast as this coating dries really fast.












Here's the final results....




Review

I've used most of the tire coatings on the market. I'm pretty sure I have more photo-documented articles on tire coatings. This tire coating is different than all the others I've used in 2 areas.

1: It works faster - by this I mean it creates that deep dark look in just a single application or two. The others I have used take up 5-6 coats to get the darkness and gloss this product creates in just 2 applications.

2: It dries fast, almost too fast. This means you can apply a second coat in seconds. You don't need to blow dry the first coat it dries that fast. The other coatings take longer or I use compressed air to force dry them.

It's also a tick on the tricky side to apply and leave a perfect, uniform streak-free finish. It can be done after you've played around with it a little. One thing I do is remind myself when working on the tires is they are NOT paint and I shouldn't try to aim for "tire sidewall perfection". This all said, it works great and looks great and lasts for a long time. How long? up to a year easy as long as I like to say,

Don't do stupid stuff

This simply means moving forward, wash the tires with your car wash soap, just have a dedicated wash mitt for tires as they can have brake dust and road grime on them being near the brakes and close to the pavement. Don't use dedicated tire cleaners or thing from out from under the kitchen sink like Simple Green or Purple Power or any APC. These types of cleaners are too strong and just like they can dull paint and the other plastic on your car with repeated use they can dull the gloss of the coating.

I have this coating on my own car and my wife's car and it's been months, maybe almost a year and the tire still look great and shiny black.



And a properly dressed or COATED tire is the finishing touch to a properly detailed car.




On Autogeek.com

Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat




BLACKFIRE Paint Prep 32 oz

You don't have to use a panel wipe to re-wipe the tire sidewall if yo wash and rinse the tires thoroughly. I do it as an extra step of precaution to make sure the rubber surface is absolutely bare-naked.




This is the applicator I used and it worked fairly well. I think there is room to find a better applicator.

CCS Gold Soft Jeweling Applicator Pads 2 Pack



I've used these before and they too work, but I'm not sure if they are the optimum applicator for this type of product but they are cheap and you're going to throw it away after use as the product will HARDEN in the foam rendering at least one side useless.

Pinnacle Foam Wax Applicators - 6 Pack



I've used one of these before and I thought it worked pretty good. The foam is a little more stout than the two applicator pads shared above.

CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack


There's probably another dozen applicator pads on the bellow page that could be tested to see if they work well.

Misc Applicator Pads (and other tools)




Tornador Air Blow Out Gun - White

The above blow out gun does NOT come with the nozzle with the bristles and you REALLY want the nozzle with the bristles for any type of work you do with this tool.

Tornador Cone with Brush




The Tornador Air Blow Out Gun - BLACK

I'm happy to say the Tornador Air Blow Out Gun you see me using is a prototype given to me as a gift by the creator of the Tornador brand of tools, Dennis Dehn. I love this tool. He gave it to me about 4 years ago, maybe longer.

I'm sorry to say it is not yet available to the public. At least I cannot find it on the Tornador Website. Maybe contact Tornador and say,


Hey! I want the Tornador Air Blow Out Gun BLACK like I see Mike Phillips using!


And share the link to this write-up.




Metro Blaster SideKick

An alternative to the Tornador Air Blow Out Gun if you DON'T have a large air compressor

I use this tool ALL THE TIME. In fact, most of the time I'm applying tire coatings or dressings, I use the below tool.


Metro Blaster SideKick

I'm also good friends with the owner of MetroVac, David Stern and he's a great guy too. If you ever meet him at a tradeshow or car event, and you've purchased any MetroVac tool because of something I've written, a video I've made or a TV show I was on, please take a moment to tell him that. MetroVac makes GREAT tools and I show them all the time.




Cotton Terry Cloth Towels

Sorry to say, at this time Autogeek doesn't carry and stout cotton terry cloth towels, if they did I would link to them all the time. I use them all the time and anyone detailing their own car or customer's cars NEEDS a supply of simple, cotton terry cloth towels just as much as they need microfiber towels.

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....


Besides coating the tires on this 1967 Camaro, here are some more how-to articles sharing tips and techniques for proper car detailing as I worked through this project from top to bottom and inside out.



Review: Machine applying RaggTopp Vinyl Cleaner and Protectant - 1967 Camaro Convertible


BEFORE

Here's how the car looked when it first arrived. Top is dull, paint has overspray and swirls, I wet sanded the hood and tires had never been properly cleaned and dressed.





AFTER

Here's how she looks after a proper extreme makeover to the top, paint, tires and interior.






Review: Wolfgang Si02 Paint Sealant

[RamAirV1]

Review and How-To: Tire Coatings - Pinnacle Black Label Tire Clear Coat No Sling No Mess



My comments...

I love tire coatings and they are my preferred product for creating a deep, dark look to tire sidewalls and/or protecting white lettering and white sidewalls. That said, I have a RULE for when I will use a tire coating over a tire dressing.

My Rule for Tire Coatings

I will only use a tire coating if the tires have never had a dressing on them. Kind of harsh but it's my own rule and I'm sticking to it. The reason why is because I think it's all but impossible to remove some tire dressings. Some tire dressings penetrate into the rubber sidewall and I'm not sure if they can ever be 100% scrubbed and extracted out. And I simply don't want to deal with trying to remove a tire coating that is de-laminating. Thus I only coat new tires. I educate my own customers on this point and they know that the time to get their tires COATED is when they are brand new. They also know, or are smart enough that when they purchase new tires to inform the tire installer to NOT apply any dressing (as a courtesy gesture), to the tires. This same protocol could and would apply to ordering a new car, that is if you order a new car, tell the dealership to NOT put any dressing on the tires as most will do a "New Car Detail" as a dealership courtesy practice. If you are not firm in letting them know and they put some silicone or oily dressing all over the new tires on your new car - it's game over in my world.

BUT - if you get new tires and do nothing - then these tires are the perfect candidate for a tire coating.

The only time I have ever been successful in the application of a tire coating was on brand new tires! Every time I tried to use a coating on a tire that previously had tire dressing applied it ended in disaster, with the coating flaking off in a very short time. And it happened no matter how many times I cleaned the tire and no matter how clean it appeared tobe. So I am happy to see I am not the only one with the same experience. The coating worked great on those brand new tires, lasting over a year with little to no degradation in appearance!

RamAirV1

[Bill D]

Sounds like I can’t use a coating even if I wanted to because all my tires have/had a dressing on them. I’ll just apply a longer lasting dressing then.

[PaulMys]

I might be in a different camp, but I just don't think tire coatings are worth it.

I put Tuff-shine on my wife's brand new Nitto tires (following the directions to a "T"), and they looked just "OK" in my opinion

This was in August of '18 and the coating seemed to last a while into the winter.

I tried to do the maintenance regimen afterward, and I just found it to be lackluster for all the effort involved.

On my Ram, a good scrub every so often, and applying DG 253 looks better IMO. And, for the few minutes this takes, well...... you get the idea.

[Bill D]

DG 253 is going to be my dressing of choice also once I use up my PERL

[57Rambler]

On my Ram, a good scrub every so often, and applying DG 253 looks better IMO. And, for the few minutes this takes, well...... you get the idea.

Yep. When you can do all your tires with #253 and a flag-tipped brush in under 5 min., and get great results for little $, that's a win-win-win to me.

[PaulMys]

Yep. When you can do all your tires with #253 and a flag-tipped brush in under 5 min., and get great results for little $, that's a win-win-win to me.

I'm actually a CG Guys wavy foam applicator kind of guy. (The green & black ones).

[Mike Phillips]

T

he only time I have ever been successful in the application of a tire coating was on brand new tires!

Every time I tried to use a coating on a tire that previously had tire dressing applied it ended in disaster, with the coating flaking off in a very short time. And it happened no matter how many times I cleaned the tire and no matter how clean it appeared tobe.

So I am happy to see I am not the only one with the same experience. T

he coating worked great on those brand new tires, lasting over a year with little to no degradation in appearance!

RamAirV1

Thanks for sharing your experience.

And one of the reasons I only coat new tires is to avoid any bonding and de-lamination problems. I also don't want to be the guy that has to help someone else remove a failed tire coating because the person that installed it didn't follow my lead, personal practice and recommendation.

I might be in a different camp, but I just don't think tire coatings are worth it.

It really just depends on the tire, in my opinion.

I invested approximately 45 minutes to machine scrub the 40 Toyos on my last monster truck and then applied 5-6 coats of the Tuff Shine tire coating, (the PBL coating in this review had not been invented yet), and I LOVED the LOOK and the LONGEVITY of the coating. But remember, after I coat a tire I don't do stupid stuff to the tire and I teach my customer's to not do stupid stuff.