For those who park outside... what do you use for your tires?

SDmtnbkr

SDmtnbkr

Member
I hate tire shine, but thanks to global climate change San Diego is sunny about 350 days a year, and it's not good for rubber so I have to use something! I've always used 303 Protectant but I'm running low and wanna see what everyone else is using before I re-up my bottle? ....or are you just letting your tires bake and crack?
 
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Also good for some bumpers, seats, interior plastic and exterior plastic trim. Makes seats slippery though.
 
I just use meguiars all weather dressing because its cheap, like $20 a gallon, wipe on and wipe off so it doesn't spray on the panels. Back in the day I use to buy a meguiars aersol can (don't remember the name) that would dry and created a film on the tire but that was expensive for doing truck tires.
 
I've only recently come to enjoy the zen and art of auto detailing, and have been wondering the same thing. I've been pretty satisfied with the basic wash/wax products from Adam's Polishes and considering trying the VRT Dressing on my next reorder. The VRT has an SPF of 35 vs the 303's "Powerful UV Blockers". VRT looks to be about 2x the price of the 303, but it's another option. And who knows, it might be worth it?
 
i wash my truck with water & a sponge and dry it with a terrycloth towel. sometimes i use soap. sometimes it takes me 15 minutes instead of 10.
 
i tried power washing it a few months ago thinking that would just blast the dirt off and it would be clean... it wasn’t. Gotta have the scrubbing power of the grout sponge.
 
Regarding the tire product question; is this more for aesthetics or protection?
If the tires bake do they really wear down all that much faster? Especially considering all the wear and tear they get from trails and rocks?

Parking outside in SD is new to me, my old 4runner fit in the garage and we had covered parking at work. But with the new rig and the lift it doesn't fit in either. Trying to understand more about this.
 
i've lived in southern california (SD/OC/LA) my entire and i've never had to worry about the issue OP is asking about.
 
My car that sits outside parked at the airport all the time gets tire rot before the tread wears. Usually takes about 6 years. I think that the tire protectant would help.
 
Don't use anything. Just like the other post, tire will crack before it wears out. Besides I don't like shiney, oiled up tires. Reminds me or bro-dozers.
 
Don't use anything. Just like the other post, tire will crack before it wears out. Besides I don't like shiney, oiled up tires. Reminds me or bro-dozers.

Opps...blasted phone posted twice.
 
my old boss used to have someone come to our shop and wash his jeep once a week. he always told the guy NO TIRE SHINE and the guy put in on three out of four times. cracked me up how pissed my boss would get. he would grumble his ass off and go wipe it all off with a rag.
 
2112 R said:
Regarding the tire product question; is this more for aesthetics or protection?
If the tires bake do they really wear down all that much faster? Especially considering all the wear and tear they get from trails and rocks?

Parking outside in SD is new to me, my old 4runner fit in the garage and we had covered parking at work. But with the new rig and the lift it doesn't fit in either. Trying to understand more about this.
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Yeah, I think everyone missed the point, which was probably my point. I could give zero Fu*ks about looks, I'm asking about protection. UV rays destroy rubber, and since I can't park my truck inside I us protectant on any soft rubber that exposed on my truck, i.e. tires, window seals and even wiper blades. Even still I need new blades at least once a year.

So yeah, I was looking to see what everyone uses to protect their tires from the sun... unfortunately, a lot of people on this forum are a bit younger and probably have not even thought about that concept (that's not an attack, just observation). I did some research and come up with CarPro PERL as my choice to switch to. Looks to have really good UV protectant additives, very little shine to it and has a great reputation in the car industry.

Constant direct sunlight 100% affects and deteriorates your tires faster. The fact that we air down and flex our tires only make it more imperative that we protect them and keep the rubber healthy. UV rays break down the chemicals in plastic and rubber which causes it to harden and then crack. Tires are especially vulnerable in the sidewalls because the rubber is thinnest there and also because it's always exposed. Ever notice how RV's always have tire covers? It's exactly for this reason.

303 Aerospace protectant got a ton of notoriety in the early 2000's because they got some big military contract to use it on hummers and trucks used in the desert. If I recall correctly, the military did some big study (as they do with everything) and figured out that using rubber protectant would greatly extend the life and serviceability of their tires. I'm still gonna keep using 303 on my dash and interior parts, but I've noticed that it doesn't last that long on my tires. I'm gonna try the CarPro PERL and see how it goes.
 
grave said:
my old boss used to have someone come to our shop and wash his jeep once a week. he always told the guy NO TIRE SHINE and the guy put in on three out of four times. cracked me up how pissed my boss would get. he would grumble his ass off and go wipe it all off with a rag.
Click to expand...

I used to do the same thing before it was possible to wash my own vehicle! ....because I didn't want their shitty, shiny, bargain-bin tire shine (that was probably worse for my tires), messing with the rubber protectant I used myself. I good tire protectant should last a few weeks or more, even with regular washes.
 
Tires Expire in Six Years - Tire Safety Group

If you have them longer than 6 years, you should look at replacing them, Living in So Cal. All of my life, I haven't ever used tire dressing and cant say I've ever really had any major issues. What does happen is I seem to be replacing trailers tires that look brand new. Mainly for fear of loosing one. It's been drilled into my head not to run them more than 6 years.

Even well maintained tires with dressing crack and split, this seems to be caused from the rubber drying out from the inside out, not from UV rays on the outside of them.

But I could be wrong. :nerd:
 
I find dirt works well. The more dirt the better. Protects from UV rays and all.

I think I've washed my rig 3 times this year and that's only because I was caked in mud after a run up the mountain in August.
 
I hate the super shiny slick tire shine. So after trying and searching for stuff, I buy this.

http://a.co/d/awlifYF

Tires look new all the time. I also use 303 for interior/exterior plastics. Ive also read with Carpro PERL, dilute it to 3:1 and it wont be so shiny.
 
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