Cleaning Tire Grime and Gunk [No Mineral Spirits]

[lightrules]

Want to get some ideas on how to best clean tires and remove grime and gunk and previous tire shine residues. Auto Fanatic recommends mineral spirits but my fantastic state of CA has banned this product. I believe things like paint thinner and acetone are not ideal and can damage rubber (so I'm avoiding their use). Using a scrub is tiresome (no pun intended) and it's impossible to get the black gunk out of the bristles afterwards.

My aim is to get the tires to a pre-tire shine state where they are clean, matted-look, and when you rub your finger on them they are dry...ready for tire shine application.

Share your practice, products, and ideas thanks.

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[dn1984]

I would use some degreaser, then this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VSATBI

 

[lightrules]

Rubbing alcohol works good to take some oil based compounds.

Bleach white will clean the crap out of rubber. Just don’t let it dry on rims and keep it off as much as possible.

Paint thinner is also almost the same thing as mineral spirits. Maybe that’s not banned?

rubbing alcohol, acetone, paint thinner...i want to say i keep reading how they are damaging to tires and rubber. i can get those pretty easily here in CA but been trying to avoid them based on what i've been reading from google searches. if i get desperate i may try though.

i actually just ordered some MS from walmart.com (seller is zoro.com) and we'll see if they actually ship it to me. have a feeling i will be getting an email cancelling my order. hope it ships though; cant find it anywhere else. amazon wont ship to me.

I would use some degreaser, then this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VSATBI

just looked at the reviews and Q&A of this product. the seller/company wrote this: "If you use it as we recommend and you thoroughly clean the tire prior to applying the Rubber Care and then dry the tire after the Rubber Care has soaked in, it will last for months; especially if you don't use any strong detergents to remove it." so it seems this product isnt for getting the gunk off; i think it's more for shine and lasting protection of the tire itself. thanks though.

EDIT: sorry man, just saw you said degreaser THEN this product. i tried simple green today with NO dilution, seemed ok. i had to work harder than i wanted though LOL. will keep looking around. may try some other degreasers too.

 

[Magony15]

Griot's Garage Rubber Prep #11071 if California allows it. Otherwise, Simple Green and a lot of scrubbing.

 

[lightrules]

Griot's Garage Rubber Prep #11071 if California allows it. Otherwise, Simple Green and a lot of scrubbing.

hey that's interesting and promising. looks like i can get it here in CA too. i love griot's as well, especially their complete compound and weave drying towel. thanks for the info.

edit: btw, just read a review on this product and someone said it seems like it's basically just mineral spirits LOL. hey if that's how i get my MS into CA, sweet. if my MS order from walmart gets cancelled, i'll try this griots out.

 

[lightrules]

Black Majic Bleche Wite is really good stuff specifically for tires. Look on amazon. I have been using it for 20 years. It is designed to do exactly what you are talking about.

i just looked at it. seems like it'll do the job and fairly cheap too ($7). i think it'll ship to me in CA. one concern is how it'll affect my gloss black wheels if any happens to get on them. directions say to "spray" on. think i can spray onto a rag and wipe or does it have to spray directly onto tire? that would be my concern of overspray...thanks again.

 

[DFB5.0]

I use Gyeon Q2M Tire or Shine Supply Wise Guy for tires but any All Purpose cleaner will work too.

Spray the product on then use a stiff bristle brush to agitate, then rinse. Repeat the process until the product stops changing to brown during agitation.

 

[Riley]

I think the safest way is obviously some type of degreaser such as meguiars or any other one and then scrub/agitate it then pressure wash it. I've found that stoners road and tar work extremely good for removing oils off tires but might damage or strip some of the tire. Rubbing alcohol is great aswell.

 

[wade001]

rubbing alcohol will dehydrate rubber.. after prolonged exposure.. i dont think you'd have anything to worry about spraying it on for cleaning, then rinsing off though..

honestly the sun probably does more damage after 1 day of sitting outside than the rubbing alcohol will do over the course of a years worth of cleanings

 

[Boostamoose]

Use an All Purpose Cleaner at full strength or 1:1 dilution. Even Dawn Dish soap can work if you don't have the aforementioned. Find a nice stiff bristled brush and go to town.
I personally would not put rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits on anything rubber.
I use Adams Rubber and Tire Cleaner, or Meguiars Wheel Cleaner whatever I have on hand at the time. For really stubborn gunk it may take 4-5 applications before the foam is white after agitation, but it will come off.

 

[lightrules]

Black Majic Bleche Wite is really good stuff specifically for tires. Look on amazon. I have been using it for 20 years. It is designed to do exactly what you are talking about.

i went to walmart today and grabbed the bleche wite. it says to use it on dry tires, so i did that. but i didnt use gloves as it says to also do. anyway, it worked well, i think it got pretty much my tires pre-dressing ready. the brush i used, however, is all black and i just threw it away ($1 at dollar tree). i think that is the issue for me now: what instrument to use to actually scrub bc whatever you use, it's gonna be wasted afterwards. the black grime just wont come out.

anyway i'm happy with the results, dry and clean and ready to go. got it for $3.50 for 32oz...good stuff for sure...

 

[noac]

Dawn....All you need

 

[wheeler2008]

It’s also advisable to designate cleaning supplies for only the tires and wheels, such as wash brushes, buckets, towels, etc. That way you’ll avoid grinding particles that could be picked up from the tires onto the car’s body after the tire wash, which could cause scratches.

 

[DFB5.0]

I use Gyeon Q2M Tire or Shine Supply Wise Guy for tires but any All Purpose cleaner will work too.

Spray the product on then use a stiff bristle brush to agitate, then rinse. Repeat the process until the product stops changing to brown during agitation.

Two years after this post and after trying a few different tire cleaners, I thought this post needed an update.

For extreme deep cleaning or preparing brand new tires, Stoners Tarminator is brilliant. This is strong stuff so use with care by applying it to a towel instead of directly.

Shine Supply Wise Guy is good product that I still have in rotation. It's a strongly alkaline chemical that cleans very well, however I have found it to be very harsh on sprayers. I'm currently running it in a Marolex Industry sprayer for that reason.

P&S Undressed is a recent addition, this is their dedicated tire and rubber cleaner. This product is only offered in the 1 or 5 gallon Pro-series line.

However, my go to is P&S Brake Buster. This is a combined wheel and tire cleaner. In most cases, people tend to dilute it. For tire cleaning, it's best used UNDILUTED.

A medium to stiff bristled brush is best for this task, and from what I have found, a simple design is the way to go. Think Tuff Shine Tire Brush or Detail Factory Tire Scrub Brush -

TUF SHINE Tire Brush (autogeek.net)
Detail Factory - Tire Scrub Brush | The Rag Company

 

[Rapid Red]

Give this a shot, use it with a stiff bristle brush. Have used the product for years, cause I like a tire that looks like rubber. Not a plastic & glossy tire as seen on a model car buit by an amateur model maker.

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