Month: May 2020

Do you want your tires to shine like this tire on my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon? What chemicals do you use to clean your tires? In the photo below you will see all the chemicals I use on a regular basis. I will also go over what I use them for, etc.

Here is a list of all the products going left to rightL

• Chemical Guys Vinyl Rubber Plastic (VRP) – this is the last thing I use. It is water based dressing that gives the tires their final shine. It is a fairly thick liquid and I use and store it in a squeeze bottle. I buy it by the gallon and then split it into these bottles.
• Meguiar’s Wheel & Paint Iron Decon D1801 – this is a iron remover. I do not use this on every wheel, only when it is needed and there is a lot of brake dust present on the wheel. This is a thicker liquid and will cling to the wheel and as it is working it will turn purple and then I rinse it off. This is the first thing I use. I get it by the gallon and then put it into the spray bottle. This is ready to use and does not get diluted.
• Meguiar’s Super Degreaser D108 – This is a great degreaser. I use it on tires and anything else that is very dirty. When cleaning tires I will spray the tire with this and then scrub with a stiff brush. You will see the foam created turn brown if the tire is dirty. I get it by the gallon and then put it into the spray bottle. I dilute this 4:1, so it becomes very economical.
• Meguiar’s Non Acid Wheel Cleaner D143 – This is a wheel and tire cleaner. I usually only use this on the wheels but is also does a good job on the tires. When cleaning wheels I will spray the wheel with this and then use a long brush to clean the barrel of the wheel. Once the barrel is complete I will spray the face of the wheel and use a detailing brush to clean the wheel. It foams up nicely and cleans well. the next step is to rinse everything off. I get it by the gallon and then put it into the spray bottle. I dilute this 4:1, so it becomes very economical.
• Meguiar’s Wheel Brightener D140 – This is an acid based wheel cleaner. I will only use this when needed. Usually only need to use this when there is a good bit of brake dust on the wheel. You need to be careful with acid based cleaners, so make sure it is compatible with your wheels before use. I get it by the gallon and then put it into the spray bottle. I dilute this 4:1, so it becomes very economical.
• Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic Wax – This is the final step for the face of the wheel. Wheels can be difficult to place any type of sealant on, so I came up with an idea to use one of the spray ceramic waxes. After I am completely done with the cleaning I will spray this on the face of the wheel and then rinse it off. It leaves a ceramic coating and water beads off the wheel very easily.
• Lake Country Tire Dressing Applicator – This is a round foam applicator that I use to apply the VRP to the tire. This is the final step and I usually do this at the completion of the detailing. I like to apply the VRP to a dry tire. This works great on soot faced tires. But, in the photo above of the tire you will notice that it is a BF Goodrich KO2 All-Terrain Tire and it is difficult to get the dressing into the treads on the side wall. So, on these tires I will use a short handle all purpose exterior brush to put it on the tire.

So, there you have it, all the chemicals I use to clean and treat tires and wheels. Did this help you? What do you use? Please share with me. Enjoy!