Tire care?

[Elliotness]

Don't have my 03 yet but I'm trying out products on my Exploader..

I have used many different products (foam) to make the tire look good. I usually let it set for a while before driving. I notice that within a block of driving I have oily spots on the newly waxed car. What product should I use for tire care. I don't want the tires all greasy, but I want them to look nice.

Suggetsions.

 

[Cobra'03]

Avoid the greasy look.

I have discussed this question at length with some friends from the SAE, one of whom specializes on topic. According to him, products laden with silicone oils like ArmorAll should be avoided - according to him, once you start to use them, you have to constantly slather on more. This is because they actually chemically alter the carbon chains built into the rubber to keep it pliable. So your tire becomes a junky. There have been rumors for years that the trapped dirt combined with the action i described actually speeds up the dry rot deterioration of tires, most of which is not from oxidation, but from the repeated heat/cool cycles.

There is also evidence that silicones leach out plasticizers in vinvl and may do more harm than good.

I got corrobation of this from a strange source - one of the world's leading speaker manufacturers! Apparently, some idiot audiophiles actually were applying AA to the rubber surround of the speaker cones, causing a change in the properties that affected performance. When the speakers were examined, the mfr analyzed the rubber, and found the carbon chains were altered. It now warns against the use of AA or other silicones on its speakers.

The products I use and recommend are Meguiar's#42, and especially 303 Protectant - this is a substance developed with no silicones, and is use widely at Disney World, for sailboat canvas and sails, etc. #42 uses sesame seed oil extracts, which have some unique qualities to fight ozone and UV deterioration. I use 303 exclusively on my tires, and interior vinyl - it leaves a nice matte finish that darkens the sidewall without that horrible greasy fried chicken look.

Here is what I found 303's website - it parallels and expounds on what I posted above:

Tire Tech Facts
The sidewalls of tires which are parked for extended periods, dry check and eventually crack and split. Annually, tire "dry-rot" is a multimillion dollar problem for RVers, trailer boaters and owners of classic cars. This engineering memorandum is a scientific examination of the whys of this process and explains in detail how 303 Aerospace Protectant is an answer to the tire dry-rot problem.

Tire manufacturers blend into the tire polymer certain chemical ingredients which inhibit damage from ozone and ultraviolet light, the main environmental degradents of tires and all other types of synthetic and natural rubbers. Ozone is an odorless gas, but is commonly thought of as the "electric train smell". Though more severe in cities and manufacturing centers, ozone is part of the air we breathe everywhere on earth. Hastened by the hazardous effects of UV light, ozone eventually causes rubber to dry and become brittle no matter the locale.

Ultraviolet Light
The need to protect rubber against UV damage is why tires are black. For this purpose, a common type of UV stabilizer called a "competitive absorber" is used. Competitive absorbers work by capturing and absorbing harmful UV light wave energy (instead of the adjacent molecule of tire polymer..that's why it's called "competitive"). Competitive absorbers have the added ability to convert harmful UV light wave energy into heat so it can dissipate harmlessly. All tire manufacturers use the same competitive absorber, carbon black...an extremely inexpensive compound. All other UV stabilizers are prohibitively expensive. This is why tires are black and why tires are not available in designer colors. All UV stabilizers are sacrificial, meaning they are gradually "used up" to where they can no longer protect against UV damage. As carbon black loses the ability to do its job, it turns gray. This is why rubber grays as it ages.

Ozone
Tire manufacturers use waxes to protect against ozone. When tires are in use (regularly running up and down the road for example) they flex. Flexing causes the protective waxes to migrate to the surface where they form a physical barrier between the air (ozone and oxygen) and the tire polymer. This process...the waxes migrating to the surface of the tire during flexing..is called "blooming". When tires are not regularly used ( a parked RV, boat trailer, or classic car, etc), blooming does not occur. Ozone begins eating away the protective wax and before long reaches the tire polymer. Often by this time, the surface carbon black has lost its ability to protect against UV. With UV light and ozone working in concert, degradation starts. The tire dries, checks, and will eventually crack.

Other degradents
Petrochemicals and silicone oils can remove the protective waxes and increase the rate of degradation. Common automotive "protectants" and "tire dressings" are typically devoid of UV stabilizers of any type and contain petrochemicals and/or silicone oils which dissolve away the protective waxes and can actually aggress the sidewall. In the event of warranty sidewall failure, one of the first things tire manufacturers look for is evidence of the use of these types of products. When found, this is often cause for not warranting the sidewall failure.


303 For Tires
303 Aerospace Protectant contains no petrochemicals or silicone oils and does not remove the protective waxes. 303 is actually absorbed into tires, delivering its unique set of powerful UV stabilizers into the tire polymer, supplementing and surpassing the UV protective action of the carbon black, and leaving a long-lasting flexible protective finish that is water repellent, detergent resistant, and will not attract dust. Ozone must eat through the 303 before it can get to the wax. 303 is an extremely effective anti-oxidant and anti-ozonant. 303 is the longest lasting, most powerful protective and beautifying treatment for tires and all other synthetic and natural rubber.

 

[JB]

u da man!

once again, you've fed my head with useful knowledge...thanks :beer:

 

[Elliotness]

Thanks for the explanation. I really hate spraying grease all over the place... Will try the products you recommend. Where can I find them are they found at auto parts stores??

 

[Cobra'03]

I get the 303 at Marine suppliers - Meguiar's is all over the place. Search on google for mail order.