Tire "Dressing" and "do not use covers"! Where's the test data?

Been following a long thread on an RV Forum on the topic of "Tire Dressing" aka tire treatment or "Tire Shine".

The good news is that most posters knew to not use any product that contains Petroleum Distillate. Too bad some RV dealers don't follow the guidelines on this. I have seen a number of display coaches almost dripping with some slippery fluid. Might be Brake Fluid or even motor oil as the tires were shiny and I could scrape the coating off, leaving a "slimy" substance on my finger.

I saw a number of different products mentioned and many suggestions that a product called 303 was a good UV protectant.

I saw no one provide any actual direct comparison test data for any product that would support the claim of protection against UV damage. With a little work getting through the maze of retailers selling "303" I finally made contact with their customer service. I asked "Can you provide any test data on 303 vs other tire protection products. Also info on if 303 application removes any of the wax or oil or anti-ozone chemicals built into tires." The answer was that they would ask their chemists. This seems strange that a company making claims on the performance of their product would not have comparison data available that would back up and support the claim. Please note, I am not saying that 303 does not offer some "protection" against UV damage to tires. I am concerned that the actual application as seen on YouTube may be removing the special waxes and anti-ozinate chemicals tire companies put in our tires.

If I receive actual test data that compares 303 against other products that make similar claims I will post on this blog.

What was most concerning were a couple of posts where the writers claimed

"I got tired of reading all the opinions on tire dressing so went to the source, Michelin. They stated that washing tires with mild soap is the only thing they support on their tires, no dressing no covers, no nothing. You don't see shiny tires at a truck stop and these are the people who put on the miles."

Another said "Goodyear RV tire guide says. Just keep them clean, no dressings, no covers, zip. You can use the same stuff you wash your RV with perhaps use a medium brush on stubborn spots."

I responded:   Interesting comment on "no covers". Wonder what Goodyear RV guide you are looking at? 
I found in THIS Goodyear RV Tire Guide and under storage the advice to store tires "in sunless area" and "Don't store tires where they are subjected to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures".
Based on the above, how does telling us to not use tire covers make sense?

I have confirmed with actual test data that covering tires can reduce the tire temperature by about 40° F which could extent tire life by many months, depending on how long you protect them from artificial heat aging.

I checked and found just the opposite on the shielding from the Sun. In fact I even contacted an Engineer at Michelin and he said "Our position regarding tire dressing and protection has not changed. It is still recommended that tires are cleaned with a mild detergent and water, and they are protected from direct sunlight when the vehicle is parked for extended periods of time. This is usually accomplished with the use of some type of cover. "

So I don't know where the "no cover" info from either Goodyear or Michelin comes from and if you read my blog you know that this tire design engineer is a strong proponent of using White vinyl on Class-B & C tires and the flat mesh of any color on Class-A.

I have nothing against 303. I am wondering why, for the price they don't have any actual direct comparison performance data on UV protection.

PS. If you don't want to protect your tires from the heat aging due to sun exposure please don't ask me to explain why you don't get longer life from your tires. Also next time you run into someone selling an brand  "Tire Dressing" ask to see the test data and see what happens.

Long Term Parking - Winterizing

Now is the time many RV owners are "winterizing" their RV. Even if you are in Arizona, you might be getting it ready to be parked for many weeks or months. There are a few things you need to do to help preserve your tires.

1. When you wash your RV prior to storage be sure to clean the tires. The easiest thing to do is to treat your tires just as you would the side of your RV. Wash the tires with the same soap & water you use on the RV body. You wouldn't use SOS pad on the bodywork so don't use coarse scrubbing material on the tire.

2. Inflate to the pressure shown on the tire sidewall. This will decrease the tendency to flat-spot and make the tire flat on one side.

When I was checking the inflation I discovered one tire was almost 30 psi low. I knew the tire had not lost air when it was being driven so I immediately suspected that when I removed my external TPMS sensor the valve core must not have properly seated. This was confirmed with a shot of household cleaner. Here you can see the small bubbles that confirmed the 3.5 psi per week air loss past the valve.

3. If you are not parking on a concrete floor or pad it is suggested you not park on asphalt as the oils in the tar can attack the tread rubber. It is also suggested that you not park on dirt or sand as the moisture can migrate into the tire and possibly cause corrosion of the steel.

I have some pressure-treated boards that are large enough to completely support the contact footprint.


Here you can see the board and the reference footprint for a front tire.








You always need to completely support the entire footprint. Both in length and width. These pictures show what NOT TO DO.
                                                                                Too narrow










Off center



                                                                                             Just Right











 Be sure the support is wide enough for both duals.









Finally, be sure to cover the tires to protect them from direct sunlight, which can cause UV damage and overheat the tires.

If you haven't read my series on Tire Covers simply check "Tire Covers" on the label list to the left.

A little bit of preventive care can help avoid future problems and extend the life of your tires.


P.S. Don't forget that even when parked you should check the air pressure once a month. If I hadn't checked the air in the tire with the leaking valve it probably would have been flat by next spring and might even have been damaged and unsuitable for highway use.

Tire Dressings

In a previous post I was asked for recommendations on which tire dressing to use.

 I decided to run a small sample test involving 5 different tire dressings. Now before you complain that I didn't include your choice you need to remember I have no budget for running tests or support or sponsorship from any of the products involved. I bought these products at retail.

I am not sure of the actual chemistry for any of the numerous products BUT I will offer some general guidelines for selecting a product.

Foremost Don't do damage as you try and "protect" your tires.

For the test I marked off six different areas. One for each product plus one where no product was used. The tire sidewall I used was from a scrap tire that was punctured when almost new. I never washed the tire but I did just hose it off a few times. It has been left outside for over a year here in NE Ohio. Sometimes I would treat the tire each week. Other times I might not treat the tire for a number of weeks.

I will present two pictures for each product. One as the tire looks 5 days after treatment.  The second picture was taken immediately after treatment. Most of the time between the pictures the tire sat in full sun at 85° to 95° ambient. It did rain hard one day.
In the order of the product seen in the picture above.

 

 Since there is a color difference I am also providing pictures taken at the same time of the non-treated section.

I will not pass judgement or make any comments other than to say I made no edits to the pictures other than cropping and resizing the pictures. It is up to you to decide the "look" you want.

 The general guidelines for selecting a tire dressing would be:

1. No Petroleum Distillates. This is a general recommendation from various tire manufacturers.

2. Do not use any abrasive brush. I remember back in the 60's (before I knew better) I used SOS pad to clean my wide white sidewalls. I now know what I was doing was removing rubber and leaving small scratches in the tire. If I had done a lot of this I would have severely damaged the sidewall. Stiff brush or hard rubbing with rag can do minor damage and leave microscopic scratches which could initiate cracks.

3. No high pressure steam clean. This will remove all the protective materials that are built into the tire and if you get too close you have seen the damage shown in a previous blog post.

4. Some products make a lot of claims but I have never seen a direct comparison published.

5. Foaming action products would seem to be good. I have used this type of product on my passenger car. It doesn't seem to remove the tire materials. One brand I have personally used does appear to "wash-off" after a couple weeks so I have no reason to believe it is hurting the tire.  I have not checked all of the dozen or so foaming "cleaners" so you will need to read the label and watch for petroleum distillates

Bottom line. For normal use on a vehicle that is driven frequently, you are allowing the protective materials to work out to the surface of the tire. I see no reason why you cannot wash your tires with the same methods and materials you use on the paint of your vehicles. The issue with RV tires is that you normally will not be replacing the tires after 4 or 5 years. RV tires need help as sitting for long periods is not really good for tires. White tire covers (See THIS post) are best they no only protect from UV they also help to keep the tires from excess heat which artificially ages them. See my previous three posts on covers.
If the product or cleaning method isn't something you would use on your car's paint then  you might not want to use it on your tires.