Making your customer’s car shine means including the tires in the cleaning process as well. But tire dressings (aka tire shine products) come in a variety of types, so it might be difficult to choose what to use if you’re unsure about the differences between them.
In the upcoming February issue of Professional Carwashing & Detailing, Scott Ware, Jeff Rufner, Nick Quartz and Scott Oster of Warsaw Chemical Co. Inc. delve into the history of tire dressings and run some comparisons.
“Traditional tire dressings were mixtures of quick-drying solvents with a small amount of silicone. On application, the solvent (usually hexane or heptane) quickly evaporated and left behind a thin film of silicone fluid. This was a significant advantage for the automotive detailing industry, but the products were so flammable that few made it to retail shelves,” they state.
“The industry has moved away from these types of formulations for several reasons, including flammability issues of the solvent, concerns regarding air quality and regulation, and health hazards associated with repeated exposure.”
As such, nowadays, most tire dressings come in one of two forms: solvent-based or water-based. PC&D has created the infographic below to help you understand the comparative advantages and disadvantages of the two.
You can read the article here.