Alrighty.. I feel like I have the worst possible tire out there to try and clean up and shine, so how would you guys recommend I go about making these tires shiny?

Firsat off, what sort of tool/applicator would be best for all of the sidewall tread on MT tires? It's kinda hard when using towels and etc, should I try sponges, or...?

What dressing do you guys use? I've heard a lot about Megs Hyper Dressing, where's there cheapest place to buy this? Any other recommendations for tire shine?

How about my wheels? I do my best to keep them clean, but brake dust is evil and can't seem to stay away from my matte black wheels. Any other type of dressing I should use specifically on my wheels to clean and shine?

Here's a pic!

 

a good tire brush should be able to get those sidewalls clean. it just takes come elbow grease. as far as the wheels go, and i know i will get flamed for this, but i have found that Turtle wax ice the liquid polish makes matte black wheels look really good. i have matte black eagle alloys on mine and that stuff makes them look nice and clean after i have washed them

 

Acid + Pressure washer = New new tire.

The acid will get rid of that glazed over dark grey look......turning them a really dark satin black.

Not sure about the wheels. If they are real paint, the acid won't hurt them. But if it came from a can.......I'd be careful not to get any on them.



These were cleaned with acid, with no dressing applied

 

I don't have the MT but I clean my share of mud from tires etc...

What I do is

Spray everything (wheelwells too) with Meg's APC+ cut 4:1
Then pressure wash
Then scrub tires and wells with a stiff bristled brush with Gold Class Soap
Then softer brush and old MF towel on wheels with Gold Class Soap
Dry wheel
Spray down tire and wells with HyperDressing cut 4:1
You can use less water in the HD for more shine if desired. I like a satin look.
After it sits a while I blot the excess with another old MF towel

I've found this to give me great results and be quite labor un-intensive.

For APC+ and Hyperdressing I go to ADS but you can get it from a few different online stores.

Don't know about the black wheels. Never had a set. Sure want a set though.

Here are is a couple examples.







.

 

Not going to argue with the results you got, but those same results are possible using far safer methods than acid and a pressure washer.

Like JGG, I use APC+ 4:1 and a stiff brush on the tires.

 

Ok,
On the tires, spray on APC or APC+, scrub with brush.
On the rims. Go around the car and spray wheel brightner on them one at a time, let sit for a min or so, scrub with soft brush rinse all off.
HD to dress the tires with a paintbrush. Or some Megs tire shine spray

Products:
For Tire Cleaning:

For Rims, Works Great!

Dressing Tires:

Dressing Tires, Works good too

 

Ill give you my .02. The tricky part is getting the tires to SHINE and not getting any of that shine product on the wheels cause they're not supposed to shine.

So, I use Meguiar's Hot Shine Tire Foam cause it leaves a great result and gets into all the side lugs and lettering very well. As far as the wheels, I have flat black wheels too and it was driving me nuts trying to get the tires to shine and keep the wheels from getting any shine on them. SO, i made a cardboard circle the size of my rim and attached a toilet paper tube to the center for a handle. Once the truck, wheels and tires are all clean and dry, hold the cardboard up to the wheel and cover the tires really well with the foam and you're done!

If there is any shine spots on the wheels, Ill hit em real quick with the Mothers PowerBall and just a little windex...that does well at getting rid of the shine if there is any.

 

I just use simple green and lots of scrubbin. For the shine I use meguairs gel. Works really well for me.

 

No offense guys.....but de-greasers will never get the tire as clean as acid. Some times you have to get out the big guns. For just regular cleaning, degreaser may work fine. But he needs something a little more. My first set of Toyo's were the same way.....they were actually covered in a grey film when I first got them. I'm having another set mounted today. They aren't as bad as the first ones, but I'll post some before and after pics.

And, the only thing that acid will hurt is polished aluminum and paint from a can. As long as you wash it off fairly quick, it's perfectly safe for everything else.

 

I'm sorry, but acid is certainly not necessary to properly clean tires.

Before


After

And no acid in sight.

 

I'd use Westley's before I'd use acid. At least it's made for use on tires and it's not too nasty on wheels unless you don't get it off pretty quick.

 

I'm not 100% certain but I believe that APC+ is an acid. That's why I cut it 4:1. Use that stuff straight up for a while and it'll eat the prints off your hands and comes from meg's with a chemical resistant spray head.

Wheel brightener is a great product. Just don't let it dry or it'll etch the wheel. But then again so will APC+ and Simple Green.

I've used SG for years up untill recently. A couple goes with APC+ and SG is history in my box. Just my humble oppinion.

maybe you could be more specific in what you mean by acid? I'm assuming it's not like some type of acid in 1 molar concentration or such.

 

I appreciate all of you guys pictures and input. However, this thread was specific to the Toyo M/T......which, well, none of you actually have.

The Toyo M/T's have a coating on them like no tire I've ever seen. De-greaser practically beads off of it. Until you get that coating completely off, the tires will never have a uniform black look. The best way to get that coating off is to get your truck really stuck in some wet, sandy dirt.....kinda like this:

But if that doesn't appeal to you, then acid is your best bet. Now, I just put some on my new set today. I sprayed some on there and brushed it in lightly with a soft brush. It made an improvement, but still didn't get it completely off. It's just one of those things that's gonna take a few treatments to wear off. And if your truck stays on the pavement, it'll take a little longer.

My weapon of choice was Eagle One Chrome Wheel Cleaner.....who's active ingredient is Hydrofluoric Acid. It also did a good job of getting all the tire lube off my chrome wheels.

 

While I don't own a set of Toyo M/Ts, I have detailed a few trucks with them.

Also, in your earlier posts you said "acid", not "wheel cleaner that contains an acid".

 

Well , I've got Toyo's . All I use is Meg's tire cleaner. Then , Hyper dressing . (( mixed 3 to 1 )) Hyper dressing is the BOMB!! Great for the wheel wheels too!!