White Wall Tire Cleaner

[cadillac ken]

Just as a side note... some of the newer wide whitewalls aren't the same rubber as the old ones.  I have a set on my motorcycle that are more plastic-like than the old rubber ones used to be (China made, of course) and the old style cleaners don't seem to work at all.

[TJ Hopland]

I was wondering if there were difference in white walls.    Say Cooker vs Diamondback vs Hankook?   

[Caddy Wizard]

I use 409 and a scrub pad and have done so for many years without incident.  It doesn't seem to dry out the rubber.  I believe that Coker or Diamondback had advised me to use the 409 a long time ago, but my memory may be off on this point...

[Flyer]

I use "Mr. Clean" Magic Eraser pads. Wet the tire and pad, scrub and rinse. Works very well on my Hankook tires. Hugh Dean

[z3skybolt]

PS: SAFETY WARNING:" Be careful if you add bleach to anything.   You're just lucky this is a basic material.   If you add bleach - 5% sodium hypochlorite, to acid, it will instantly liberate chlorine gas.   Many janitorial workers have been injured or killed mixing bleach with cleaners."  quote: Fishinjim.

How true!

Back when I was a kid at age 64....I decided to really clean the floor of my aircraft hangar. So I mixed up a concoction of bleach, ammonia, simple green, Pinesol and everything else I could think of that would "clean".   

With the hangar doors wide open and a gentle breeze flowing through..... I began to wash and scrub.  Within a couple of minutes I darned near died. Gasping for breath and running to fresh air....I vomited, wheezed, coughed and doubled over. After 4 or 5 minutes I recovered.

The last time I had experienced anything like that was in the Army when they put us in a closed room....turned on the "gas' and made us inhale a few breaths. That was shear panic in 1969.

The part of my floor that I scrubbed was really clean.

What a dumb A**

Bob R.

[David Greenburg]

Bleach and ammonia is a particularly toxic combination. Unfortunately it sounds like (and may be) a great cleaner, but it creates chlorine gas.  Lots of incidents where people combine these in an enclosed space (i.e., cleaning a toilet) with very bad results.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Yep -- chlorine gas will kill you.

It was used in WW I along with other lethal gasses.

Chlorine gas is heavier than air, so for trench warfare
it was ideal since it sank right into the trenches. 

Mike

[TJ Hopland]

Is that the same stuff you get when brake clean goes through a flame?

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

It is a different chemical vs. chlorine gas but the end
result is the same when people are exposed to it.

The older type brake cleaners the so called "chlorinated"
ones contained methylene chloride.  It is a very hazardous
chemical.  It is also a component in paint removers.

It has been eliminated from most products by now.  If
methylene chloride is sprayed into an open flame it
converts mainly to two other chemicals:  phosgene and
hydrochloric acid.   Phosgene is a highly toxic gas that
was unfortunately also used in WW I and accounted for
about 75% of all gas deaths.  It causes fluid to
accumulate in the lungs and death by suffocation.

Mike

[Gary McKinney]

Also, methylene chloride is metabolized to carbon monoxide in the body, and we all know what the end result of that is!  Many deaths have been caused by using it as a paint stripper in a closed space.

[nysdarkblue]

Shout degreaser with the orange cap works great.

[fishnjim]

I also used AJAX cleanser and a stiff "scrub" brush for many years.   Not as effective as the bleche white in my opinion but all we had growing up.  I think the bluing and bleach in the cleanser helped make them white.   Bias tires didn't last all that long(20-30K miles), like they do now >40k, so I don't think cleaners were a factor in tire life like it is now.

ps: synthetic rubbers have changed too.   The original "gum" rubber(white) was derived from rubber tree sap (latex).  Real early tires were all white.   Carbon black makes it black and was crosslinked (Goodyear aka vulcanized) with sulfur to make tires.
Today the "rubber" comes from a variety of sources and each layer has a different composition.   Butyl rubber(poly BD) comes from butadiene(BD), neoprene(from chloroprene), etc.   There are different polymers and chemicals used to make the layers have different properties like bond to the cords/belts and be more or less "tacky" for wet grip, impact, cold flow, etc.   A whole supply industry surrounds tires.   We sold polymers into the tire market.

[Jenyk]

Advice by my wife was to use regular Cif. It works quite well.

[nycfarmboy]

For Diamondback and Coker's I recommend only a mild soap & water and elbow grease (scrubbing)....

for everything else a product available at Wal-Mart in a purple bottle called "Super Clean" does pretty well.   The sad reality is that white walls being made to day are rarer and rarer.. THUS the production runs are shorter and shorter..so the product made gets alot of the "mold" release grease imbedded in the white wall.. as that bleaches out over time it stains the tires tan/brown.

SureTrac Power touring which looks best on 70's Cadillacs (matches the original mid to late 70's 1.5" whitewall the best) are prone to needing cleaned the first year VERY often.. at least every month.  After a year or so of cleanings they do stay white. (I have several sets on many of my cars).   

Cooper Trendsetters require just an occasional cleaning with "Super Clean" in the purple bottle..they do tend to stay clean pretty easily.

The worst tire I've had problems with is the Venezia brand.....just awful..they turn tan no matter what you clean them with.  I've tried oven cleaner, Super Clean, and as a last resort a PUMICE stone alternating with a BRILLO pad...  they will clean up to a mild cream (Venezia) but it is a chore.

There are products sold for white wall cleaning that require the tire to be unmounted and left directly in the sun for days but that is just too much work for me. LOL  good luck!

[jdemerson]

I've used Simple Green on my whitewalls for five years now, and have seen no cracks in the whitewalls. My impression is that Simple Green is not caustic. It is safe on the rubber and on the wheel covers. But more time may prove me wrong...

John Emerson

[Lowrider2905]

Hi,

I use also simple green, and if they are pretty dirty after a long trip I use glass cleaner and a green sponge. Never had any issues, they are bright as they have to be.

Greetings, Richard

[Glaswegian]

For us in Europe some of these products that are mentioned are not available.

I had a go this morning with first  a magic sponge where you only add water. It was cleaning them but sponge fell to bits ! was only $1 for 4 so no great loss.

2nd, I used Cif outdoor cleaner cream, for use on plastics aluminium and so forth , not the bathroom type, which may still be ok ! Anyhoo, put some on one of those pot scourers, sponge and course layer type. Went round and round a few times course side then sponge to wash it off with water. Result ! removed lots of yellowing, oily looking stuff and I'd say they are probably back to as new.

$2 for pack of 8 sponges, only used 1, and a bottle of the Cif which will last for years ! Might be called Jif in USA which it was here years ago.

Seen WW cleaner at $25 and can't believe it would have worked any better.