Beading and Sheeting

Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Messages
37,908
Location
NJ
Beads are an indicator of surface tension, which gives you a visual idea of surface protection. Chasing the best beading products is something many obsessed with detailing do. The downside of beading can be water spots. However, you often hear people say "I'd rather have a sheeting product."

Just a thought on this. You can't really make a product that beads like crazy but doesn't sheet, or the other way around. It's the same property at the base of it all.

Dump a bucket of water onto the paint and the vast majority of it will sheet off. Mist water on to the surface and it will bead. Same property.

So the most high-level beading product will eventually just sheet. It will start off at a higher level of hydrophobicity when beading then start to degrade into sheeting.

With that said though, it doesn't matter much, and it has become somewhat cult'ish. It's not the end all be all that's for sure. Ease of use, looks and UV protection are other things that get overlooked because beads are nice to look at to most people and can easily be interpreted as protected.
 
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I'm not even sure if it's true.
 
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I dont wax with real wax. some of the new type is easier than washing the car and lasts 3-4 months easy.
latest favorite is https://www.griotsgarage.com/ceramic-3-in-1-wax/
in between it gets the heavy dirt sprayed off and
Wolfgang Uber SiO2 Rinseless Wash.

I'm not a spent 6 hours and 5 steps kinda guy but also not a "the rain washed it" jeep guy either

Inside gets 303 or the Wolfgang Uber SiO2 Rinseless Wash diluted farther.

Takes me 30min or less on outside and even less inside.. now the first cleanup after winter salt does take about 2x as long.

I started using the ceramic-3-in-1-wax on the side windows.. dont like it with wipers though.. still using aquapel for that.
 
I read it as the level of protection present, or need for reapplication. It also comes in handy when I'm drying the car off. I run the open garden hose over it as a last step and most of the water runs off. It only takes me one drying towel to dry my car in my driveway, but if I go to the car wash where I don't have access to an open hose, it takes at least two towels. Beading & hydrophobic for me. Makes cleaning easier, but also causes the car to look really crappy after it's been driven in the rain. Millions of little brown circles everywhere.
 
I feel the same. Much easier to airdry when the beading is good.
 
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Would you just look at it
 






It's nice to escape from the real world time to time. :LOL:

Anyway, point of the OP was that you can't have one without the other so the idea of looking for a "sheeting" product makes no sense.
 
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NE Ohio is rough in the winter. We're about to get slammed later tonight/tomorrow.
No kidding. Bomb incoming?
Here is some more funtimes.. snow in these pics has melted down some from sun.. and we got another 6" after these photos.

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That line by the road is the WWI style trench from snowblowing the sidewalk. Its melted down at least 6"-8" from its peak height.

Here is a better road pic before it melted but also before the additional 6-9" they also plow 2.5lanes onto my driveway and also over the snow wall onto the sidewalk. /ugh

Full size snowshovel.
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