Cleaning Tires. I mean REALLY CLEANING

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No I didn't post this in the "Detailing " sub-forum. This is NOT a cosmetic thing. It's a tire traction issue.

Here's the deal. My stock Dunlop summer tires are in my shed with maybe 50-80 miles on them. Almost time to get them out and store the winter wheels and tires. Problem? Those summer tires have some coating on them. Well actually they have mold release and a preservative that Subaru or the dealer put on the tires. And they are extremely dangerous when wet and the stuff keeps oozing. I know eventually they will clean up, but I want to clean them first to at least get the surface silicone compounds off.

I think I will use Simple Green. Do you guys have any ideas?
 
Doesn't that stuff usually take a few hundred miles to wear off (you have to wear a thin layer of the tread off)? If so, just go for a nice long drive. :)
 
I noticed this on some new Hankooks I purchased right before winter. They have so much more grip now. DetailersDomain uses Stoners Tarminator to get all the junk off the sidewalls. So would probably work on the contact area as well. It smells citrus based so that probably helps.
 
If I couldn't go for a long, slow drive to gently wear the release agent from them, I'd either brake-cleaner the heck out of them, or do a burnout, rotate my tires and burnout again.

or maybe both
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
If I couldn't go for a long, slow drive to gently wear the release agent from them, I'd either brake-cleaner the heck out of them, or do a burnout, rotate my tires and burnout again.

or maybe both



This is what I opted to do.
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Any 2-Butoxyethanol cleaner.

Bleche Wite and Simple Green are such cleaners (although I read somewhere that Simple Green changed the formula to eliminate 2-Butoxyethanol.
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) Bleche-Wite has a couple of additional Sodium based chemicals but I don't think it has any actual Sodium Hypochlorite in it (ie:bleach)

Other 2-Butoxyethanol cleaners are usually less expensive and largely the same.

Spray on, scrub with stiff nylon brush, marvel at the hideous dark brown crud coming off your tires, and rinse off
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Hard to do a burn out with AWD.


In which car? proper 4wd needs a full-lock WOT clutch dump, haldex and/or other part-time systems you can pull a fuse or a shaft.
 
If you have an AWD vehicle without enough power it won't do any burnouts. I think the OP has the standard WRX, isn't that 227 hp? Probably far less than that modified STi.
 
260HP Stock 2014WRX (STI is 305 stock)

Pretty moot point, burnouts will not get all the silicones off the sidewalls and in the treads. First week in April, I'll scrub them with a citrus cleaner twice.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
So can you break all 4 tires loose in 1st gear Pablo with 260 hp?


Note to self: Do not attempt to do burnouts with snow tires.
 
Pablo,

First, tires have excess waxes and antioxidants in the rubber to protect them during shipping and warehousing. The first time they are used, the flexing gets things moving and you'll find what the trade calls "wax bloom". It will flake off and in a couple of months of daily usage, it will disappear.

Yes, tires also have mold release compounds on the surface - and those will wear off in the first couple hundred miles - faster if you corner hard. As was said, it shouldn't take but one good hard corner to scrub the stuff off.

But did the dealer actually put something on? Or is it just the wax bloom we've been talking about?

Cleaning? DO NOT use brake clean. That will dissolve the rubber, shortening the tires life. It also gets absorbed by the rubber changing it in ways you don't want.

Don't use anything with silicone. Silicone is very slippery and difficult to remove. Every rim slippage issue I've investigated came down to silicone or suspected silicone.

I would use a simple detergent and water - and a scrub brush.

Unless you have a contaminant. In that case, it would be very helpful if you knew what it was.
 
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