dannyi Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I came across a box of old tires and decided to clean them up. Used soapy water and a tooth brush but it really didn't do much. Before I go and experiment with all kinds of cleaners, thought I'd ask to see if there was any sure fired method you guys use. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...thanks..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I like purple power. I leave them soaking overnnight and they come out squeaky clean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyi Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 Thanks Glenn, I'll give that a try....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imatt88 Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Will it remove the whitewalls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I dont remember if it removes the whitewalls.....sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAone Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 dont know if this would work, but how about armor all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW Dave Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 dont know if this would work, but how about armor all? Armor All is merely a protectant, so I'd say no....and it would likely leave the tires slimy too. Westley's is my preferred tire cleaner in 1:1, so I'd try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyi Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 I ended up doing what Glenn suggested and soaked a couple of bad ones in Purple Power overnight. It worked as advertised. All the dust and dirt was gone and the one tire that had glue and paint on it cleaned up great. I just rinsed the tires under warm tap water and with a tooth brush easily removed the old glue and paint. I'm sure there are other products that would work as well but I'm completely sold on Purple Power.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Armor All is merely a protectant, so I'd say no....and it would likely leave the tires slimy too. Westley's is my preferred tire cleaner in 1:1, so I'd try that. They do make a cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyi Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 ...yes they do Greg, it's called Triple Action Wheel Cleaner. Don't know much about it and have never used it but you can check it out, plus other stuff they have at armorall.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra7c7er Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 If your tires have pad printed white walls I would think any cleaner would take the whitewall off. The printing can come off just by being scrubbed a bit with just water so any cleaners even the new, great for the environment horrible for it's intended purpose, cleaners will probably remove pad printing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doughnut Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 As long as we're on the subject . . . does anyone know what the white powder-like substance is that has attacked some of my tires? Is it a form of oxidation? My tires are stored in Rubbermaid totes (not completely air-tight) in my model room with normal humidity. I have not tried to clean them yet, but I will try the Purple Power. I just don't want it coming back once the tire is on the model! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyi Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 ...here's a couple of tires that soaked in Purple Power for two days. It wasn't my intention to leave them in that long, I just forgot about em. Now these are the original kit tires form the late 60's, so I'm not sure how the newer ones would fair that long in the cleaner, or any amount of time for that matter. The red lines turned out great, but I did notice that there was some paint/decal missing form the white walls. Here's the thing, because the tires were so dirty I'm not sure if it was already missing or if they were cracked and the cleaner loosened them up. Also not sure what the white stuff is but most of it came off in the cleaner, although some tires did have to be scrubed to remove it. As far as the white stuff coming back, I would think once cleaned it would be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW Dave Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 They do make a cleaner. True, but 9-1/2 times out of 10 when folks say 'Armor All' they mean the protectant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.