To tire shine/gloss or not?

[DarkSkySeeker]

Is the use of a tire shine/gloss product recommended or not? For the trailer tires? Tow vehicle tires? Passenger vehicle tires?

[Allworth]

Not!

[Grit_dog]

^Amen.
Like the look, not the upkeep.
303 the inside of a tire and spare tire under the truck?
I have a long list of more important obligations and projects but if you rub em regularly,
Your tires will wuv you wong time!

[spoon059]

Until one of these companies is willing to state that use of their product will extend the life of the tire, I'll save my money for pizza. All they do is make it look different. When I was younger I put that stuff on my truck tires cause I thought it looked cool. Now I'm a little older and less vain...

[JimK-NY]

Grit dog wrote:
Armor all the inside of your tires = you’re so bored you literally don’t know what to do!
Anyone suffering from this syndrome, put down the spray bottle gently and call me. I have much more productive and satisfying projects for you at my place. You will not run out of things to do for a long time. Guaranteed....

First, you should never use Armor all. At best it is worthless and it may in fact be harmful. Second there is a good reason to protect your RV tires if they are not going to be used. They will dry rot, in or out of the sun, unless they are used at highway temperatures fairly frequently. At over $1500 for a set of tires, it seems worth it if you are not going to use your RV. It took me less than half an hour to do the insides. The outsides are easy and take about 10 minutes.

When my unused spare tire died of dry rot after 4 years of storage under the truck, I did my research and learned why and what to do about it. Now I also lower my spare, clean it and treat it with 303. Next time I need a spare or want to put it into rotation, I want to know I can count on it.

[Fisherman]

Because all tires are made of rubber, all tires will eventually exhibit some type of cracking condition, usually late in their life. However, this cracking can be accelerated by too much exposure to heat, vehicle exhaust, ozone and sunlight.

[philh]

Grit dog wrote:
Armor all the inside of your tires = you’re so bored you literally don’t know what to do!
Anyone suffering from this syndrome, put down the spray bottle gently and call me. I have much more productive and satisfying projects for you at my place. You will not run out of things to do for a long time. Guaranteed....

BUT, I read it on the internet!

[Grit_dog]

Armor all the inside of your tires = you’re so bored you literally don’t know what to do!
Anyone suffering from this syndrome, put down the spray bottle gently and call me. I have much more productive and satisfying projects for you at my place. You will not run out of things to do for a long time. Guaranteed....

[Grit_dog]

^Yup.
Next time rotate the tires after a couple years of its parked in the same spot. Your welcome, lol.

[dodge_guy]

JimK-NY wrote:

dodge guy wrote:

Fisherman wrote:
So tell us, do you plan on crawling under the trailer and TV to do the inside sides of the tires?

Why would anyone? The inside doesn’t see the sunlight like the outside does.

Because tires dry rot without any exposure to sunlight.

Yes, but faster in direct sunlight. On my last trailer the 2 curb side tires were always facing the south so they got sunlight all the time. the other 2 were on the north. When I replaced the tires (every 5 years) the 2 that got the exposure always showed signs of dry rot on the outside sidewall. the side away from the sun always looked good as did the insides of the tires. sunlight will kill a tire especially those that sit for extended time!

[JimK-NY]

dodge guy wrote:

Fisherman wrote:
So tell us, do you plan on crawling under the trailer and TV to do the inside sides of the tires?

Why would anyone? The inside doesn’t see the sunlight like the outside does.

Because tires dry rot without any exposure to sunlight.

[Grit_dog]

I don't believe for a second that tire dressing hurts a tire, but once you start you have to keep up with it if you want black tires. Every dressing I've used seems to turn the tires brownish when it wears off.

Any products that don't do that I'm all ears. Like Armorall the tires sometimes but I'm not out shining tires every few weeks....

[dodge_guy]

Fisherman wrote:
So tell us, do you plan on crawling under the trailer and TV to do the inside sides of the tires?

Why would anyone? The inside doesn’t see the sunlight like the outside does.

[JimK-NY]

There is a huge issue with RV tires. Tires can deteriorate when they are not used. They can actually live much longer if they are used at highway speeds fairly frequently. The heat helps draw chemicals to the surface which protect against dry rot. A tire that is not used can deteriorate in 4 years. I learned that the hard way when I tried to use a 4 year old spare tire.

When I researched the issue, I could not find anything positive about most tire treatments extending tire life. In fact there were some warnings that solvent based materials can accelerate deterioration. I did find positive support for Aerospace 303 which is water based. In order to be of value, you must first clean the tires on both sides and then apply the 303 on both sidewalls. You need to repeat about every 6 weeks.

BTW, the other method of extending tire life is to use a fabric cover. That will block UV rays but I doubt it will do much to extend tire life. My spare was stored under the truck and was never exposed to direct light.

[Fisherman]

So tell us, do you plan on crawling under the trailer and TV to do the inside sides of the tires?