Cleaning whitewalls?

What's the skinny on restoring and cleaning whitewalls? Any hot tips?

 

Bleache White tire cleaner is great stuff. You can get it at Murray's/Auto Zone.

 

Are you running skinny white walls? I have found the best way to clean them is with a household detergent or even something like Solvol.

You are from Cambridge aren't you? We should get in touch sometime.
email me at [email protected] or 8234100 - Ian -

 

I used good 'ol 409 cleaner and a white shop rag. Brightened them right up
takes alot of pressure and alot of scrubbing!
CAB

 

Waitaminnit! Seems I've been doing it the ghetto way. After a quick search, I came up with this:

19. How is the best way to clean my whitewalls?
It is best to clean your whitewalls with our Wide White Tire Cleaner. We have spent the last year developing this specifically for our tires. If you do not wish to use this it is best to use mild car wash soap and some type of Scotch Brite pad.

20. Can I use bleach white to clean my whitewalls?
Absolutely not. Bleach white is the leading killer of whitewall tires. This robs the tire of valuable oil and moisture that it needs and the tire will appear to have cracks in the sidewall after a few uses of bleach white. The same thing would happen if you cleaned your favorite shirt with bleach on a regular basis. If you have tough stains on your whitewall, we recommend mild car wash soap and some 600-1000 grit sandpaper.

 

After you clean them, mop-n-glow seems to seal them from dirt and grime quite well. I was getting tired of wiping them off all the time, and ending up with dirty streaks, so I took the suggestion of mop-n-glow, from a fellow HAMBer, and it has been working fine for a few weeks now, and all you have to do is dust them off every once in awhile after you apply it. I just poured some on a rag, and treated the tires the same way you would with armour-all.

 

I've been using Castrol Super Clean and little brass bristle BBQ brush for years..works mint...then wash them with wateva carwash/wax mix your using.
Caution...dont get the SuperClean on paint...it dont like it..
Thats if ya got paint !!

 

I buy Bleche Wite by the gallon - it's good stuff for keeping whitewalls white. It's not bleach, BTW; just a very caustic solvent.

Best way to 'restore' old whites to some sort of not-so-yellow finish is a LOT of elbow grease with a Brillo or SOS pad. The combination of steel wool and soap removes both dirt and oxidization; if the WW's are still fairly pliant - then you'll get back a loth of the whiteness.

If your WW's are more than ten years old, tho - fuggedaboutit. They're whatever color they are.

 

Brillo pads. The kind with the detergent impregnated in them.

 

I told you that works well..

 

westleys white wall bleach its in a spray bottle and it works the best if you use a semi soft scrub brush it will take out BIG scuffs!!!

 

One product that I have used for years on tires - and white walls - is Knight's "Spray Nine."

Spray on, scrub with a stiff bristle brush; then rinse with clear water.

 

The brillo and sos pads do work, I've also been told, but haven't tried it, a fine grit sand paper, 400 or finer.

 

I like Super clean too cause it does a pretty good job and I can use it for a whole bunch of other stuff. I was cleaning up an old amp that I just bought and my bottle disappeared. My wife had it and was using it to clean something in the kitchen.

 

Bingo! I've used Brillo for years. They work like a charm. In a pinch, I just wet some fine-to-medium grade steel wool and squirt some Simple Green on it.

cheers!

 

Jim - I completely agree with you. The comment on Brillo or SOS pads is a resto tactic on yellowed rubber; Bleche Wite does not bring back an oxidized surface - but works great on regular rubber!

 

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I axccidentally deleted my original post. I was having trouble with posting photos showing tires that had about 28,000 miles on them.
They were on my 62 when it won detailing awards at Statbvird shows, and they were on it when it garnered a Custom Rodder "Top Ten Pick.

I have been able to clean them with Westley's Bleach White and a spray bottle.

Jim

 

Gosh you boys and your fancy methods. I just use Comet or Ajax, a bucket of water and a scrub brush with LOTS of elbow grease. Hey cheap shampoo cuts dirt/grime/grease without ruining paint!

xxx

 

Spray on Degreaser,rinse and then wash with soap while doing the rest of the car. No scrubbing needed

 

no way man the steel in the pads will rust the white
and then you have rust walls

 

The whitewalls on my Tin Woody were getting brown looking, so I tried a different approach to cleaning them. It turns out that 400 grit wet sandpaper with soapy water will remove the brown oxidized rubber and leave you with like new whitewalls. Try it!

 

I’ve been using SOS pads all my life and have never had a problem. Takes a good rinse afterwards to remove the soap tho.

 

Westley's White Wall cleaner and a soft bristle brush, works great for me. I also use those Mr. Clean eraser pads for a quick clean up.

 

Nice tip. I purchased a new set of Auburn WW's and the instruction card very prominently in 14 point print said NO BLEACH PRODUCTS!
Also, no armor all. A lot of tire shines are like floor polish, they tend to build up and brown the side walls (and shiny sidewalls look a bit like merde on a hot rod anyway). You sanded all that wax/silicone build up away. Now make sure it doesn't come back. BTW, Diamond back recommended SOS pads or the equivalent for clean up. And just FYI, I use Harley Davidson Wheel and Tire spay on the tires on my roadster. Not shiny, just clean and road dirt doesn't cling to them.

I have used Wesley's for years but I think the new rubber formulas are not playing nice with the bleach white.

 

Try a "magic eraser" with a few drops of Dawn dish soap and water. Works like a champ, I buy the off brand dollar store version.

 

Firm believer in SOS pads too.......have used them forever. Protect with this, to keep the brown at bay....never found anything better.

 

The guys at Diamond Back suggested Simple Green which I am now using and it works great.

 

Where do you get that stuff?

 

Several online places carry it....I get mine thru Amazon (Prime free shipping).

 

Use the bathroom cleaner Scrub-N-Bubbles. I have been using it for 25 years. No sos pad required. The Wesley`s Bleach White puts spots on my hubcaps which are a pain to come off. Never liked that product. You need to use rubber gloves after using this product, unless you want your hands to smell like bleach all day.