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Beautiful day today here in FL.

Washed and waxed the Eldo.

Got to thinking I don't like the tire treatment I am using, and wondered what other Caddy owners use to make thier tires look good.

What I am using slings off the tires and onto the white paint. UGH!

Lets hear from you all about what your favorite tire treatment is.

Thanks.

Tom

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Many, many moons ago, on red stipped "Tiger Paws" (for those of you who remember them) I used to use brake fluid. Now if I use anything at all it is one of the foaming types. Haven't bought any in a loooong time. Just looked and what is on the shelf is an orange and black can of "Formula 2001" by Turttlewax. The can is marked 1992 :D Seems to work fine but doesn't last as long as brake fluid as I recall.

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The best stuff that I have found is called "Super Stuff" and it's made by Prestige Car Care Products. They are out of California. It gives such a shine it is unbelievable! One draw back is that it really likes to attract dust but for a car show or a cruise night it’s all I use.

Another product they make is called "Blue Lustre". It costs a hell of a lot less, it gives a pretty good shine (especially on tires with ribbed side wall such as a Goodyear Allegra), it does not attract too much dust, and you can use it on the tires, dash or anywhere there is rubber.

Another draw back is you can't, or at least I have not found this stuff at a local parts store. I buy mine through a buddy at Avis Car Rental. I'll see if I can find a website or contact for them.

A gallon of SuperStuff costs me $40 CDN and a 5 gallon pail of Blue Lustre is $120 CDN. Man I almost sound like a salesman for this stuff :lol:.

Spence

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Megiars Endurance tire gel. I like the low luster style although there is a high gloss available also. It does outlast any of the spray on types.

Zaino & Blackfire tire shine is good also. Quicker to apply and lasts almost as long.

Meguiars is available at NAPA while Zaino & Blackfire are "on line" orders.

No slinging off on any of them.

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Ya, I agree with Bill. Have been using the Meguires Endurance and like it. Not too shinny and does'nt collect to much dust. You can even wash the tires a few times and it is stiil there.

2001 STS Mettalic Otter Grey, Black Leather, 213,000 kilometers - miles - ? Still running strong!

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ZYMOL

http://www.zymol.com

Nuf said!

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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Am I the only cadillac owner that uses Armor-All on his tires and weatherstripping? It's cheap, easy to use, available at the drug store, looks great, and doesn't sling off. My only complaint with it is that if I bump the tire with my Hush Puppies it leaves a big black spot in them.

photo-36.jpg

Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes.

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My only complaint with it is that if I bump the tire with my Hush Puppies it leaves a big black spot in them.

Well, then DON'T do it!

;):lol:

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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I use Formula 2001. Like Poobah, tire shine only lasts on the tire for a week or two at the most, and I'm not going to spend $20 on an 8-oz. bottle on something so disposable. I looked around a while ago for silicone-free shine, but the prices were outrageous. I decided that I don't keep tires long enough for them to be affected by the silicone anyway.

The Formula 2001 gives a nice matte finish (when applied sparingly) and doesn't sling off like other gels and heavy products will. I used Black Magic for a while (not on the Cadillac -- on another vehicle), but it always flung off, no matter how lightly I applied it, and despite claims against that right on the bottle. Even after letting the vehicle sit for an hour before driving it, it would still fling.

Formula 2001 for me; nothing I've found works as well for the price. Another great product (or set) I've found is on the shelf at Wal-Mart. Black Magic makes a set of towels and sponge applicators that are color-coded and labeled as to their use. The window cloth (a very fine fiber) is blue and is labeled "GLASS". The buff cloth (a denser fiber) is yellow and labeled "BUFFING". The interior dust cloth is green and labeled "INTERIOR". Makes it very easy to keep everything straight and clean. I also use their applicator sponges to apply my Wax Shop wax and the Formula 2001 on the tires. Works great.

Picture of Formula 2001 shine is attached.

post-3-1085850011.jpg

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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Jason: Nice photo of a very sharp looking car!

It does bring to mind one of my pet peeves, however: Cruddy looking fender wells! They especially bother me with dark colored cars (like black or polo green) when the light angle is low.

Does anybody know an easy way to keep them looking sharp?

photo-36.jpg

Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes.

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Yeah, just spray the tire shine on the inside of the fenderwells also. Put some newspaper over the tires to avoid overspray on them. I usually use the cheapest stuff I can find for the wheelwells, prefer Vinylex for the tires (as well as anything else plastic, vinyl or plastic and not painted).

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If you want to make your tires look brand NEW.. use the COMET dish washer detergant powder.. comes in a green coffee can like tube. wet tires.. put the comet on it.. use scrubber and scrub tires.. will look new.. the tire shine can be added afterwards to make it shine even more

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If you want to make your tires look brand NEW.. use the COMET dish washer detergant powder.. comes in a green coffee can like tube. wet tires.. put the comet on it.. use scrubber and scrub tires.. will look new.. the tire shine can be added afterwards to make it shine even more

True -- although I believe any good cleanser will work. My old car ('84 Cutlass) had raised-white-letter tires and I used either Westley's Bleche White or Purple Power. It would CLEAN that rubber...and make the letters snow white at the same time. I got into the habit, and continue it on the Cadillac. I believe that it's important to thoroughly CLEAN the tires everytime you wash them, in addition to the tire shine. Adding tire shine on top of older grimey tire shine tends to look bad, as the shine builds up and looks dull. Everytime I wash the car (usually twice a week), I scrub the tires with Purple Power and they always look great, in my opinion.

I used to use the Black Magic on the wheel wells, Poobah (on my Cutlass), especially before a car show or cruise night. I don't remember why I never picked up the habit on the Cadillac. Perhaps I'll start doing that. :)

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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I use a product from maguires It's really nice and thick and a pain to apply but it last for a long time you have to apply it with a rag . I used to use what ever was cheap at the auto parts but some of the spray on stuff is messy to use. Here's a pic of one time I dressed the tires take a look at the ground behind the front tire and on front of the rear tire I like the wipe on stuff that way I don't get it all over my drive way or garage floor. It sure is hard to remove..

Jim

picture.JPG

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WHEN ALL OF USE HAVE BOUGHT TIRES, NEW FROM ANY TIRE STORE, HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN SHINY RUBBER TIRES? THEY AREN`T SUPPOSE TO BE SHINY. RUBBER ISN`T SHINY. THE IDEA OF SHINY TIRES STARTED AT USED CAR LOTS TO FOOL NEW SUCKERS. I DON`T USE ANY THING TO MAKE MY TIRES SHINY. I JUST MAKE SURE THEY ARE CLEAN.

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Yeah, just spray the tire shine on the inside of the fenderwells also.

Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try.

I like the wipe on stuff that way I don't get it all over my drive way or garage floor. It sure is hard to remove..

I hear ya on the problem of getting the stuff all over the garage floor! I solved it by cutting a "C" shaped piece of corrugated cardboard that slips around the tire. It covers the floor in front of, behind, and to the outboard side of the tire and catches all the overspray.

photo-36.jpg

Happiness is owning a Cadillac with no codes.

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My only complaint with it is that if I bump the tire with my Hush Puppies it leaves a big black spot in them.

Best be carefull or you will be reported to the SPCA and end up on the Animal Planet cop show.

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Black and Decker makes a portable unit called the scum buster ($49.95 at amazon.com with all the attachments and a carrying case) designed to make the scrubbing process easier. It's basically a waterproof, motorized contraption that spins a brush at about 125 rpms. It makes any scrubbing task a breeze.

On a not so light note, Don't scrub too hard, your tires are coated with a substance at the factory that protects them from the damaging effects of Ozone. Once that coating is gone, and silicone based products will remove it almost instantly, your tires will begin to dry rot because of exposure to Ozone. Rubber and Ozone don't mix.

When you clean your tires, it's easier to do it more often with less scrubbing than to wait months and then scrub the heck out of them. Just something to ponder for the next time.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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WHEN ALL OF USE HAVE BOUGHT TIRES, NEW FROM ANY TIRE STORE, HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN SHINY RUBBER TIRES? THEY AREN`T SUPPOSE TO BE SHINY. RUBBER ISN`T SHINY. THE IDEA OF SHINY TIRES STARTED AT USED CAR LOTS TO FOOL NEW SUCKERS. I DON`T USE ANY THING TO MAKE MY TIRES SHINY. I JUST MAKE SURE THEY ARE CLEAN.

True. And all the walls in your house are stark white, right? Because that's the way drywall comes out of the factory. None of the furniture in your house is stained or painted, or even sanded, right? Because it comes off the saw rough and natural. ;)

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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On a not so light note, Don't scrub too hard, your tires are coated with a substance at the factory that protects them from the damaging effects of Ozone. Once that coating is gone, and silicone based products will remove it almost instantly, your tires will begin to dry rot because of exposure to Ozone. Rubber and Ozone don't mix.

If you think perhaps you've 'scrubbed too hard' lately, or just want to apply some very (100%) effective UV screen to your rubber, vinyl, leather,plastic, fiberglass, etc., go locate some "303 Aerospace Protectant". It's literally spray on sunscreen for outdoor materials, including tires. Although it's not cheap (~20 dollars a quart), it works remarkably well for restoring and preserving long term sun exposed materials. An application about once a month, especially in summer works great.

I'm currently using it on tires, vinyl tops, dash boardtops, leather seats and just about any other material in my car collection that is exposed to this intense California sun.

It can be found at higher end car/boat/camper vendors.

'93 STS.. opened, dropped, wide...fast.

user posted image

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If you think perhaps you've 'scrubbed too hard' lately, or just want to apply some very (100%) effective UV screen to your rubber, vinyl, leather,plastic, fiberglass, etc., go locate some "303 Aerospace Protectant". It's literally spray on sunscreen for outdoor materials, including tires. Although it's not cheap (~20 dollars a quart), it works remarkably well for restoring and preserving long term sun exposed materials. An application about once a month, especially in summer works great.

I'm currently using it on tires, vinyl tops, dash boardtops, leather seats and just about any other material in my car collection that is exposed to this intense California sun.

It can be found at higher end car/boat/camper vendors.

Bob D, excellent point. UV radiation is just as damaging to rubber as Ozone.

I protect the interior of my car with clear carnauba wax. It offers 100% protection against UV radiation in a natural form. It also stops dust from sticking to the dashboard etc.

If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans.

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