Does tyre-dressing rot tyres ? (2023 Update)

My Michelin trained tyre fitters say the same.

Do you have any particular brands in mind? Don't know what they contain, but I could look them up. The MSDS (materials safety data sheet) won't give exact compositions, but is usually enough to identify the "active ingredients".

.... is the one I've always used. Thee are no specific materials on the bottle, it just says 'contains durable silicone protectants'. it also says ' Cleans, beautifies, protects and preserves ' which would clearly be wrong IF it damaged the rubber !

Found this on a US site: The silicone degrades the wax which is present in tyres (and is brought to the surface through compression during use, which is why standing tyres degrade on their surface), this 'dries' the surface which then degrades through UV exposure.

I suspect any effect must be minimal.

The rear tyres on my car are seven years old. My aged bones haven't been up to cleaning my car for the same length of time, not when the local Polish car wash does a good job for seven quid.

They always dress the tyres, and I regularly check my tyres for damage or degradation, but they look fine.

Chris

Looks like an advert for 303 products.

'Avoid all tyre shine products except ours' ;-)

There are plenty of others that say the same sort of thing, but that site actually explains it, along with history .

But is it a credible explanation? "Wax brought to the surface by compression" has awfully bovine excrement whiff about it.

Suppose I should read the link though... ;-)

Tim

Not saying some products don't damage tyres in the long term, but a site which implies all may do so - apart from the one they plug - doesn't inspire confidence.

Some tyre walls crack anyway on their own. Mainly due to the sun, IIRC.

I was prepared to hate that link but actually the "science" bit is not too bad, although I agree with the poster who pointed out that it is basically a sales pitch.

Autoglym looks to me as though it basically contains a waxy silicone which will improve the appearance of a tyre by filling in the surface roughness, just like any wax polish. I wouldn't worry about it "eating into the tyre and destroying anti-oxidants", etc.

Who remembers "Slik" from the 1960s, much loved by used car dealers. It made a dramatic difference to the appearance of old tyres, before it disappeared from the market. Heaven knows what unpleasant chemicals that contained.

You mean this stuff?

Glycerine, apparently.

Might be wrong but I thought the stuff used by dealers disappeared, maybe Car-plan have just appropriated the name. Or perhaps not?

Andy Cap was thinking very hard :

Not sure if I've asked this question before or not - if I have, I can't find the replies so a refresh of my memory is needed anyway. And I'm sorry to hijack your thread but my question does fit in with tyre rot etc. :D

About three months ago I bought an '05-plated Lexus RX300. The spare wheel sits in a plastic carrier that is mounted under the car and the tyre on it has hardly ever been used, it truly is 'like new'. Trouble is, it's dated 2005 like the rest of the car so it's 11-years old. Is it safe to use as a 'normal' everyday running tyre or not? I don't need a spare as an 85-litre LPG tank now sits where the spare used to, hence wondering if I can bring the spare into daily use.

The official recommendation is no, although if it looks OK I would be happy enough to use it on my own car.

We recently changed all four tyres on our motorhome that still had plenty of tread but had hardened to the point of having abysmal wet grip. Of course they *had* been exposed to UV so that might make a critical difference.

I guess you need to try it and see. Do bear in mind though that it does theoretically open the door for an insurance company to refuse a claim if you have an accident. Dunno if that would happen in practice but some companies can be real c*nts.

Tim

Thanks guys.

Tim - you said the 'I' word and that's now made me really question whether it's worth it. Obviously, I don't intend on having an accident but like you say, if an insurance company can use the slightest thing to get out of paying up, they sure as hell will.

I think you've just talked me out of it.

I would use it but check tyre temperature after runs. If getting warmer than the other side then it is defective.

I also don't see any use by date on tyres!

The recommendation (not law) is ten years, tyres have the date of mfr. written on them in a coded form next to the letters DOT the last four numbers represent the week and year.

Thanks, the fact they're not directly readable suggests they were never intended for use by the end customer.