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I'll bet someone in this group has an answer for me. I'm cleaning up some older gold line bias ply tires that I recently acquired.
They all have a gray film of smootz on the outer part of the tire as you can see.
This is how it looked after I pretty aggressively used a stiff nylon brush and some Griots rubber cleaner. It hardly touched the stuff.
That gunk is only on the outer portion of the tire. If it was old dried ArmorAll or similar slimy goo you'd expect it to be everywhere on the sidewall but it's only on the outer part. All 4 tires look like this. Is it old tire mold release agent perhaps? Has anyone had a similar experience or any suggestions on how to clean them up?
You may never get that out...may have to cover it with some tire black with the curved applicator pad so you can avoid the whitewall when applying - no spray stuff. Eagle One comes to mind...
Be careful; wear gloves - that Smootz can make hair grow on your palm..
I've tried everything in my shop to get this junk off and out of desperation I spritzed some "CLR" and it worked great. Liberally spray it on let it marinate for about 10 minutes and then go after it with a nylon scrub brush and some hot soapy water.
WaLah...clean rubber.
best results to lay the tire down flat to minimize runoff.
Good luck
Those are some good suggestions and if it worked for you I should have equal success. No question I'll be removing the wheels from the car to do more aggressive work on them, especially when harsh chemicals will be involved. The paint's pretty nice on the car.
Originally Posted by Donny Brass
what are they attached to ????
Donny, as always you have an eagle eye. Just beyond those wheels is...
...the newest addition to "the fleet".
Thanks everyone. I'll try some of those suggestions and will report back my results, promise. Anyone have an idea of what that Smootz is or what caused it? It's the same on all 4 tires.
I've used lacquer thinner on a rag to clean white walls and white letter tires for years with no harm to the tires. I have yet to find anything better, the stuff they sell in the stores is not even close to being as effective.
Those are some good suggestions and if it worked for you I should have equal success. No question I'll be removing the wheels from the car to do more aggressive work on them, especially when harsh chemicals will be involved. The paint's pretty nice on the car.
Donny, as always you have an eagle eye. Just beyond those wheels is...
...the newest addition to "the fleet".
Thanks everyone. I'll try some of those suggestions and will report back my results, promise. Anyone have an idea of what that Smootz is or what caused it? It's the same on all 4 tires.
Thomas
Don't know WHAT it is but since it's on all 4 tires I would assume that they were driven over something, almost looks like wet cement to me.
This cleaning method has always worked for me. I try not to use the sos or anything to abrasive on the black wall, only on the white wall. The magic eraser worked well on the blackwall.
Protection: There are two main degrading agents that attack tires and rubber trim. They are UV light waves and ozone. Both of these attack the long hydrocarbon chains of the rubber and, by breaking these bonds, shorten the molecules with resulting loss of elasticity and other problems. Tire manufacturers add two primary sacrificial protectants to the rubber. To protect against UV, they add carbon black. This is why tires dont come in designer colors to match your paint. The carbon black will turn white/gray as it absorbs the UV and dissipates the energy as heat. This is the basis of rubber parts turning gray as they age. To protect against ozone, tire manufacturers add a wax based, sacrificial protectant. The ozone attacks the wax and depletes it. As the tire rolls, additional wax is forced to the surface of the tire. This is referred to as blooming. This blooming refreshes the surface wax protectant. A tire that has not been flexed will have the wax depleted by the ozone and thus begin to degrade and suffer dry rot. The raw silicone oil that is the main ingredient in most of the nationally advertised, auto parts store, high gloss products may actually dissolve the wax and be the cause of premature tire sidewall cracking/failure. The quality tire/rubber dressings should contain a strong UV protectant to bolster the efforts of the carbon black and not contain any raw silicone oil. Many of the nationally advertised rubber and vinyl products also contain formaldehyde. If you plan on having a funeral for your vinyl/rubber, then you may wish to use one of these products.
My personal favorite tire and exterior rubber/vinyl trim protectants are One Grand Exterior Rubber & Vinyl Dressing and 3M Rubber Treatment & Tire Dressing. These are, in my humble opinion, the best non-silicone oil based products available. (We are working closely with a company to help them develop a product that will restore the jet-black patina to tires and exterior rubber/vinyl.) If raw silicone oil based products have been previously applied to the rubber/vinyl, the raw silicone oil has saturated the material. One Grand E.R.V. or 3M Rubber Treatment will help dissolve out the silicone oil (this is good) but do not seem to be able to do so evenly (this is bad). The finish may be slightly splotchy after the first couple of applications. The only solution is to apply several coats about a week apart and the finish will eventually even out.
Well Thomas, it looks like you are truly among us now... two Vettes. I saw the side pipe end and the restored red rack, but thought you might be working on a car for someone. Nice pick! Dennis
12-18-2014, 05:04 PM
How To Clean Smootz Off Tires?-Pictures
it has worked for me.
Me too!
Protection: There are two main degrading agents that attack tires and rubber trim. They are UV light waves and ozone. Both of these attack the long hydrocarbon chains of the rubber and, by breaking these bonds, shorten the molecules with resulting loss of elasticity and other problems. Tire manufacturers add two primary sacrificial protectants to the rubber. To protect against UV, they add carbon black. This is why tires dont come in designer colors to match your paint. The carbon black will turn white/gray as it absorbs the UV and dissipates the energy as heat. This is the basis of rubber parts turning gray as they age. To protect against ozone, tire manufacturers add a wax based, sacrificial protectant. The ozone attacks the wax and depletes it. As the tire rolls, additional wax is forced to the surface of the tire. This is referred to as blooming. This blooming refreshes the surface wax protectant. A tire that has not been flexed will have the wax depleted by the ozone and thus begin to degrade and suffer dry rot. The raw silicone oil that is the main ingredient in most of the nationally advertised, auto parts store, high gloss products may actually dissolve the wax and be the cause of premature tire sidewall cracking/failure. The quality tire/rubber dressings should contain a strong UV protectant to bolster the efforts of the carbon black and not contain any raw silicone oil. Many of the nationally advertised rubber and vinyl products also contain formaldehyde. If you plan on having a funeral for your vinyl/rubber, then you may wish to use one of these products. 