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Had moderate success with the Bleche White but the BFG's just won't get white again especially the rears.
At a show recently, a lady with a VW camper with white walls recommended this:
It's a UK made product so probably not but anyone familiar with it, used it ? Has to be done outside to avoid the user (me) dying and to be rinsed off so will try later this week. £11.00 for 1/2 litre so not cheap and has to be used neat
I've used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on my white letters, and it works well. I cut each pad into 4 squares, and 1 square usually takes car of 1 tire. I've also used bleach water, and lacquer thinner, but you'll need gloves for those.
sos pads or comet has always worked, seems to always be a problem with bfgs, not the best quality tire really.
They have always had a problem with the black part turning brown too who knows why
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I've always used White Spirit to clean the letters on our BFGs. A bit labour intensive, as each letter needs to be done separately with a clean part of the cloth to avoid carrying the dirt from one to the other, but they come up nicely and stay white for a good 6 months or so of normal (ie weekend, high days and holidays) use.
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with this cleaner, especially to see how, if at all, it affects the black tyre wall.
I've used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on my white letters, and it works well. I cut each pad into 4 squares, and 1 square usually takes car of 1 tire. I've also used bleach water, and lacquer thinner, but you'll need gloves for those.
I had the most success with the lacquer thinners until I bought some Bleche White which like I say, is ok but does get them bright white. Never heard of the Magic Eraser thingy..
Originally Posted by cuisinartvette
sos pads or comet has always worked, seems to always be a problem with bfgs, not the best quality tire really.
I tend to agree with the BFG comment as I don't have the same issue on my Goodyear Eagle GT's
Originally Posted by Stephen Irons
I've always used White Spirit to clean the letters on our BFGs. A bit labour intensive, as each letter needs to be done separately with a clean part of the cloth to avoid carrying the dirt from one to the other, but they come up nicely and stay white for a good 6 months or so of normal (ie weekend, high days and holidays) use.
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with this cleaner, especially to see how, if at all, it affects the black tyre wall.
I'll not get a chance until later in the week but it does say it revitalises the black wall too. Spray on entire tyre, let soak for one minute, scrub, rinse.
Yeah, the BFG's "browning" over time seems to be a problem with newer tires. I've not had this problem with other older sets of BFG's I've had. I'm up for just about any solution at this point. My go to has always been Westley's Bleche white, and it's worked great, but not on my 1 year old BFG's.
Yeah, the BFG's "browning" over time seems to be a problem with newer tires. I've not had this problem with other older sets of BFG's I've had. I'm up for just about any solution at this point. My go to has always been Westley's Bleche white, and it's worked great, but not on my 1 year old BFG's.
One thing for certain..esp if you are older.. Awhole lot easier to clean either with the wheel-tire off..PITA..
OR ON A LIFT OR STAND OF Some sort so you can work at chest level..
off and flat is best..but not easy to do very often..
My own relatively new BFG raised white letter P 255/60 R15's are cleaned well after every trip out..
The raised white letters are tough because the border of each letter is slightly higher than the white portion..not so simple as a real whitewall..
For the cleaning I use of of many old toothbrushes and a paste of comet cleanser..or Barmaid's Friend.
Bleach isn't good for rubber..unless one's gonna do a hot rod burnout..
When cleaned to my satisfaction..I use Meguier's 57 RV/Marine vinyl/rubber cleaner-protectant.Great UV protection..which is a killer for rubber in sun or wet.
I've used the magic eraser Mr Clean pads for a variety of chores and they work well..but tough to get inside the white letters. Our '78 SA isn't a show car..tho it looks/runs great...Jim
Last edited by jim in oregon; Aug 7, 2017 at 10:51 PM.
Reason: additions..
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Ill add +1 Bleach white, but I don't get tire dressing on the letters, I always spray it on a sponge pad and wipe it around the letters and if any gets on the letters I wipe it off with a rag. I sometimes use a small foam paint brush to get around and in between the letters and the area between the letters and rim.
Yeah, the BFG's "browning" over time seems to be a problem with newer tires. I've not had this problem with other older sets of BFG's I've had. I'm up for just about any solution at this point. My go to has always been Westley's Bleche white, and it's worked great, but not on my 1 year old BFG's.
Same here. My rear BFG's just refuse to clean up and I've tried everything. Mine are maybe two years old but have only clocked up maybe 2k miles.
I had a chance to do one wheel with the race glaze last evening. Wheel needs to be removed and laid flat to allow the solution to soak for one minute.
untreated wheel
following race glaze treatment
And followed up with a minutes soak of Bleche Wite and a rinse
The race glaze worked a treat. You could see straight away it lifting the grime out of the letters which then easily rinsed off with a hose.
Just to be sure I'll reverse the process on the other rear wheel and use the bleche wite first but it did seem to be the race glaze that shifted the deep down grime.
Stuart
Last edited by brit vet; Aug 17, 2017 at 04:01 AM.
well..THE absolute best/fastest most long lasting treatment on the BFG raised white letters I have found is my Dremel tool..with a 1" scotchbrite wheel...doing each letter separately..brushing often with a soft brush to remove the dust..
Takes about 30 minutes to do each tire and this is with wheels on the car and car on the floor....start to finish..I kneel down use good lighting to see..and prior to this clean the tire well.
When done, I brush the wheel, tire with a soft brush..then spray with Meguier's a 57 Marine/RV rubber and vinyl treatment and then wipe off excess w/a clean terry cloth rag.
The finished work lasts well for over 6 months of normal driving..with the occasionalspray-cleaning w/ the Meguier's 57 stuff..
NO it's not fast nor simple..but it works..well on the newer BFG RWL tires..jim
BTW.. on the bleche white..it specifically says not to get the stuff on aluminum wheels..My original wheels no longer have any of the original clear coating on them.
Last edited by jim in oregon; Aug 17, 2017 at 10:08 AM.
Reason: added note
How thick is the "white" on the letters?
I would think that abrading them down with the scotchbrite pad, either by hand or with a rotary tool, might wear the white layer down over time.
How thick is the "white" on the letters?
I would think that abrading them down with the scotchbrite pad, either by hand or with a rotary tool, might wear the white layer down over time.
hmm..I'm not sure but I'd estimate at least .100" thick..The abrading..or 'debriding for you med students..) takes just 100 TH of that off..or about .001".. For the true experimenter..pick up a used BFG RWL tire and experiment..perhaps..
The dremel method is not something done very often..Once truly clean and white..the Meguier's 57 marine /rv stuff truly does protect great from oxidation, uv, road dirt etc..JIM
How thick is the "white" on the letters?
I would think that abrading them down with the scotchbrite pad, either by hand or with a rotary tool, might wear the white layer down over time.
Originally Posted by jim in oregon
hmm..I'm not sure but I'd estimate at least .100" thick..The abrading..or 'debriding for you med students..) takes just 100 TH of that off..or about .001".. For the true experimenter..pick up a used BFG RWL tire and experiment..perhaps..
The dremel method is not something done very often..Once truly clean and white..the Meguier's 57 marine /rv stuff truly does protect great from oxidation, uv, road dirt etc..JIM
It seems there is no magic bullet and I would also be concerned using a scotchbrite pad.
Here's the scrubbers and cleaners that I tried:
White Scotchbrite / Magic Eraser / Surgeon's Scrub Brush
Spray Nine / Baking Soda / Carb Cleaner / Lacquer Thinner
I found that the Spray Nine and Lacquer Thinner removed most of the discoloration but the tops of the letters and especially the dot on the 'i' still looked dark. Then I mounted a gray Scotchbrite pad on a pneumatic die grinder with Spray Nine and that was the ticket. You have to use slow rpm (as slow as it will go without stalling) and light pressure and keep the letters wet or you will start seeing white dust but they cleaned right up. I think Jim was on the right track but if you keep the letters wet you don't get any material coming off and it only takes about 5 minutes per wheel this way.
Last edited by See Three; Aug 17, 2017 at 08:55 PM.
Yeah, the BFG's "browning" over time seems to be a problem with newer tires. I've not had this problem with other older sets of BFG's I've had. I'm up for just about any solution at this point. My go to has always been Westley's Bleche white, and it's worked great, but not on my 1 year old BFG's.
I have the same problem on my BFG's, my tires are 4 years old and only have about 500 miles on them. I contacted BF Goodrich and explained to them the problem, they said, to only clean with soap and water Really!! They said if soap and water does not clean the letters back to white, they will replace the tires. I called the tire store where I purchased the tires and they said the same thing as long as they are not older than 6 years old. It will be a couple weeks before I have time to take them back to the tire store. I'll keep you all informed how it goes. I'll take a jar of lube with me, you know I'll get hosed
How thick is the "white" on the letters?
I would think that abrading them down with the scotchbrite pad, either by hand or with a rotary tool, might wear the white layer down over time.
I think you will find the white to be fairly thick. It is essentially a layer of white rubber underneath the outer layer of black. Ever seen a badly curbed RWL tire that almost looks like a wide white wall? For cleaning I usually use any good rubber cleaner and a small brass BBQ cleaner brush. For really stubborn cases, 220 sandpaper wet with a stiff sanding block will do the trick. Just keep it flat and off the black sidewall. Chip.
White lettering cleaning
Awhole lot easier to clean either with the wheel-tire off..PITA..
Really!! They said if soap and water does not clean the letters back to white, they will replace the tires. I called the tire store where I purchased the tires and they said the same thing as long as they are not older than 6 years old. It will be a couple weeks before I have time to take them back to the tire store. I'll keep you all informed how it goes. I'll take a jar of lube with me, you know I'll get hosed
