meguiars tire gel
 

be careful using meguiars tire gel, if you get a bit too much on, when you go for a ride in your nice clean car, it spins off and leaves a mess down the side. luckilly it wipes right off. Less is best i guess. :facepalm:

trial and error, that is the name of the game on detailing supplies.

I know everyone is waiting for someone to say the word... So I will

Try ADAMS..

Super VRT... It my fav thing they sell... It's worth every cent. It lasts way longer and looks great.. Plus no sling.. Maybe pray they have a daily special.. And if they do ..jump for it.

ya get the VRT from adams!! no sling! i used to use that tire gel and other types from meguiars and it always would sling up on my white paint even if the car sat for 3 plus days after putting it on it would still make a mess. got the Super VRT and I've never had a issue even driving the car after 5min of application no issues!

I hate when tire dressing slings off... worse yet is spinning out when there is a little too much on the outside tread blocks. I had an old vehicle detailed and the guy did that, I almost killed myself.

Adams VRT for the win! The best tire dressing I've ever used. Easy to apply, looks great and doesn't leave a build-up over time.

How well does it repel rain?

I've used a few over the counter products earlier and they turn an ugly brownish shade after a heavy rainfall, thanks to all the grime that sticks on there..

how are you cleaning your tires prior to applying the dressing?

Spray tire cleaner on them and scrub them with a brush.
Once it dries up, put on 2 coats of dressing as I love the shiny look, leave it on overnight before buffing off the excess the following morning..

Am I doing something wrong? [I use the Meguiar's Tire Gel]

Try this next time: spray the tire cleaner and clean the tire. Hose the tire off. Then spray the tire cleaner again. Scrub the tire again. Check to see if the foam is pure white. If it is not, then your tire is still not 100% clean. Keep cleaning it until the tire foam is pure white even when scrubbing against the tire. THEN apply the dressing.

In my experience, brown tires come from the tire not being entirely clean as opposed to the tire dressing.

VRT also = teh win on our vinyl stripes. Nothing keeps them so rich and glossy. VRT is a must have.

Oh man! I have to admit to my slovenly ways! I don't scrub my tires (just spray them off as I'm washing the car) and I just wax the vinyl stripes along with the rest of the car. I apply the VRT with an applicator sponge and let it air dry - no buffing. And my car looks just as good as everyone else's - even got an award at a car show last year. Of course I do not drive mine in sloppy weather very often. So it never gets super dirty to start with.

Browning typically is from a couple of possible issues -

1) The mold release used when the tires are made can be a problem, its what allows the tire to pop out of the mold when its made, but some manufactures seem to use A LOT of it. In many cases it will take multiple cleanings and scrubbing to get all of it off. Until the mold release is completely removed you'll continue to see traces of brown showing thru... I've had tires that seemed to have an endless amount of the stuff. APC + Tire Brush + Multiple Cleanings finally did the job.

2) Heavy silicone dressings can give you a similar effect... the silicone itself turns a brownish tint by virtue of holding the dirt and brake dust in it and sticking to the tire. Again here, thorough scrubbings and switching to a quality water based dressing should remedy the problem.

Interesting, thanks for the clarification :)