Armor All Tire Shine
Time to start asking the right questions

Who hasn't heard of Armor All tire shine! When it comes to dressing your tires, Armor All has been the default choice for half the country for decades.

I grew up using Armor tire protectant and was the very first tire dressing I was introduced to by my auto shop teacher back in high-school. (1981 as a reference point)

And the only thing better than Armor All, is more Armor All!

Seriously...my auto shop teacher was part of the "more is always" better school of logic. (or illogic based on who you are asking)

But there is far more to shopping a top rated tire dressing than shiny tires. If you are wiling to put in a little effort, I will teach you things most beginner "professional" detailers do not know!

Armor All Tire Shine
First things first....

Armor All Tire Shine on Amazon

• One of he most popular tire dressings on the market
• Extreme tire shine (assuming you want tires so shiny you need sunglasses)
• Perfect if you normally default to products with the longest history of inception (Armor All was originally invented in 1962, but didn't make it to retail scale until 1972)

Darren's Tips: If you are one of the countless people who are so familiar with the Armor All tire dressing then you needn't look any further. You can get yours through this link directly and have it arrive at your door courtesy of Amazon.

With that said, there are some additional things you might want to consider.

Are There Better Options to Armor All Tire Shine?

Maybe....and this depends....

Terrible answer, right? But it really does depend on what type of "look" you are after.

Do you like shiny, really shiny, or hyper-shine?

Armor All can accommodate whatever level of shine you are after based on their variety of products.

Armor All High Gloss Tire Shine on Amazon

• Create that hyper-shine for your tire sidewalls
• Lasts up to 4 weeks

This product is unoique in that you spray this driectly onto your tire sidewalls, mop up any overspray you get onto your car paint and wheels, and allow the product to cure.

This creates a hyper-shine and a coating that will last for weeks.

Armor All Original on Amazon

• The product that started it all
• This product is suitable for both interior and exterior dressing applications
• Creates a very healthy shine to tire sidewalls

Best Tire Dressing
The one thing nobody asks

"How much does the tire itself determine the performance of a tire dressing?"

It is everything!! (well, almost)

I would say that the tire itself -and I am referring to the actual composition of the tire (rubber compounds, petroleum compounds, etc.) -will be the biggest factor in how shiny your tires can or will be.

I will add that using the "worst" performing dressing on a truly quality tire will out perform the "best" tire dressing on a truly inferior (low budget) tire.

Not all tires are created equal. Any price comparison will clearly show this.

Which means that you may have to go through multiple type of products if you think for even a moment you might have lower-budget tires on your car.

If you have top of the line, name brand tires you can be confident that any product you choose will perform to its maximum potential.

With that said, a high-end tire from one manufacturer will not necessarily perform (I am referring to shine capabilities) as well as the high-end tire from another manufacturer.

Also to take note is that the actual "design" of the tire sidewall (mostly smooth or has an actual grid or texture on the tire sidewall) will also greatly effect the end results.

Armor All Tire Shine Ranking

Based off what we have learned thus far, let me rank the shine capabilities of the different Armor Tire dressing products based on orders of shine:

1. Highest order of shine: High Gloss Tire Shine
2. Medium order of shine: Extreme Tire Shine
3. Lowest order of shine: Original Protectant

Is Armor All Tire Shine Bad For My Tires

Yes and no. This question alone is a great question, but still remains an oversimplification to a greater understanding of tire dressings and dressings in general.

People generally don't stop at dressing their tires, but also want a dressing for the interior of their car.

Since Armor All Tire Shine is a dedicated tire dressing, it should be limited to use on tires only. But this still leaves us asking if the Armor All Tire Shine is bad for your tires.

I can tell you that the Armor All product will produce great shine, but I don't consider it a truly beneficial product to the health of your tire. It certainly is not going to make your tire last longer. But most tire dressings won't do that either.

What most people don't know is that all tires have a shelf life. Ask any RV owner who is forced to replace their tires before the tread life wears out. What generally happens is that the side wall begins to crack (despite excessive applications of the best tire dressing) due to the limited shelf life of all tires.

Yes, with the right tire dressing you can extend this shelf life to maximum longevity, but no tire shine or tire dressing will extend any tire forever.

Darren's Tips: What this means to you is that you could really pick any tire dressing like the Armor All tire shine and not worry about whether it is good or bad for your tires. There are other things to consider that are of more importance. This is because your tire tread will wear out (as a rule) before the actual side wall ever begins to crack.

How Long Does Armor All Tire Shine Last

In many ways this depends on how you wash your car and clean your tires. What kind of cleaner do you use, or do you even clean your tire side walls as part of washing your car?

The other thing to know is that the Armor All tire shine is not a water based tire dressing and uses silicons and petroleum products to formulate this product.

Depending on the exact raw ingredients used in this formulation will determine how long the product lasts on your tire side walls. The exact formulation of petroleum distillates and solvents will also determine how damaging the product can be long term for not just your tire side walls, but any rubber or plastic material you decide to apply the Armor All tire shine to. (many people use the Armor All product for exterior trim as well as their tires)

Solvent based or oil based tire dressings are known for lasting longer than water based tire dressings, but they are also known for some major disadvantages:

• Overly greasy and thick
• Major tire sling that shows up on your car paint
• Does not dry to touch, but stays oily or greasy

What Is Tire Sling And How Can It Be Avoided

Tire sling is when the tire shine or dressing gets thrown onto your car paint as your car wheels spin during driving. it is called centrifugal force. (the outward force of something rotating around a center point)

As your car speeds up, the centrifugal force develops and causes tire shine to sling up onto your car paint. Most people find this unwanted and unsightly. I personally can't stand it.

Most oil, or solvent based tire shines like the Armor All Tire Shine will remain wet, tacky, and greasy. This allows the product to sling onto your car paint as you drive down the road.

There is plenty of shine to be had with these types of tire dressings, but you will also generally get lots of tire sling with it. And like everything else in life, there are always trade-off's to be had.

You trade one benefit in exchange for another benefit.

Will Armor All Tire Shine Crack My Tires

The simple answer is NO!

As we have already discussed, virtually every tire will wear out due to tread life before ANY type of possible damaging tire dressing could really damage a tire sidewall.

You do not need to worry about the Armor All tire shine cracking your tires despite any rumors you have heard.

People love to repeat the dramatic. Especially the unverified dramatic.

Armor All Tire Shine
Best tire dressing applicator

Regardless of whether you came here with full intent to purchase the Armor Tire Shine matters not. Finding the best tire dressing is not the only battle you will be challenged with.

Application of your chosen tire dressing is a very critical part of the overall equation. I have seen many people use inferior techniques and methods to apply a tire dressing thus resulting in unwanted outcomes.

• Use a dedicated tire dressing applicator
• Apply thin coats, rather than excessively heavy coat
• Allow to dry (if it does) before you drive
• Wipe off excess if you don't use the Nu Tyre Lotion
  

Kraft Turtle Back Sponge on Amazon

• The best tire dressing applicator I have used yet
• One of Darren's own innovations to the world of detailing ( I simply introduced this tool to the world of detailing)
• Most tire dressing applicators suck!
• Cut this in half as shown in the picture (now you get two for the price of one)
• Get saturated with tap water, then wring out as tightly as possible for use
• Apply your choice in dressing directly onto applicator, then apply to tire sidewall

Darren's Tips: One of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer that nobody seems to talk about is your actual tire. Not all tires are created equal, and your tire sidewall will affect the performance of any tire dressing you ultimately choose. (Yes, I discussed this earlier but due to people skimming, I wanted to address the topic again)

Some tires are made using superior grades of rubber, while others are simply inferior tires that have a hard time producing a shine regardless of the tire shine.

Some tires will require multiple coats of tire shine to produce the desired level of shine you are after. I don't recommend spraying any tire shine directly onto the tire sidewall as you will get over-spray onto the wheels and paint which you will then need to clean off. (This rule has an exception with the Armor All High Gloss tire shine product from earlier on this page)

But if you have stubborn tires and have tried traditional applications, then you may need to spray a heavy layer initially onto your tire sidewall, allow to soak in, then come back and apply additional tire shine using the applicator.

Any tire dressing applicator works best with water-based tire dressings due to the fact that you are able to rinse the applicator out with basic tap water.

Any of the solvent or oil based dressings will accumulate onto the applicator pad and begins to become progressively hard to work with. This is due to the type of dressing, not the applicator itself.

Armor All Tire Shine Summary

If you have made it this far down the page you deserve a badge of honor! You are now among the select few of society willing to put in some effort to become a more informed car owner and consumer.

Today is a world of over-consumption and instant gratification. But if I have learned anything in life it is this;

"The answers to life always lie in the details."

But most people want to make decisions based off headlines, memes, and bullet point lists. Clearly you are an outlier if you are reading this.

I wish you much success in your detailing efforts. If you do choose the Armor All Tire Shine, your secret will always be safe with me.

Sincerely,

Darren Priest