Making a tire stain with your own hands

Tire blackening – 6 ways to bring gloss. Inexpensive!

We checked the common folk remedies tire blackening and found that not all can be recommended for use.

To return tires to a deep black color, it is not necessary to go to the car wash or to the store of spare parts for special auto chemicals. You can do with improvised means, and some of them are sure to be found in almost every home.

There are several ways to blacken your tires that are safe and do not affect the grip. In the absence of special means to restore the color you can use, for example, gutaline, glycerin, silicone oil and even laundry soap and household chemicals. Each substance has its pros and cons, but it must be remembered that none of them has the full qualities inherent in special solutions: neither long-lasting effect, nor protective properties, nor ease of use.

Gutaline

Blackening tires with shoe polish or other shoe care product is the first thing that comes to mind. In this case, and the process itself is no different, only instead of a brush it is better to use a sponge, so that the splashes of gutaline do not stain the body. We just rub the side of the washed and dried tire with shoe cream and give it time to dry.

Admittedly, the result does not look very good, even with a wax product: no shine or depth of color. Also inconvenient is the application process itself – imagine what it would be like to treat four wheels. The downside is also that you have to wait for the shoe polish to dry completely before driving. Otherwise, road dust will quickly adhere to the treated surface, nullifying all the effort. Of course, there are also quick-drying paint creams, but their cost is such that it would still be cheaper to buy a special product for blackening tires.

Glycerin .

Due to its consistency, glycerin creates stunning effect of black as tar shiny tires, and the degree of “greasiness” can be adjusted by diluting the product with plain water. A hundred grams of glycerin and the same amount of water is enough for one procedure. The less water you use, the more “greasy” the effect will be. But it is better not to spare water, or else the dust will stick to the tires, like in the case of undried shoe polish. The compound is applied with a simple sponge, without rubbing. By the way, you can also process unpainted black plastic body parts with this compound.

The pluses of this method are its low cost and the availability of glycerin in any drugstore. The disadvantages, however, outweigh the advantages: Glycerin quickly ages rubber, causing it to crack. In addition, the composition is very well washed away with water: the first rain or driving in a puddle will not leave a trace of glycerin. In dry weather, your tires will only stay black for a couple of days.

Silicone Oil

Tire blackening with silicone oil is not the cheapest method because it is not sold in small containers and you have to buy a year’s supply of the product. This method is the easiest, most effective and less time-consuming than the others. It is better to use oil of medium viscosity, which is useful for tire treatment before winter or summer storage because it is the only substance described that somehow protects the rubber from cracking, drying out, ultraviolet light and moisture.

The effect after treating your tires with silicone oil is long-lasting, and your tires look blacker than new. Door seals and trunk lids are also treated with silicone oil to keep them from freezing.

Laundry soap

Commercial soap is probably the cheapest blackener you can use. It can be applied with a pre-soapy brush, or you can dissolve soap crumbs in water and apply the compound with a sponge. There is no need to wash off the soap: when it dries, the rubber will take on a beautiful and deep black hue. Like most artisanal methods, blackening tires with laundry soap has its disadvantages. Rubber because of it, as in the case with glycerin, ages faster and can begin to crack, so this method of blackening, we do not recommend it.

Other ways

Household chemicals are often used at car washes. This is a cheap, effective and harmless method for rubber and its adhesion to the road, which can be offered as a bonus or “as a gift”. Mostly glass cleaner is used, as well as dishwashing detergent. The former is sprayed on the sidewall of the tire and quickly rubbed on, while the latter is applied with a damp sponge. There is no need to wash the compositions off.

Also on the forums, it is advised to blacken tires with beverages. Coca-Cola is mentioned most often. But because of the sugar in the composition of cola creates a sticky layer on which dust quickly settles, and is easily washed off in the first puddle.

All enumerated means, of course, are inferior to special compositions, sold in auto chemical shops. Their blackening effect is short-lived and does not look so beautiful. In addition, most of them can damage the rubber, affecting its chemical composition and reducing the service life. Nevertheless, the described methods are in demand due to their accessibility and spontaneity, because most motorists do not need to blacken their tires every day.

Nevertheless, silicone and household chemicals can be considered the safest alternatives to professional tools for tire blackening. The latter, as a rule, is even cheaper.

What is good about homemade tire blackener and the rating of purchased products

The tire is nothing more than a consumable item. So think “riders”, but in no way motorists, who believe that the old rubber sidewall – not to the face of the car. And really, who hasn’t noticed, that saloon cars shine not only with a body, but also with rubber. It forms a single presentable look. But in course of time a tire turns grey and does not look so attractive anymore. Do not get upset, the situation is correctable.

How to make your own rubber blackener and what are the proportions of glycerin in the mixture

Salt, sand, dust, sun, rain all negatively influence the wheel, shortening its life and approaching replacement. Well, there’s no way to halt the aging of a tire. But to slow down the formation of dangerous microcracks is a real thing. Fast and inexpensive – this is how you would like to see the process of restoration of the factory appearance of the rubber. Let’s compare the wish with real trends.

Freshening the shoulders of the wheels is simple – just spray a special composition on them and wait a little while. A certain part of motorists prefer to make rubber blackener with their own hands, and they dilute the proportion of glycerin with water no less accurately than in the factory.

At the same time, many buy the mixture in an auto store – good thing the price is not high: about 200 rubles for a bottle. Identification of labels – an important and useful thing. There, for example, you can find that manufacturers add glycerol. Of course, it is not the only one in the bottle, there is also water in some volume and various fragrances. By the way, they are everywhere now: in windshield washers, and in the additives.

For information. Glycerin is a polyatomic alcohol produced by decomposition of animal fats and oils. It readily soluble in water and dissolves many substances.

In fact, it is a universal substance. Its scope of application is not only automotive chemistry. It is used in the production of:

1. Wet wipes.
2. Flour, confectionery and bread products.
3. Liquor products.

If you visit a drugstore, you know that this drug is on the market. In addition, the price of a bottle of 25 ml does not exceed 15-20 rubles. Agree, affordable. How affordable – depends on the concentration of the components homemade “ink”.

Cooking technology

To produce an inkblot with your own hands, you will need:

• Glycerin.
• Water.
• Spray bottle.

Mixing the two substances in a container is made in different proportions:

• 1:1 is the most common. Dust adheres in a jiffy.
• 1:7 – the optimal conditioning, found by experience. Rubber shines not so much, the color is more natural. Dust is not attracted as intensively.
• 1:4; 1:5 – intermediate recipe. More often used in preparation of rubber goods for storage.

The effect of homemade compound is up to 10 days when used dry. If the product is exposed to rain or wash, the emulsion is washed off and re-treatment is necessary. Often used to freshen plastic parts on the outside, such as black bumpers VAZ 2109.

Recommendations: how else to make a universal tire blackener with your own hands

The first method of treating tires has one significant disadvantage. Since the active ingredient is alcohol, it is able to dry out the tire with a lack of moisture from the outside. This contributes to the appearance of various microcracks. Therefore, the less glycerin in the composition, the livelier the rubber product. That is why the concentration of 1:7 is the most optimal and safe. However, this is not the only favorable recipe.

The easiest way to solve the question of how to make an ink for tires is to use an already commercially available component – gutaline. He can be replaced by black or colorless shoe polish. Nothing else is needed here. The treatment scheme is similar to shoe cleaning – apply the compound with a sponge to the washed wheels and rub it into the product. After the preparation is absorbed, which occurs completely in about 12 hours, you can rub the can with a flap of woolen cloth.

Shoe polish and Coca-Cola

Another way is to combine the two methods described in one – use Coca-Cola instead of water. The shoe polish will act as a black dye and the glycerin will add glitter. The “cola” itself will clean the side surface from various stains and other foreign inclusions. The cooking scheme is simple:

• Buy a drink of Coca-Cola – 2 liters.
• Purchase 8 bottles of glycerin.
• Get shoe polish or black shoe polish.
• Pour the unneeded 0.5 liters of sweet water out of the bottle.
• Mix the purchased ingredients in a plastic container of Coca-Cola.

According to reviews, this homemade composition does not attract dust. The black effect comes after all the components dry and lasts for two weeks.

Choosing a tire blackener from the overall rating of the best

Homemade formulation is certainly effective, but also car-market products – also not simulants. Especially since the competition in this segment is quite high. Prices – from 200 rubles. The effect of use – different, as the practice of tests, it does not even depend on the cost. This has been repeatedly confirmed by studies of experienced automotive publications on test summer tires from different manufacturers. Therefore, the attention is still – to the reviews.

Compare a tire blackener yourself or a rating to look at – that’s the question. According to experts, rating lists are the most relevant. Based on the experience of car enthusiasts who have bought and experienced personally auto chemical products, the current list of leaders is compiled:

• Astrohim AC-264 (200 rubles). This product really achieves the goal declared on the package, preventing the formation of microcracks.
• Sapfire (70 rubles). A primitive sponge blackens the tire shoulders in a flash and does it perfectly. However, it may not be enough for all four wheels.
• Hi-Gear (450 rubles). Would deserve first place if it didn’t require vigorous work with a rag to achieve the result.
• Grass (230 rubles). Refreshes the tire in a few minutes. Good composition.

The monitoring of reviews and tests revealed a number of blackeners that do their job at an average level:

• 3ton (150 rubles).
• Autoprofi (190 rubles).
• Kangaroo (460 rubles).
• Sonax (400 rubles).
• Super Help (220 rubles).

Total

It is a purely individual matter to blacken the tires with your own agent or with a purchased one. Among the store offerings that really cope with the task, found four – Asrohim AC-264, Sapfire, Hi-Gear, Grass. Homemade compositions do not pass. They can be made on the basis of:

• Glycerin + water.
• Coca-Cola + gutaline + glycerin.

Another option is to treat the rubber with gutaline or black shoe polish. Technology is tedious, but the black color is guaranteed for 10-15 days, including 1-2 washes.