So, I've been doing this for decades but my neighbor just stopped over and had never seen this little "hack" before so I thought I'd post it here. For those who enjoy having a clean car and go the extra bit to dress their tires, here's a cool little trick. Instead of having those marks on your driveway from tire dressing over spray, I found a great use for old political signs, the coroplast type. I have 4 pieces that I cut to fit under/around the tires which stops any of the over spray from messing up my driveway and staring there for weeks. The chemical found in tire dressing(silicone, graphene or other petroleum based products) mark asphalt and concrete and it's something that I just don't like looking at for weeks afterwards.
The measurements are going to be dependent on the size of the tires you have, but here are some pictures which should give you a good idea of what I do. Park the car, slide the pieces under, dress all 4 tires, then drive the car forward 2 feet and dress the area which was at the bottom that is now easily accessible. Fast, easy and absolutely no mess. The 4 pieces fit easily alongside my toolbox and take up no space at all.
Hope someone draws inspiration from this, gives it a shoot and it works as well for them as it does for me.
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Or just use Meguiars Tire Gel, which you wipe on instead of spraying, and it lasts a lot longer.
I use Adam's Graphere Tire Dressing with an applicator pad, but still don't like dirt/gravel getting on it when I do the bottom of the tires.
P3PPY
SuperDork
10/2/23 2:08 p.m.
lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) said:
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I would have lost good money on a bet that that was a BMW. The center cap says otherwise but I still don't really believe it.
84FSP
UberDork
10/2/23 3:50 p.m.
I like the hack for not spotting up the driveway. Another fun oldschool one to tackle the grey/grimey sideways is ajax on a nylon scrub brush. Brings them back to black nicely. Then you can dress and seal them happily.
Jerry
PowerDork
10/3/23 8:44 a.m.
Finally a use for political signs. Might snag a few here. I have some sort of shield with a handle that fits over the rim and lets you blast away with dressing without getting on the rim. Bought it for the xB with it's 15" wheels, it still sorta works for the 17".
In reply to P3PPY :
It's my fiancée's 2022 MB GLC 300 Coupe with the AMG package.
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Nice idea - I put a rag under the tires cause the garage is slippery on the concrete floor after that tire stuff hits it.
I always think the wife is going to slip and blowout an ankle but at least the tires will look good on the way to the emergency room.