Detailing -- Favorite Tire Cleaner?

[dr bob]

Note right up front that this is a question about your favorite tire CLEANER, not at all related to anyone's favorite Tire Dressing or Coating.

Background--

New tires on the front forced me to do some matching wheel cleaning and detailing for the rears on my 928. I've bounced between a few different tire cleaners over the years, with most still leaving a brown film /stain on the rubber even after multiple spray-scrub-rinse cycles. My latest try is Meguiars Non-Acid Wheel and Tire Cleaner, which does a great job on the wheels but still leaves staining on the rubber. I've resorted to multiple scrub and wipes with rubbing alcohol to get more of the brown out, but even that never gets those rubber things to actually clean and natural black.

I'm not at all a fan of the glossy black treatments that many seem to apply. I'm to the point of using a Meguiars aerosol on a dedicated sponge just to even out the color some, but it still isn't a natural black. Looks like a cheap detailer's paint job even with the light indirect coating and follow-up buffing with a towel.

So --

Got a favorite tire/rubber cleaner treatment and protocol that lifts all the brown out? I appreciate your thoughts and experience.

[Outlaw944]

Without doubt my go too (and nothing comes close in my opinion) is YUM undress. This stuff cleans rubber like no other. I always use YUM dress after. This soaks deep into the rubber and can be built up as required. I usually use two applications maximum and it leaves the tyre in a new condition. Nice matte looking and not like the standard glossy wet look.

https://yumcars.co.uk/product/yum-undress/

https://thehouseofrags.com/products/yum ... MdjcyPSk-n

[dr bob]

Thanks for the recommendation and the links --

The YUM product looks great, but limited availability in the US is a challenge. Guessing it's related to some moronic (tm) tariff issues. Plus, looking at the MSDS, it uses sodium hydroxide. Great for cleaning rubber, but a nightmare on aluminum wheel and suspension bits. Have you seen any dark grey hydroxide reactions from aluminum stuff?

For those playing along at home, my 928 came with anodized aluminum disk wheels, and they are incredibly sensitive to chemical cleaners that stray much from neutral 7.something pH. The caustic stuff like sodium hydroxide makes short work of oil and grease residue and contaminants, but has a bad reaction product when used on aluminum, even anodized surfaces like the 928 'manhole cover' or club sport wheels. Even momentary contact on the anodized surfaces causes a reaction stain that's virtually impossible to fix with polishing. I have the carefully-preserved original wheels, and run a set of painted/coated wheels for daily driving. A posting a few years ago added a set of those same disk wheel with chrome added. So still sensitive to using anything that isn't neutral pH. Always fun! The DD wheels are painted aluminum takeoffs from an early 2000's C2 narrow-body. There's some tolerance for some treatments so long as they don't affect the nearby metal bits like suspension and brake bits.