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Tire Browning Help

pubmeister

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Hey all,

I have had Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my JL for around 10 months now. Recently, I applied a tire cleaner foam since I noticed they were turning brown and dirty. The product removed the dirt but ended up staining my tires even more brown (Left pic is the tire after I applied the product). The browning is caused by a process called tire blooming, and apparently some compound in the product accelerates this process.

Has anyone else experienced this issue, and what is the best way to fix it? Some have suggested tire shine but that just masks the problem and doesn't actually fix the discoloration. I've also looked at degreasers but a lot of them seem to be harmful to these type of wheels.

Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help IMG_3175
Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help IMG_3176
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Headbarcode

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Apparently, a degreasing agent is what multiple sources are pointing to. Just read multiple recommendations for Adam's tire and wheel cleaner or household dish soap. Needs a bit of scrubbing with a stiff tire brush.

Hopefully, someone more into vehicle detailing will chime in.

By the way, awesome wheels!
Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help 20200525_143942_resized
 

blnewt

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Needs a bit of scrubbing with a stiff tire brush.
Had to scrub the hell out of my Patagonias to get that brown off, but they've been good ever since.
Never had tires do that prior, maybe it's something new they're putting on the rubber to protect them from storage???
 

Headbarcode

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Had to scrub the hell out of my Patagonias to get that brown off, but they've been good ever since.
Never had tires do that prior, maybe it's something new they're putting on the rubber to protect them from storage???
Out of curiosity, I quickly looked up tire blooming before responding to pubmeister. Never heard of it before this thread. In hindsight, I definitely recall seeing it on various types of vehicles over the years.

Apparently, it's caused by the rubber additive called antiozonant. This natural ingredient has been added to many rubber products, for quite some time now, to help with longevity against weathering. The browning is a result of this chemical reacting with oxygen as it bleeds out of the rubber. The heat from tire flexing has been known to accelerate this process. Some tire dressings have been found to further promote this tire blooming. A stiff bristled tire brush and degreaser is needed to clean it, and regular cleaning is supposed to keep it at bay.
 

foxswimmer

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Out of curiosity, I quickly looked up tire blooming before responding to pubmeister. Never heard of it before this thread. In hindsight, I definitely recall seeing it on various types of vehicles over the years.

Apparently, it's caused by the rubber additive called antiozonant. This natural ingredient has been added to many rubber products, for quite some time now, to help with longevity against weathering. The browning is a result of this chemical reacting with oxygen as it bleeds out of the rubber. The heat from tire flexing has been known to accelerate this process. Some tire dressings have been found to further promote this tire blooming. A stiff bristled tire brush and degreaser is needed to clean it, and regular cleaning is supposed to keep it at bay.
Not having done the research myself (yet), I also noticed this effect on my tires.

Is there a need/reason to clean it other than aesthetics? Is it doing any damage or reducing the life of my tire by not addressing it?
 

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Headbarcode

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Not having done the research myself (yet), I also noticed this effect on my tires.

Is there a need/reason to clean it other than aesthetics? Is it doing any damage or reducing the life of my tire by not addressing it?
I only just grazed the topic so far. I did read multiple times that it's only an issue as far as aesthetics. It causes no functional harm to the tire.
 

jimim

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I have dealt with this over the years on most of my vehicles. When I do my weekly wash I spray them down with a water based tire cleaner. (I only use wolfgang products, used to use black fire and pinnacle) I use a stiff nylon brush. scrub em down. since well and then follow up with a gel dressing so i get no whip off the tires. if you don't clean them first and just dress them you are just covering it up and it actually looks worse.
 
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pubmeister

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Update:

I recently went out and purchased Zep 505 degreaser, it's only $4 from Home Depot. A quick spray on the tires and the browning came right off with very little scrubbing. The product is great for the price; would highly recommend. Here's a pic of half the tire sprayed.
Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help IMG_3179
 

Spearmin

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This is so helpful. I have been battling this on my Cooper Discover STT Pros. Figured I wasn't going to say anything, because I thought I was being too OCD. Now I see others are seeing their tires go brown also. Picking up a bottle of this today.
 

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laraza2k1

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I use this with pretty good results. The foam sits on the tire and you can see the brown literally running down. I prefer it to the liquid form of Superclean as it runs.

superclean_foam.jpg
 

The Fixer

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Update:

I recently went out and purchased Zep 505 degreaser, it's only $4 from Home Depot. A quick spray on the tires and the browning came right off with very little scrubbing. The product is great for the price; would highly recommend. Here's a pic of half the tire sprayed.
Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help superclean_foam
Whoa, that's an amazing comparison! The OEM Goodyear Kevlar tires on my wife's JLUS have that same browning; will pick up a bottle of Zep next time I'm at HD!
 

Spearmin

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Whoa, that's an amazing comparison! The OEM Goodyear Kevlar tires on my wife's JLUS have that same browning; will pick up a bottle of Zep next time I'm at HD!
Didn't work so well for me. :-(
 

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I use Dollar Trees "Awesome" soap. It's in a spray bottle. I spray it on, let it sit a couple of minutes and then wipe it off. It's always worked for me.
 

FlashGordon

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Had the same issue of tire blooming and turning brown. Tried few different cleaners (soap didn't work, simple green didn't work also tried a bathroom cleaner and didn't work). Photo on left is after those 3 failed attempts then tried Mothers Back To Black Tire Cleaner today. Amazing product..spray on, let sit 15 seconds and wipe off. Great results and gave me that matte black new tire look I wanted. You can see before/after results after 1 application.
Jeep Wrangler JL Tire Browning Help 20210928_185842
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