To blacken the side surface of tires, in addition to specialized compounds, you can use laundry soap, glycerin, brake fluid and antifreeze. These are fairly common solutions that many drivers use. They are popular due to the general availability of such materials. Against this background, I would like to check which method of blackening with non-specialized compounds will be more effective in appearance and resistance to washing off.
Treatment with laundry soap
For processing, it is better to use the most common brown laundry soap, even with tar. It is lathered on a sponge and the tire is wiped off. You need to rub it thoroughly, washing off the stubborn dirt.
After an hour of application, the dried tire looks better, almost like new, but it does not have the characteristic shine that specialized compounds give. It looks matte, which is also good in its own way. The advantages of this method are that soap is cheap and that in the future, when washing the wheels only with a stream of water, the tires will again be matte black with a uniform color.
Glycerin treatment
When treating a tire with pharmaceutical glycerin, blackening occurs much easier and faster than with soap.Glycerin immediately leaves a characteristic black shine, so the wheel does not need to be rubbed. The composition does not dry out completely, which gives a glossy shine and a deep black uniform color.
The disadvantage of this processing method is the washability of glycerin. After rain or washing, the wheels will have to be blackened again. Dust will also stick to the glycerin. The method is suitable if you urgently need to improve the appearance of the wheels, for example, for photographing a car or when renting it out for events.
Brake fluid blackening
Treatment with brake fluid also gives a gloss, but not as pronounced as glycerin. The liquid dries out, so over time, even without dust settling, the color fades. If you rush during processing, you will see streaks on the rubber. With mechanical action, this blackening is erased. When wet or after washing, the blackening remains, but new stains form.
Antifreeze treatment
When blackening with antifreeze, the color of the wheel is the least uniform. After washing, the antifreeze is completely washed off, and previously unwashed stains and microcracks with gray dirt begin to appear on the rubber.
Thus, we can come to the conclusion that it is best to use soap for blackening, which is of course more labor-intensive. Its effect lasts for a long time. If you need to make it glossy, at least for a short period of time, you can use glycerin.
