Last updated: 10 Feb 2023

Best Tire Shine

Face it after you’ve just given your ride a thorough clean and polish; you’re standing back admiring how great she looks when you notice the dirty brown, muddy tire walls. Talk about a mood changer. To some people cleaning the tire walls seems like a total waste of time. But those guys just don’t have the same feeling about their car you do. So yeah, cleaning and polishing the tire walls is the finishing touch. 

It’s not only about appearance, though. Using tire shine protects your tires from all the various contaminants your tires pick up from the road, the muck, oil, and grime. What’s more, tire shine will guard against exposure to harmful UV sun rays. 

Tires are a safety feature that need taking care of; you don’t want the tire walls cracking because they’ve stood too long in the sun. The damage can cause a blow-out when you least expect it.

But there’s little point in purchasing tire shine that’s terrible quality; you must choose reputable products or don’t use it at all. 

But really, who has the time to hunt through dozens of products and thousands of reviews. The short answer is we do. We’ve done all the hard work for you and listed in our buying guide the best tire shine products you will find.

Let us help you choose the best product for your vehicle’s tires; after all, what have you got to lose. But you will save loads of time and frustrating reading.

Check out our best tire shine buying guide.

Best Tire Shine

1

CAR GUYS Tire Shine

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How do you like your tires to look? Do you want a wet-looking glossy finish or a dry, smooth satin finish? You can have both using Car Guys Tire Shine. 

Car Guys tire shine is dry to the touch formula and is non-greasy. Even if you wipe your fingers over it, you won’t remove any tire shine. The formula won’t run down your tire walls as some cheaper products will.

Car Guys add a durable polymer that extends the life of the tire shine. One layer is sufficient to give your tire walls a great defense against harmful UV rays and cracking, fading, and browning of your tires.

Why just stop at your tires? Car Guys tire shine doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals, so it’s perfectly safe to use on your vehicle’s plastics, bumpers, rubber, and vinyl trims.

2

Meguiar's G7516 Endurance Tire Gel

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There’s no point in spending the time and money applying a tire shine product if it washes off at the first sign of any rain or wet road conditions. Don’t you agree?

So you should be looking for a long-lasting tire shine. Meguiar’s Endurance Tire Gel is just such a product. Not only will you get a high-gloss finish to your tires, but the effect lasts for weeks, even if you take your vehicle through a car wash. Now that’s worth the effort.

Maguiars has added special macro polymers and copolymers to ensure you get a rich gloss finish to your tires. The formula is a thick gel that means no spraying over your rims by accident. Just apply evenly over your tires. You won’t see any spots, drips, or runs with the thick gel formula.

What’s more, you’ll still have jet black tire walls weeks after you apply Maguiar’s gel. 

Before you begin applying the gel, ensure your car’s wheels are perfectly cool. Clean the dirt off your tires first, and don’t park in direct sunlight. Apply with a unique applicator such as IPELY large tire shine applicator pads and spread a thin layer evenly over your tires.

3

TriNova Tire Shine Gallon Size

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Give your tires a shiny, brand new look while protecting them from the effects of aging, and don’t allow your tires to deteriorate. One single coat of TriNova tire shine will do this and more for your tires. Guard against cracking, browning, and fading. Ensure your tires will look the best they can for weeks after just one coat.

TriNova repels undesirable substances like salt stains that can degrade your tires fast. Plus, you’ll protect your tires from harmful UV rays that can also damage tires.

Control the depth and gloss of your shine yourself. If you only want to see a medium shine and not high-gloss, then spray on TriNova and wipe off with a clean microfiber cloth after fifteen minutes. You’ll still get the same amount of protection; there’ll just be a satin finish instead.

4

Chemical Guys TVD11316 Tire Kicker Extra Glossy Tire Shine

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Chemical Guys are recreating an experience we’ve all enjoyed at one time or another, and that’s kicking the tires of a new car that we are about to purchase. They say it doesn’t happen too many times in someone’s life, and of course, that’s perfectly true. Nevertheless, an excellent idea even if we can’t all buy new cars when we like.

But what we can do is give ourselves the same feeling as the car we currently own. So use Chemical Guys tire kicker to protect and enhance the look of the tires you’ve now got on your vehicle, even if they have been around the block a few times. But the tire-kicker product isn’t just for tires. What about the tired-looking and faded plastic mirrors, bumpers, grills, door panels, and vinyl seats don’t they deserve a face-lift?

Tire-Kicker is a water-based formula that you spray on; if a little runs, wipe off with a dry cloth. It creates a deep gloss shine on the walls of your tires, protects against harmful UV rays, cracking, and fading tires. Spray on and spread with a foam applicator like the Ipely large tire shine applicator pad and finishes dry-to-the-touch. The formula sprays on similar to a gel consistency. There’s no ‘sling’ effect onto the car’s fenders when you start driving.

Tire-Kicker produces a clean black look instead of the alternative cheap, greasy, and runny residue from cheap tire cleaners.

5

Carfidant Ultimate Tire Shine Spray

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If you want your vehicle to look showroom fresh, you need to use Carfidant Ultimate tire shine spray. After a few sprays, use the applicator provided to evenly spread the tire shine around your tire walls for a wet-gloss look.

Many car owners go to great pains to look after the car’s paintwork, they use the best quality shampoos, and the best polish and wax money can buy. But for some reason, they forget all about their tires. Mostly it’s just a wash down and rinse after washing their rims. Yet tires are a crucial safety feature, and they cost a lot of money to replace. And what’s even more annoying is when you need to replace a tire when there are still thousands of miles left in the tread.

Using a top-quality tire shine such as Carfidant can protect your tires from harmful UV rays that dry out and may cause your tires to crack. Not just protect against damaging UV but also other contaminants your tires pickup, such as salt residue in the winter.

6

Adam's Tire Shine 16oz - Spray Tire Dressing

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Many cheaper brands producing tire shine products add in slimy silicones to give you the impression of a high-gloss and shiny tire wall. But the problem is this silicone will damage your tire, slowly drying out the tire walls the more you use the products. 

The whole point of using tire shine is not just so your vehicle’s get that exceptional finish, it’s to protect your tires. Adams’s tire shine doesn’t do that. They provide only the necessary amount of non-greasy silicones to their formula. When you use Adam’s, you’ll see for yourself that the product doesn’t run, nor does it sling wet and runny tire shine when you drive your vehicle.

If you prefer a wet tire look, then Adam’s tire shine has the perfect formula for you. Add multiple layers of tire shine to build up the level of gloss on your tires.

Two factors in Adam’s make this a fantastic longer-lasting tire dressing. That’s the Si02 infused formula and durable silicone polymers; both keep the shine lasting for much longer than the competition. Car care product manufacturers use Si02 in ceramic paint protection products for a vehicle’s bodywork. Adam’s have transferred that use to their tire shine product.

7

Chemical Guys TVD11216 - Clear Liquid Extreme Shine

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Chemical Guys clear liquid extreme shine is the second product from these guys on our buying guide; the reason is easy to understand; Chemical Guys produce top-quality care products.

Their clear liquid extreme shine is no exception.

Clear liquid extreme shine dressing will restore your tires perfectly; everyone will think you’ve put brand new tires on your vehicle. But they won’t just look fantastic liquid extreme will protect your tires from UV rays, fading, old-looking, and cracking tires. All essential if you want your tires to be safe and roadworthy.

The formula is dead simple to use and gives a dry-to-the-touch finish in seconds. Apply the clear liquid shine with any applicator, such as the Ipely tire shine applicator pad, and see for yourself how it spreads evenly over your whole tire with no spills or runs.

Clear liquid extreme is a premium oil-based tire dressing that will bring back that rich deep black color to your tires that you thought was long gone. The dressing is equally helpful to any rubber or plastic trims, grilles, grates, and fender liners on your vehicle.

Here are some best practices for using clear liquid extreme shine that you might find useful:

  • Using an all-purpose cleaner, thoroughly clean the area first; if your tires, use a stiff brush to remove any residual stuck on dirt or grime. You don’t want to spray the liquid over the top of muck and grime.
  • When everything is perfectly dry, spray on the extreme shine, you’ll find it mists evenly to give you a smooth coverage. To start with, apply just a thin layer, then massage it into the wall of your tire.
  • One application is more than enough to give you an excellent shine finish.
  • If you prefer a wet-looking deep-gloss finish, wait ten minutes to let the first coat dry and then repeat the process.
8

Black Magic BM23 Tire Wet

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Black Magic BM23 Tire Wet is a unique formula with a design that ensures a longer-lasting shine even after several washes and taking your vehicle through a car wash. 

If you want your tires to continually maintain a wet, glossy look apply tire wet every four weeks. To create a longer-lasting high-gloss shine, Black Magic uses a unique combination of high-molecular-weight silicones and polymers.

Black Magic Tire Wet is very simple to use and formulated to produce a fine mist, which gives a soft covering of the formula. There’s no reason to wipe off any spray because you only need to allow a minute or two for the liquid to completely dry. Two advantages to this fast-drying formula are there’s no sling on the wheels wells or trim, and it won’t run onto your rims.

You can also choose what type of finish you like best; a high or low gloss.

To achieve a high gloss:

  • Ensure your tire is perfectly dry, thoroughly clean, and you have brushed any residual grime from the tire’s wall.
  • Spray a light mist of Black Magic to the tire wall; do not rub the spray into the tire.
  • After two to three minutes, you’ll see a deep black high-gloss shine.

To achieve a low gloss finish:

  • Start the procedure the same as a high-gloss finish by cleaning your tires.
  • Lightly spray Black Magic onto a clean sponge applicator or microfiber cloth.
  • Apply to the tire wall directly from the applicator to the tire wall.
  • Allow at least three minutes for the formula to penetrate the tire wall.
9

Armor All Car Tire and Wheel Shine Gel

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Extreme Tire Shine Gel from ArmorAll is a potent thick gel that will stick to your tire walls to create a hard-wearing and robust shield against everything roads and crappy weather can throw at your wheels. ArmorAll creates this Extreme Gel formula for longer-lasting results, so drivers don’t need to apply a tire-shine product every time they wash their vehicle or take it through a car wash.

To maintain that high-gloss rich black, new tire looks, the formula is infused with high-molecular-weight silicone, which means the gel will not run onto your rims or sling into the wheel wells.

The benefits of using ArmorAll on your tires are:

  • The gel creates a real wet-looking black-shine that will outlast even the most challenging weather conditions or constant washing.
  • You need a nice even look when you spray-on tire gel, and you get exactly that with ArmorAll.
  • Protects your tires from fading into that chalky white look and cracking.
  • It helps to protect against ozone degradation of your tires.

ArmorAll tire gel is for use on the tire walls only, don’t be tempted to use it on your tire’s treads. It can be dangerous to do so and possibly reduce the braking efficiency of your tires.

10

Turtle Wax T217RA Wet'n Black Ultra Wet Tire Shine

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Turtle Wax Wet’n Black tire shine is an excellent budget option, and it’s simple to use and, for the price, stays on the tires a pretty decent amount of time.

Wet’n Black produces a black wet-looking tire wall. Now that’s not necessarily everybody’s cup of tea, but if it is, then you’ll be pleased with the results.

Unlike all the other products on our buying guide, Wet’n Black does take quite a long time to dry. If you don’t want sling in your wheel wells, then don’t drive off too soon, give it plenty of time to dry, and to be certain the spray is dry, buff the tire walls with a clean microfiber cloth.

However, Turtle Wax Wet’n Black does perform pretty well as long as you’re aware of its limitations. But as this is the budget formula on our list, we think it’s well worth a try.

11

IPELY 2 Pack Large Tire Shine Applicator Pad

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If you’re going to use a tire shine product to brighten up your tire walls, you’ll need an applicator pad; it doesn’t matter if you spray directly onto the tire wall and spread it with the applicator, or you put the tire shine product onto the applicator first.

The applicators have an ergonomically designed wave pattern to allow for an excellent even application on your tire walls; this enables the applicator to maintain direct contact with the tire wall.

Quality tire shine products are not cheap, so you don’t want to waste them, which is why the Ipely applicator pads are made from dense foam that holds the tire shine on top of the pad, meaning you’re using all the tire shine product with no wastage. Plus, you’ll not see any messy drips and runs. 

Using a design like Ipely’s wave pattern ensures your fingers and nails don’t come into contact with the tire walls.

Finally, Ipely applicators are tough enough for use multiple times. The dense, high-quality foam material is washable. You can use the applicators time after time; with one proviso, ensure the applicators are totally dry before using them with a tire shine product.

Things To Bear In Mind When Using Tire Shine Products

Ensure your tires are immaculate: There’s no point in applying even the best tire shine products to dirty tire walls or over the top of old tire shine. 

You will not experience the best results, and dare I say it, don’t be lazy. Clean the tires thoroughly and make sure they are perfectly dry and cool. If you have some stubborn dried on muck or grime, use a stiff brush to remove it; before you apply the tire shine.

Debunking a false claim: You might have read, or a friend has told you tire shine products harm your tires. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Leaving your tires to face hot, sticky weather and cold weather is the fastest way for your tires to fade and crack rapidly, not because you use tire shine. The fact is that tire shine protects against UV rays, which are generally responsible for cracked, brown, and sad-looking tires.

Have a quality tire shine applicator available: If you spray on or smooth on, you’ll undoubtedly need a tire shine applicator. So just buy one or a pack and have the applicator ready to go when you decide to shine your wheels. Your life will be so much simpler just because of this little tool. We recommend this pack of two from Ipely.

Better quality tire shine stays on longer: While keeping your tire walls looking fresh and brand new, it’s not something you want to do every time you take the car through the car wash. 

So unless you love shining your tire walls week in week out, then you should plump for a better quality tire shine formula. In the long run, it will save you money because if you only need to apply once every four weeks, that’s a significant saving in the ongoing tire shine product.