Armor-all (or silicone spray) does make the tires sidewalls nice and
shiny (I cannot imagine using it on the tread--who cares about how the
tread looks) (OK Porsche owners do, but who else?).
Shiners in general care about their tread - I caught at least two
people going over their tire tread with a toothbrush at the last VTR National.
But I came to write about Armor-all - just say no. It seems to be
entirely about short term gain. Yes, it makes things shiny, but it also
seems to leach out whatever natural lubrication/moisture was in the
surface, leading to cracks down the road. Our latest acquisition has a
set of very nice low-mileage Michelin XWX tires that look great down
the tread blocks and on the inside, but the outside sidewalls are all
cracked, due to the use of Armor All to keep them looking "nice".
I've had good luck with Bleche-White and AutoGlym exterior rubber
treatment. The STP "Son of a Gun" seems to be less drying than A-A, but
I don't have long term results to point to.
If you just want the appearance, use mineral oil or glycerin!
|