Caution cleaning raised letter tires on 78 Pace Car Wheels

[Jim R.]

The raised white letter tires were looking kind of dark, so I used a well known white wall cleaner that "bleaches" the white to like new condition. Did a great job on the tire but removed half of the 37 year old red paint stripe on the wheel that was a little faded but completely intact. Didn't notice until the next day. Now ...yet another project to remove and restripe the wheels.

Jim (61320)

[Paul D.]

Re: Caution cleaning raised letter tires on 78 Pace Car Wheels

Yes, that cleaner does a great job, but I found out quickly how hard it was to control collateral damage when using it. It does not play nice with bare aluminum, clear coated, and many painted surfaces. I now use "Krud Kutter" or Griots rubber cleaner in conjunction with a brass bristle brush similar to one used to clean the BBQ grill. Works great on raised white letters and smaller white stripe tires. I have not personally cleaned wide whitewalls, so no recommendation there. Also, for you C4 and later owners, the above mentioned cleaners work well on the plastic wheel houses and will not dull or turn gray the shiny black plastic surface like the purple cleaners do. Chip.

[Michael J.]

Re: Caution cleaning raised letter tires on 78 Pace Car Wheels

I usually just use diluted Simple Green and rinse with water.

[Frank D.]

Re: Caution cleaning raised letter tires on 78 Pace Car Wheels

I usually just use diluted Simple Green and rinse with water.

Yup Simple Green and a kitchen "scratchy" pad will do the trick with no ill effects....
Many tire manufacturers warn against the bleachy stuff anyway: http://www.dbtires.com/cleaningtips.html

[Mark E.]

Re: Caution cleaning raised letter tires on 78 Pace Car Wheels

I like Dawn diluted with warm water, applied with a spray bottle. Gentle, non-toxic, yet very effective on grease and stains. It rinses clean without any residue, unlike the green or purple cleaners.