Get Your Shine On With Our Best Tire Dressings Guide

There are so many choices in detailing products, we help you choose the best tire dressing for shine and durability.

byMichael Febbo|
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Bridgestone

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BYMichael Febbo/ LAST UPDATED ON June 2, 2023

Over time, your vehicle's tires start to fade and wear out as they are increasingly exposed to the elements and road debris. Tires withstand a lot of abuse and can sustain scuff marks and small cracks, which ages them and, frankly, makes your vehicle less attractive overall. Car shampoo doesn't do a great job of cleaning your tires. Instead, you need a product that's specially designed to spiff up your tires. The best tire shine brands not only clean your tires but also produce a nice, glossy look. If you enjoy detailing your car or truck, you don't want to neglect your tires if you want a polished result. When used as a regular part of your maintenance routine, tire shine not only makes your tires look better, it can also protect them from UV rays and other damage. Check out our list of the best tire shine products currently available.


In the early 2000s, psychologist Barry Schwartz popularized “The Paradox of Choice.” This counterintuitive theory attempts to explain why customer satisfaction decreases as the number of products per category increases. Schwartz wasn’t talking specifically about the tire shine market, but it is a prime example.


There is quite literally more tire dressing products on the market than we can count — seriously, do a Google search. Aerosols, gels, liquids, and sprays —  shopping for deodorant is less daunting. All the varieties can be either water or solvent-based and designed to deliver a high-gloss or satin finish. We’re here to help you choose the best tire shine product, depending on your needs.

Best Overall
Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Tire Coating

Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Tire Coating

Summary
We have reservations about aerosol dressings but we can’t argue with the results. Everything from the initial shine to how it looked two weeks later makes it hard to beat.
Pros
  • Glossiest, wettest, darkest product we tested
  • Looks good after two weeks
  • Leaves an even black satin finish after a wash
  • Decent price
Cons
  • Time waiting to dry is an insane as the shine
  • Sprays everywhere
  • A bit sticky and attracts dust
Easiest To Use

Chemical Guys Galactic Black Wet Look Tire Shine Dressing

Summary
This might not be the shiniest or longest-lasting, but it’s the easiest to use. We like spraying onto an applicator almost as much as we like the savings from buying with a subscription model.
Pros
  • Thin liquid works into details with ease
  • Spray pump is an ideal delivery method
  • Can be used on trim and interior
Cons
  • Not the glossiest in testing
  • Requires application more often
Best Water-Based

CARPRO Perl

Summary
Some users prefer water-based products and this is the best we’ve tested. It provides a very black finish and is dilutable for use on trim and interior surfaces.
Pros
  • Water-based is better for rubber (arguably) and better for the environment (definitely)
  • Can be diluted to use on other surfaces
  • Thin consistency is easy to spread
Cons
  • Good shine doesn’t last
  • Significantly more expensive than most

Summary List

Our Methodology

We realize selecting the shiniest tire dressing isn’t as vital as choosing the most competent pediatrician or even the best multivitamin, but we still take it seriously. It started with a box full of the most popular tire shine dressings on the market. It was decided all the products needed to be used on matching tires to maintain consistency. A set of well-used track tires was selected and divided into sections to accommodate all the products being tested.

A popular spray-on tire and wheel cleaner was first used to remove any buildup and supply a clean surface. All the tire shine products were applied in the same session, using the method suggested by each manufacturer. The tires were then left for two weeks, with exposure to sun and dust. At the end of two weeks, the tires were washed using car shampoo. At each stage, notes were taken and photography was done. We judged each product on ease of application, drying time, initial shine, durability, finish after a wash, and value.

Best Tire Shine Dressing: Reviews & Recommendations

Ultimate Insane is a pretty big boast for a detailing company to make. The rubber in tires isn’t intended to be shiny but, after testing a box full of different tire products, Meguiar’s is one of the few that truly delivers the “soaking wet-look” it promises. It’s an aerosol product that is easy to apply but requires the most cleanup. It’s also a solvent-based product, which some will argue dries out and discolors tires. What set Meguiar’s apart is at the end of two weeks, it was nearly as shiny as when first applied. The gloss does wash off, but unlike some other products, it leaves a smooth black satin finish. The Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Tire Coating lives up to its promises.

Pros

The shiniest product we tested

Great durability even with water

Finish stays even and consistent after washing

Heavy sprays fills in small details in tires

Cons

Long dry time

Aerosol spray gets the product everywhere

In a culture that becomes more frightened of the word “chemical” every day, a brand calling itself Chemical Guys is a bold move. Marketing a product with a seven-word name, Galactic Black Wet Look Tire Shine Dressing, another bold decision in marketing terms and top-of-mind awareness. What we think is the shrewdest of moves was offering a tire dressing in an old-school pump spray bottle. Mostly out of vogue, this is in our opinion, the easiest way to apply tire dressing. Spray the water-like consistency liquid onto an applicator of your choosing, then wipe it on. Also impressive is the gloss the product leaves on the tires. It isn’t quite as glossy as others but looked even and black — at least at first. This product doesn’t have the durability of the best, but that’s part of the price you pay for convenience upfront.

Pros

Designed to be sprayed on an applicator then wiped on tire

Thin liquid is easy to work into small places

Nice even finish without dull spots

Can be used on interior vinyl and plastics

Cons

Doesn't last as long as some competitors

Residue can wash off with even mild car shampoo

Being thin and requiring an applicator means you go through it faster

Best Water-Based

CARPRO Perl

SEE IT
CARPROPerl was a favorite after testing, even if it isn’t the shiniest in the group. Being water-based, it is a safer product for those concerned with solvents drying out their tires. Solvent-free is also better for the environment. It still provides a very dark black finish, but less shine. Along with the benefits of being water-based, it comes at a higher price. We like the fact that this can be diluted in up to a 1:5 ratio for other surfaces, so if used in that way, the price makes more sense. In our experience, home detailers looking for water-based options aren’t as price-sensitive, so it may save money down the road in longer-lasting rubber.

Pros

Water-based formula is better for tires and the environment

Makes tires blacker than a Swedish death metal band’s läderbyxor

Can be diluted in different ratios for different materials

Cons

It makes tires black but not all that shiny

A single wash completely removes product

Three times the cost of some competitors

The entry from the brand that invented the modern tire shine industry isn’t our favorite, but deserves a mention. The largest, at 18 fluid ounces, comes in the most functional squeeze bottle and the box even includes a foam applicator. Extreme Tire Shine leaves a glossy finish that finishes mid-pack, and the consistency is on the thick side, so requires working into tire details. The upside of that thick consistency does however help it from running and dripping during application. Besides getting more of the product and including an applicator, we include availability as part of value. This is the product you’re most likely to find without either making a special trip to an auto parts store or having to pay for shipping from an online retailer. Grab it off the shelf at your local big box store and if you aren’t comparing side-by-side with competitors, you probably won’t be disappointed.

Pros

Large and well designed 18 oz bottle

Includes a foam applicator

Widely available

Cons

Very thick and sticky gel is harder to spread

Doesn't wash off consistently leaving a spotty finish

Griot’s is a brand that will be familiar to long-time detailing enthusiasts and car hobbyists. There is a difference between the aforementioned groups with the latter being more interested in spending their discretionary time just being in the garage. The instructions for Black Shine Tire Gel tell you it needs 20 minutes of drying time and multiple coats are recommended. On top of that, the viscous gel takes a patient hand to apply thoroughly. Griot’s product does leave a nice gloss, but will also provide a duller finish if lovingly buffed with a microfiber during the drying process. The shine held up over two weeks and after a shampoo, the tire maintains an agreeable matte black finish, ready for another long meditative application — which is the point.

Pros

Provides a shiny finish or can be buffed off for satin

Leaves a nice matte finish after car wash

Feels like a pro-level detailing product

Cons

Requires a long drying time

Looks best with multiple coats

Expensive compared to competitors

Our Verdict on Tire Shine Dressing

There are more tire shines and dressings than we could ever realistically test. Our overall favorite is Meguiar’s Ultimate Insane Shine Tire Coating based on the deep gloss it provides along with its durability. The easiest to apply was definitely Chemical Guys Galactic Black Wet Look Tire Shine Dressing. Just spray it on the applicator and wipe it on the tire. We’ve provided several other favorites in different categories as well. 

Features to Consider When Buying Tire Shine Dressing

Just about every tire shine or tire dressing product on the market is a delivery method for silicone. The shine you see is a thin layer of silicone sitting on top of the rubber, similar to the clear coat over your car’s paint — just far more temporary. Users have a variety of choices in delivery methods from aerosols to thick gels and chemistries are either solvent or water-based. These products will provide some level of UV light protection and shielding from ozone, but mostly, it’s about looks. While prices can vary greatly, even the most expensive we tested was still far less than a single tank of gas.

Tire Shine Dressing Applications

Aerosol Can

Taking us back to the days of building plastic models as kids, spraying on a coating of tire gloss around our sidewalls is a visceral treat. Besides satisfying our inner 8-year-old, it’s also the laziest way to get the product spread around the tire and into all the text and designs found on modern tires.

Aerosols do have a downside; tire dressing gets everywhere. It sprays on quickly, but you will likely spend a good amount of that saved time wiping overspray off your wheels and maybe even your fenders. Worst case scenario, on performance cars with brakes that fill up the wheels, you may end up with a coating of silicone on calipers and rotors, which is bad. 

Pump Spray Bottle

At first, it seems like the trigger-pump spray bottle is the less-fun-friend of the aerosol can. But like a lot of "fun friends", aerosols have consequences. Sprays are the friends who bail you out, while aerosols are sitting with you in the cell.

Liquid dressing, which has a viscosity closer to water than hair gel, is tough to pour onto an applicator without spilling. So instead of spraying the tire, and everything around the tire, you simply spray the product onto your applicator and wipe on.

It may seem like an extra step and why not just make the product thicker, but the thicker the fluid, the harder it is to spread on the tire. Honestly, we hadn’t given tire dressing delivery devices a lot of thought before comparing a case of them head-to-head. A thin liquid product, sprayed onto an applicator, turned out to be our favorite method.

Gels, Lotions, Creams, and Balms

Variety is the spice of life and nowhere is that more cliché than in the detailing industry; maybe the beauty industry, which is basically the human detailing industry. Several industries use standardized rules of chemistry to separate gels, creams, lotions, and ointments by percentage of water, oil, and emulsifiers. In the detailing industry, a marketing person slaps a label on it.

Like art, you know when you see it Gels are usually thick and clear-ish. But, when it comes to tire dressing as cream, serum, or pomade, you’re at the fanciful whims of the corporate cubicle creative. The name is irrelevant. What you need to know is that liquids on the thicker side won’t run or drip, but are harder to spread. Thinner liquids are the opposite — they’re easier to get into details, but they run off the applicator, drip down sidewalls, and pool in the gap between the tire and wheel. Some brands claim extra-thick formulas keep the product from slinging onto paint when you drive. When sitting on the sidewall of a typical 25-inch diameter tire while you’re driving at 60 miles per hour, a little extra thickener isn’t going to do much good for a tire gel.

Tire Shine Dressing Key Features

Solvent-Based

Buckle up, kids. We’re starting a flame war in the comments section. First, while we do have some experience and education in both areas, we are neither chemists nor material scientists. The testing we have done in this area does not provide sufficient data to make a definitive judgment. So here goes.

Tire companies do not recommend using petroleum products or solvents on tires. It is stated that it will damage the rubber compound and cause premature aging. If a tire dressing is not water-based, it is solvent-based and that is almost always petroleum-based solvents. Do solvent-based tire dressings damage your tires? Probably. Does it matter if you, like us, are the type of people who wear out your tires every two years? Probably not.

But, if you’re the enthusiast counting on your delivery-miles, numbers-matching, Sunset Boulevard Edition, PT Cruiser selling for a million dollars on Bring-A-Failure dot com, you may not want to slather it on during your weekly rub-down session. Contact your tires’ manufacturer for further information.  

Water-Based

We’ve already said we are relatively comfortable in a completely non-binding way recommending solvent-based products. With that said, water-based products do have some advantages. The entire point of solvents is that they flash, or evaporate faster than water. Those solvents are being put into the air and the last thing our air needs is more harmful products. So besides being healthy for your tires, water-based products are healthier for you and the planet.

The downside is water-based tire dressings don’t seem to work as well. In our experience, they don’t have either the shine or the durability. So it’s the old junk food dilemma.

Tire Shine Dressing Pricing 

All of us here at The Drive realize that money matters to everyone. Knowing that much of what we review and recommend are discretionary purchases, we try to let value guide our recommendations, rather than just price. So, let’s talk dollars and utils.

Most of the products we tested come in roughly the same quantity. The sweet spot seems to be right around 16 fluid ounces of product, unless we are looking at aerosols and those are tougher to measure. Doing price searches, we found many of the mainstream brands at large retailers in the $7 to $10 range. Some of the boutique brands were in the $15 to $25 range. The average enthusiast probably won’t go through a whole bottle in a year, unless you drive a monster truck. The most expensive product we tested was still less than five gallons of gas, so our recommendation is to splurge on the product that will make you happiest.

FAQs 

You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.

Q: What is tire shine sling?

A: When you drive before your tire shine is dry, it “slings” off the sidewall and onto the rest of your car.

Q: What is tire shine made of?

A: Tire shine is either water or solvent-based but both are delivery methods for the active ingredient, silicone.

Q: Is tire shine bad for tires?

A: Tire shine products can block both UV and ozone, both of which can harm tires. The solvents in some tire shines may also be harmful to rubber with long-term use.

Q: Is tire shine bad for paint and wheels?

A: Yes. If you get tire shine on painted body panels or your car’s wheels, remove it right away.

Why Trust Us

Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.

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