Cleaning tyres with Cillet BANG

[Martin S]

Watch out if you clean your tyres with this stuff whilst on the car.
If it runs down on to axles it strips any protection and the studs and bearings will start to rust. It has just taken me forever to extract a bearing from an ali rear hub which had rusted itself into place.

[Reuben]

ooo nasty,

yeh its pretty harsh stuff, thats why when i use it, i spray onto a towel and then rub around the wheel so i dont get any excess dripping anywhere.

[lesbaldry]

What should we use?..I tried Cillit Bang but it seemed to "dry" the tyres out (felt hard) the following week they were used,a solvent should do the same? but I've found the club motor/brake cleaner to leave the tyres still soft and sticky from the previous week,it is supposed to be an Inert solvent so it shouldn't do damage to most plastic's or rubber.

[TryHard]

wd40... Works very well as a cleaner outdoors, as it's oil based, and most of the outdoor additives are oil based too. Doesn't dry the tyres out either. Application wise, I do as reubes does with the cillet, apply to a rag first, then wipe over.
Not sure how it'll work with the indoor, water based additives though...then again, no reason why it shouldn't. Previously indoors, I've just used the additive as the cleaner, apply once, then wipe off and apply the race coating.
Ed

[Simon Crabb]

I clean with Tweak 2000, a bit on a cloth, cleans and additivates all at the same time.

[Mark Townsend]

I always clean them with the mighty Bang! on a towel, then tweak 2000 them, for as long as poss before a race. Baked on nice and long with tyre warmers. As for long term storage they get Banged! then tweak 2000 and ziplock bag. Tyres are always sticky, I find motor cleaner a bit harsh for soft rubber as it's designed to de-carbon brake discs etc the long term effect might not be desirable.

Just personal choice as most things are but i have my ways and i'm sticking to them.

By the way don't tell Wendy what happens to all our sandwich bags.

Mark

[oldtimeracer]

Should you or do you use a different cleaner / additive for indoors on carpet than outdoors on tarmac?

[lesbaldry]

Oct 27, 2008 16:26:49 GMT Mark Townsend said:

, I find motor cleaner a bit harsh for soft rubber as it's designed to de-carbon brake discs etc the long term effect might not be desirable.

Mark

Brake cleaner is designed for the repair of important brake components,to remove brake dust(asbestos content)and other grime from ABS valves, calliper pistons,brake shoes and wheel cylinders,etc,etc without doing damage to delicate rubber seals inside the hydraulic components so theoretically it should'nt damage our tyres. As it has an alcohol content unlike refined kerosene (WD 40) it should be totally inert to any oil based product including most rubber.Try soaking a piece of tyre in Parafin/Kerosene/WD 40 for 24 hours, it will swell to twice its size and when removed dry out smaller than original size and go hard a few days later...scary stuff ???think Ill stick to soap and water

For Cillit bang to cause premature corrosion to treated and untreated metal surfaces it must be slightly acidic?? "it smells like it" burns the skin too!

[issac]

after run clean with brake cleaner apply lrp additive and bake for 15 mins

does the job for me super sticky and launches off the line

[lesbaldry]

Isopropanol (alcohol) might be a better alternative and take any doubt away regarding brake cleaner or Cillit bang,easily available from a chemist,handy for cleaning circuitry too,might even be the same cleaning fluid in those expensive little bottles? personally I think brake cleaner evaporates too quick to do any damage "if it does " to the chemicals in the tyre, plus I dont pay for it ..but I might soak a bit of old tyre in it for a day or two..curiosity and to be sure.