A simple internet search on
tire shine quickly yields the expected results of the major brand name
tire shines who have dominated the industry for years. If you search further down the results page, you will soon find articles explaining the two types of
tire shines in the industry today --- solvent-based vs water-based. Inasmuch, this would be just fine if not for the fact that there seems to be a worrisome trend, all leading to a false conclusion that
all solvent-based tire shines are harmful to the environment and that they
all create sling.
As the founders of
Daytona Detailing Products, the manufacturer of a full line of detailing chemicals and cleaning solutions, we feel obligated to lend some truth and much needed perspective to the claim that
all solvent-based tire shines are environmentally unfriendly and to the false assumption that
all solvent-based tire shines create sling.
First and foremost, it is important to provide some background information on the actual science behind tire shine. The truth is that there are a few ingredients in a tire shine that make it harmful to the environment. However, what it is important to remember is that these harmful ingredients can be substituted with other ingredients that are NOT harmful to the environment. Keeping that in mind, let's address what makes most solvent-based tire shines in the car care industry today harmful to the environment.
The main ingredient in tire shine is a base of petroleum distillates, which evaporate into our ozone contributing to ozone depletion. Distillates are also the main chemical ingredient that help in the drying process of other ingredients in the solution or “tire shine.” The importance of the distillates lies in the fact that in order for a tire shine to be effective it needs to dry. Now, while these distillates can be substituted, the major players in the tire shine industry have relied on their vast brand name recognition to carry sales, and have chosen to add too much of these distillates to their tire shines and in the process leaving little to no room for more pricey, and environmentally friendlier ingredients. The problem with these practices, is that solvent-based tire shines are now thought of as environmentally unfriendly, when in fact the reality is that while our competitors' solvent-based tire shines in the market today are environmentally unfriendly, NOT all are. For instance, Daytona Detailing Products has formulated a tire shine, Super Slick Tire Shine, which has a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) that is less than 1% by weight. As such, Super Slick Tire Shine is VOC compliant in all 50 states, including the state of California which has one of the most stringent environmental protection regulations. In formulating Super Slick, a new company was able to prove an entire industry wrong and indeed prove that while a majority of the solvent-based tire shines in the market today do bring up environmental concerns--- this is NOT the case with all tire shines. Moving forward, because of the nature of solvent-based tire shines, it has also been widely, although incorrectly, accepted that all solvent-based tire shines create sling. Once again, as mentioned above the major players in the car care industry have continued to put products in the market that create sling --- in the process creating the false assumption that this is true of all solvent-based tire shines.
The reason why most tire shines create sling is because they are “watered down.” The distillates mentioned above are used in excess and therefore create the running, drips and sling that has become such a problem for those who continuously seek for new tire shines that do not sling. What many outside of the car care industry do not know is that anytime a tire shine is produced, there are ingredients that allow for adhesion of other ingredients to apply to your tire and with competitors finding these costs to be exceed their bottom line for quality tire shine, it often relays the question of price ---the difference becomes increasingly evident when one comes to have to choose between a $5.00 tire shine or a tire shine for $9.99. Listen, sling can be avoided with attention to quality when producing a tire shine, however most companies rather mix and blend for cheap and sell for less and really leave an open door for tire shine competitors. As proof, Super Slick Tire Shine, VOC compliant, and independently tested to last over 200 Miles and over 3 Car Washes, with NO Sling. Which brings us full circle--- while most solvent-based tire shines may be unfriendly to the environment and create sling --- that is definitely not the case with all.
Written by: Robert J. Modesto II -President of Daytona Detailing Products
Laiza C. Dipre - Vice-President of Daytona Detailing Products
