After entering the contest to win TUF SHINE I received the product within a few days to write a review on. I will say that this is the most time I have ever spent on cleaning and dressing my tires and I never realized how nasty and dirty they really get after using the included tire cleaner/degreaser.

I want to say if you are a lazy person this product is not for you. I easily spent 4 hours doing this right and if you are not a person that pays close attention to detail you will not get good results.

First I washed the my Z using a 2 bucket method with grit guards, 2 microfiber mitts and Meguiar's Gold Class wash. After the wash I dried using a waffle weave towel and a leaf blower.

Included in the kit is: Tire cleaner, a lightweight tire brush, a set of thick gloves, application sponge and the tire clearcoat itself.



Now onto the TUF SHINE kit... I used a set of ramps so I was able to get to the underside of the tire to make sure I got all surfaces clean.

Here is what we are starting with... a tire that has seen road grime, brake dust and countless applications of over the counter tire dressings.



The instructions say to apply the tire cleaner and let sit for a minute and repeat up to 3 times until you get white suds. I had to clean my tires 4-5 times until I started seeing white suds meaning the surface of the tire was fully cleansed.

First cleaning...


Ewwwwww...


After about 5 cleanings, white suds...


After cleansing you should have a surface that looks like this.


Once your tire is clean and dry (I used my handy dandy leaf blower to speed up the drying process) it's time for the first coat of TUF STUFF. Proceed to putting your gloves on and grabbing the included sponge. Shake the tire coating really well and start applying the coating liberally to the tires surface. Some areas on your tire you may need to blot to get into all the nooks and cranys. Make sure you smooth out any runs as you are applying the coating...

After the first coat...


Second coat...


And the finished product...


The tire as of the last picture appears to have a very shiny/oily look but by no means is this oily! It dries completely to the touch and after about 30 minutes your tire will have a smooth shiny surface that is dry to the touch and will not sling off like other tire dressings on the market.

You can apply up to 3 coats depending on how shiny you want your tires. One coat yields a matte look, two coats adds a shinier look and three coats is your "wet look".

Now for my opinion and initial impressions with the product.

Pro's:
1. Included tire cleaner is awesome! Made the tires look new after about 4 cleanings.
2. Tire brush is light and sturdy!
3. Application of the tire clear coat is very easy... goes on in a liquid (not gel) form.
4. After the coating dries there is no oily feel to the tires so NOTHING will sling off onto your paint.
5. Dries to the touch completely.
6. The tires look AMAZING! I used 2 coats...

Con's:
1. Very, very, very tedious work getting the tire surfaces clean! Like I said if your lazy this is not for you. Took about 4 hours...
2. If you have larger tires (SUV or Truck) your going to have to have more tire cleaner/degreaser. There is just enough included to do 4 low profile tires...

So now the real test comes... since this is supposed to be a permanent tire shine system I will post up how durable it is over the course of a months worth of driving. The product states that it's permanent as long as you clean correctly using mild soap (I am going to use Meg's Gold Class) and that you can touch up when needed.

I would like to thank Greg at Detailed Image for this kit and I hope my review will inspire others to try this kit.

http://www.detailedimage.com/TUF-SHI...ance-Kit-P545/


UPDATE AS OF 5/6/11:
Well... it's not even been 24 hours since application and it seems that TUF SHINE isn't so TUF after all. I know I followed the instructions perfectly so I do not understand what has happened. I went out today to pick up at few things for mothers day and when I got home I was anxious to see if there was anything on the side of my car and how the tires looked after driving.

After a 17 mile round trip I looked at the tires to find this:



The tire has turned brown and the surface of the TUF SHINE has started to crack. The weather yesterday was good (around 75 degrees and not humid), the tires were spotless upon application of the tire clear coat and I allowed it to dry all day yesterday and overnight before driving.

I feel like it is unfortunate that this has happened seeing as though it looked great once it was applied. From a distance the tires still look shiny but once you get closer they look brown and the cracking in the finish is very unappealing.

So now I suppose I will strip it off with degreaser and just continue to use Meg's Hot Shine.

I would still like to thank Detailed Image for giving me the opportunity to review this product even though it didn't turn out well for me you may have different results.

-Shannon

 

Nice little review. Thanks for the pics also. I have been debating on getting this product myself.

 

damn what a long process but the results came out fantastic. am i the only one who saw TUF in the title and immediately thought "the ultimate fighter"?

 

lol nice initial review.

 

Nice write up. How much is this kit?

 

nice review. I'm very curious just how long this lasts. After slinging black stuff down the side of my car, I havent used tire shine since ive put spacers on. But hopefully this works well and I'll buy some!

 

+1 what he said ..
Tire dressing is not fun to clean off flat black.

in to see results after time.. subd.

 

Update posted.

 

ah i see.. he edited his OP.

sounds like Bad times.. run away run away..

Thanks for saving us the hassle tho man. Seriously. cool points.

 

It's such a shame that I got these results as I was super excited about not having to buy tire shine for a long time since this was supposed to be permanent. I haven't removed it yet ... I am going to drive it for a while and see what it starts to look like.

 

More snake oil. I just keep my tires clean, and prefer the matte finish. Shiny, wet tires are very 1980's.

 

I go back and forth myself... sometimes I like a matte look and sometimes I want some shine.

 

I've been using "Black Again" for years. It's the only product that seems to have any staying power.

 

Does it sling?

 

I wish this stuff was as good as advertised, if it sounds too good to be true....

 

Depends on how long you let it dry. Overnight, no problem.

Even if you get a little on, it wipes right off with a dry towel. Lasts about 4 to 5 washes.

 

I don't want TUF Shine!

;-)

 

I have been contacted by Detailed Image and we are going to see if we can find out what went wrong here. I did some searching online and found no bad reviews on TUF SHINE at all and no similar cracking results.

So... we will see what happens. Stay tuned...

 

In for final results, sounds like you did it right though...

 

I followed the directions to a T.

I also know I scrubbed those tires so hard my wrists hurt the next day.... so they were by no means dirty. LOL!