My new (ish) BFGs raised white letters are yellowing and I can't get them clean. I tried scrubbing them with soap and a scotchbrite pad and I even bought a product just for this problem. I don't recall the name but it was a funny spelling of the word "bleach". None of this helped.
It's just the rear tires so I suspect it's the exhaust. Is there a raised white letter paint or something?

 

Mine are doing the same thing and mine are new. I think it's a problem with the tires. I saw some complaints online. I'm going back to my tire dealer.

 

It was Bleech-White that you tried. White letter crayons (that looked like lumber crayons) were available at one point for touch ups, but I don't know if they still make them.

Terry

 

I use Bleech White with some steel wool to get them really clean. I own a couple of cars that do this regularly with use. They sure look good when they are bright white, don't they? Give that a try. It worked for me.

 

Any concentrated liquid detergent, such as Fantastik, Formula 409, Oil Eater, Purple Simple Green, etc. (and including BleechWite) should work fine.

Make sure the tires are dry, spray on full strength, let stand a few minutes (but NOT until dry), scrub gently, and rinse off thoroughly.

- Eric

 

use westleys bleach white and a scrub brush spray wait a little while do the whole tire spray again and scrub the whole tire and rinse with water youll be amazed how nice they will look also works great on moldy interior parts bought my car had a black interior which looked green spreyed it on and wiped it off then wiped off again with light soapy water interior bam had black interior I swear buy this stuff get it at auto zone

 

I've been using Bleach White since I was a kid washing my Mom's Chevelle. Great product.

 

I use Comet or Ajax and a stiff brush. A little elbow grease and they will be white again... try it. It works

 

I swear by Sanctiond Brite White, White wall cleaner.
No bleach and on good quality tyres (BFG Etc) you only need to do it every now and then.
the Chinesium white walls will bleed orange a lot and need to be done often.
Scott

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll give them a try. But I think Pgraziani may be correct. They actually didn't yellow with use, the car was sitting in the garage. It seems the color is saturated into the letters, not an outer coating. I'll look for a crayon and I've seen some folks using a white sharpie. They are seriously the same color as my car, lol.

 

Got that right

 

Just curious; Anyone else have the 275/60/15s that are yellowing but not the 235/60/15s?

 

If Black Magic Bleech White and a brass grill brush don't work "Trim Brite" makes a white marker for white letters,and O'Rielly's sell them. Larry

 

Have you used any kind of tire shine product? Tires were never shiny in the first place. I don't like them, because the oils or silicon or what ever can turn the white letters yellow. I always use Westley's Bleach-White on white letters, white stripe and even on plain blackwalls with a bristle brush.

 

I've used bleach white for 40 years. If it doesn't get them white nothing will. I have P275-60-15's on mine with no issues. One warning, do not get bleach whit on aluminum wheels.

 

Westleys bleach white is now Magic bleach white, Magic bought it out a couple years ago, works the same as Westleys. Good stuff.

What usually causes white lettering darkening up is the white lettering is not sealed from the underneath black during construction and the white is being stained by the oils and rubber compounds leaching from under the white. This is getting more common as older styled tires are reproduced and cost are being cut. Cheaper wide whites are notorious for this....Tedd

 

I agree bleach white and no tire spray. Then just keep them clean. Years ago I had a red 72 442 and wanted other than white. I used a red sharpie over and over to make the letters red. That was a waste of time but I liked it back then.

Bleach white is great and takes little effort. I typically take a good day and clean my car come spring like it will be in a show the next day. Sometimes it is but, usually just a good cleaning and waxing and check eveything over and it is good for the season with a little touch up now and then.

Larry

 

320 or 400 grit wet sandpaper and water has always been the fastest/cheapest for me. Gets rid of all yellowing as well as any rub marks.

 

Surely you have Comet cleanser at home. I challenge you to at least try it before you go buy something else. Use it with a stiff brush, been using it more than 40 years it has never failed. It will also clean the oils and silicones off the black walls too, makes them look new again.

 

Westleys or comet with a stiff brush has always worked for me in the past. However, I have a newer set of BFG's that are getting dirty very fast too. It's more of an orange or brown and it's all over the tire not just on the letters. It's like a layer of grease that I can scrape off with my fingernail. When I clean them they look great for a week or so then it comes back. This is on a car that doesn't get driven and is parked in the garage. I have never had this issue in the past with these tires so maybe the changed the materials. Hopefully we can find a long term solution.

 

X2 on that. My buddy had the same BFG's as me. He always slathered on the tire dressing and the tires would become kind of grungy after a while. All I used was Castrol Super Clean or Fantastic and they were always nice and white.



I do like some tire dressing on black walls as long as it not's on so thick you can see it falling off the tire...lol.

 

When I was a kid and washed my parent's cars, they always told me to use an SOS pad on white walls and raised white letters. I still do and haven't had any problem with even the repro tires I have on my cars now.


Randy C.

 

I did use tire-shine but I used it on all four and the fronts are white as white can be, and that's after a couple of months.

I'll try some of the suggestions but I don't have high hopes. I mean, I really poured on the elbow grease with a green scotchbright and detergent and it didn't change them at all.

 

Dont know if it matters but the new TA Radials are made in Mexico. I just recently put some on my Vette and checked the dates and Mfg. before they put them on. Good dates but made in Mexico. No more USA made TA's

 

Very well could be. I teach drawing and our black charcoal mfg moved from Mexico to Taiwan. Now the sticks weigh half as much and are a medium gray at best.

I'll report back after trying some of the combos recommended.

 

ok cool try the comet. I use Dawn dishwashing detg to wash my cars, cause it cuts oils very good. So ill wet the tire first with soapy dish soap water, then toss some comet directly on the tire and some on the brush. Scrub it good rinse then sometimes ill do it twice, it really dosent take long, works well

 

I use Dawn as well, lol, for pretty much everything. It's supposed to warm up to 50 this weekend so I'll give it a shot then.

 

Count me in- Dawn and Steel Wool

 

Dawn will also strip wax so be careful with it. Joy is probably easier on wax than any other dishwashing soap.

I've used many brands of car wash soap and it's still hard to beat Meguiar's or Turtle Wax car wash. I've found the key is to mix it per directions, so I keep a plastic measuring cup and a "calibrated" bucket to wash vehicles. Mix the soap whatever concentration per gallon the manufacturer calls for and then give it a hard shot with hose nozzle to get some foam, and wash away.

The wagon got Chinese tires a couple months back which I did not want but have you tried to find 225-75R15 whitewall passenger car tires lately? I had to really scrub to get the blue coat off them whitewalls and they still have a pale blue tint. Not easy to find a good stiff brass grill brush anymore either. You can find all kinds with bendy handles...

 

I used a red marker for years to turn white stripe into red lines. About every 2 to 3 months I would redo them. It became impossible to find good, red PAINT sticks. Most of what you see now are mare like wax and don't work.

 

May be its time to give up on BFG tires. I quit them last year and I am glad.

 

Okay, tonight I tried softscrub (basically comet in a gel suspension) on a green scotchbright. The letters were better but still not white. So I used 400 grit sandpaper. No change. They still have a beige tint and visibly different than the front tires which I did not clean. I'd have gotten pics but it's dark outside already. Sigh......winter.

 

That sucks Mac, I haven't had any issues with my 235 and 245 60's, I just use spray nine let sit for a few minutes with a shoe polishing brush to clean them. I defiantly would contact the dealer where you purchased the tires and blast BFG and email with pics could be a bad run they had. I would ask for a new set of tires before using paint sticks etc.
Eric

 

I had forgotten all about it, but back in the day (way back) I used to use a Brillo pad (steel wool pad that has soap in it already) to clean white walls and RWL tires and they came out great.

 

Somehow I doubt that I'll get a free set of tires because these won't come white. But I'll contact them anyway.

Lol, haven't seen a Brillo pad in years!

 

Here ya go.........

 

Health and personal care? That's one heck of an exfoliator!

 

Be careful where you use them.............. ROFL

 

[QUOTE=Macadoo;770765]Somehow I doubt that I'll get a free set of tires because these won't come white. But I'll contact them anyway.

I hear you on that, but you paid for RWL's not RWYL's. It could be a bad lot number ya never know thats how recalls come about, They may not send you a new set of tires but a good discount on your next set with all that rubber your burnin' will come in handy LOL. I hope you get something from them.
Cheers
Eric

 

Okay, I finally got a few of the letters bright white. I stapled some 400 grit sandpaper to a block of wood (a sanding block) and really had at them. They did become a good bright white but I damaged the letters a little as I had to take quite a bit of rubber off. I'm going to wait a few weeks and see if it lasts. But I may still just go with a white marker. I don't want to do any more damage.