Tyre Shine Test: CarPlan Wonder Tyres  200ml – £4.75

Having tested this product thoroughly and to the instructions we came to the conclusion that it is truly rubbish. The best thing about it – and something that we actually think is a good idea – is the sponge applicator which makes it easy to apply the product neatly and with no excess. You gently squeeze the bottle and apply slight pressure to the sponge which has a release valve inside and allows the liquid to come out neatly. Other manufacturers should definitely use this sort of device.

However, that’s where the positive come to an end. As a tyre shine, this product really is appalling. It didn’t leave a very good shine and after using it for around 20 – 30 miles in the rain, it had all but worn off. Even in sunny weather this product will only last a day or two at the most, and it did in fact leave the tyres looking worse than they were originally, with some bad streaks and a patchy finish.

It has to be said, CarPlan actually make some decent products, including tyre shines, but this one is a real let-down.

3/10 An awful tyre shine which should be avoided.

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Tyre Shine Test: ProShine Tyre and Trim Shine 8 fl. ounces (236.5 ml) – £7.95

We found that not much of the product needs to be used, and you can simply spray it straight onto a cloth rather than your tyres to save mess. The shine was quite deep and slick but it left the tyres a little too greasy and sticky for our liking.

It didn’t last overly well and was sightly messy to apply, plus, unless you spend a decent amount of time removing the excess it can easily flick onto paintwork. This product works better as a Trim Shine. See the Trim Shine Review.

6/10 The shine is deep, but doesn’t last very long and application is messy too.

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Tyre Shine Test: Mer Long Life Tyre and Rubber Dressing 500 ml – £7.09

Mer’s tyre dressing gave a nice wet look to the tyres. We found it easy to apply and totally non-fussy, plus no rubbing in or spreading around of the product is needed. At first the product looks streaky and patchy on the tyres, but after around 3 hours all that will have disappeared, leaving an even and deep shine.

A couple of negatives are that the tyres have to be very clean and dry otherwise the look of the shine won’t be anywhere near as good as it should be. Unfortunately, the tyres were left feeling quite greasy even a week after application, and the tyre shine will go all over your wheels as you spray it due to a heavy and wide spray pattern, and there’s no getting around it save going the whole hog and taping a cover in place over the wheel itself.

A big plus though, is that this product lives up to its name, lasts a good while and will still be there even after washing the car 5 or 6 times.

7/10 Left a deep and long lasting shine. Drying time and application can be a pain.

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Tyre Shine Test: CarPlan Tyre Slik 500 ml – £4.99

An aerosol spray. After cleaning the tyres thoroughly and drying them off, we applied a layer of the Tyre Slik. The finish was nice and gave them a silky look and whilst driving, which didn’t flick off onto the bodywork. We noticed that leaving it to ‘settle’ for a couple of hours before using the car gave the best results.

The more negative points are that it didn’t last well and vanished after only a couple of washes, and that if there’s even a slight breeze when applying it, the spray will easily get onto the paintwork and leave greasy marks which then needs to be wiped off afterwards. Quite a bit is needed before you can get a really good look on the tyre walls, meaning the can will be used up quickly.

5/10 Leaves a silky finish to the tyres but doesn’t last well and application can be a pain.

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Tyre Shine Test: CarPlan Tyre Shine Foam Cleaner 500 ml – £3.87

This stuff works well and is great for a cheap product. Simply spray on and leave to dry. Zero fuss, maximum effect. Don’t worry about the overspray onto wheels as it will evaporate anyway. Doesn’t flick off onto the tyres once it’s dry either.

Lasts well and leaves a deep shine plus it cleans off any light dirt on the tyres. As good as the nearest competition but cheaper in price.

8/10 An excellent tyre shine which lasts pretty well and is economically-priced.

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Armor All Tire Foam 500 ml – £4.99 / 16oz – $5.99

A nice and easy product to use. Simply spray it on (it comes out as a foam), leave it for around 10 or 15 minutes to dry and hey presto – one cleaned and shiny tyre wall. We liked the fact that there’s no mess at all with this. Sure, it does overspray onto the wheel, but it simply evaporates or dries up, leaving no mess at all. It dries fine but we noticed there was quite a bit of streaking on the tyre walls, but this was gone by the next morning.

The Armor All Tire Foam didn’t flick off the tyres onto the bodywork either as it dries quickly and to a non-sticky finish. You do need to clean off the tyres any excess mud etc first before applying it , but it does clean off stains and marks pretty well. The finish it left was more of a silky look rather than pure shine, but it still looked great. Price is good as not a lot is needed.

8/10 Worked well. It’s easy to use in cleaning and shining the tyres, but left a slightly streaky finish for the first 24 hours.

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Tyre Shine Test: Smartwax Smartdressing 150 ml – £7.44 / 473 ml – £9.00 / 16oz – $9.00

A gel. Immediately impressive. Only a very small amount is needed to give your tyres a very good look. It brings tyres back to life, it smells pleasant (coconut) which unusual for a tyre dressing but still a nice touch, leaves a non-greasy finish and lasts well in all weather conditions.

Smartdressing is really easy to apply, and no extra wiping in needed, as you just apply some of the product onto a cloth and wipe it onto the surface and that’s it! It leaves even old tyres looking like new. You can also use Smartdressing on your cars interior plastics and vinyl too, as it has no harsh chemicals in that will damage them. The price is very good as a little goes a long way.

Go for the larger 473ml size as you’ll get a whole 323ml extra for just £1.56 more!

9/10 Easy to apply, lasts a long time and leaves a really excellent finish.

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Tyre Shine Test: Turtle Wax Extreme Nano-Tech Tyre Gel 500ml – £4.98

A gel product. This is a fairly decent tyre shine which leaves a nice natural look and a ‘silky’ finish, and also protects them from UV rays too. As with the Meguiars Endurance Tyre Shine though, the tyres need to be very clean and dry before you apply it. Not good if you’re in a rush. It lasts a couple of weeks through bad weather and doesn’t flick onto your bodywork. A positive is the cheap price!

7/10 Very cheap and does do a decent job, not really enough shine though.

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Tyre Shine Test: Turtle Wax Wet ‘n’ Black 500ml – £4.99 / 23oz – $4.99

This tyre shine from Turtle Wax really does do exactly what it says. It’s easy to apply, either spray it straight on or spray onto a cloth (better with low profile tyres) and apply it that way. Whichever way you apply it though, there’s no need use a lot of effort rubbing it into the tyres, as it is fast-drying.

It leaves a deep, wet looking shine which will lasts for a good few weeks, no matter what the weather throws at it. We found that even if the tyres were dirty or wet, it would still go on fine, and it looked great. Don’t over-apply the product though, otherwise it will flick up onto your bodywork.

9/10 If you like your tyres nice and shiny, it’s excellent and only loses a point as you can get through a bottle of it fairly quickly.

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Valet PRO

Tyre Shine Test: ValetPRO Talos Protectant 500 ml – £8.63

(Formerly known as Valet Pro Protectant)

Talos Protectant is a versatile trim and rubber product. As a tyre shine it’s best to use Talos Protectant in a pump-action spray bottle either neat or diluted 1:1 with water.

Whichever way you choose to use it this is one of the best tyre products we’ve ever used before. To use it spray the Protectant onto your dry tyre, leave to settle for 10-15 minutes.

Make sure any excess is dabbed off the tyres with a sponge or cloth to save it flicking onto bodywork. In neat form you get a very good ‘wet look’, and diluted 1:1 you still get a hell of a good shine. For a slightly more less glossy finish, use it diluted 1:1.

Although the product looks greasy, it doesn’t attract dust, and dust won’t stick to the finish either. The Protectant lasts very well and will still look great after many miles of driving through all weathers. If used neat it can be expensive to use as a 500 ml bottle will go quickly, but used 1:1 it’s much more economical. (Can also be used on Interior Trim and Exterior Trim)

9/10 Amazing finish. One of the best we’ve come across for a classy look, plus it lasts for ages too.

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Before Talos Protectant is applied

After Talos Protectant was applied. We used it undiluted. Fantastic result.

50/50 split of before and after. The difference is stunning. Click image for a much larger view.

Close up view of the tyre. The shine and protection lasts for weeks.

Finished Result.

Try Valet PRO Talos Protectant for yourself:

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