Taking care of your car involves more than regular washing and the occasional wax. Tire care can be easily overlooked, but it’s an essential part of auto maintenance. While tire shine products may be viewed as purely aesthetic items, in reality, they can drastically improve tire health. Tire shines are formulated to prevent damage from harmful UV rays, grime, and other contaminants while providing a high-quality appearance.
Choosing the right tire shine for your tires is essential to keep them looking and feeling new. Our expert review team has tested and ranked the five best tire shines on the market so you can make a sound decision.
5 Best Tire Shines
- Best Overall: Chemical Guys TVD-107
- Runner-Up: Turtle Wax T-18 Wheel and Tire Cleaner
- Best Gloss: TriNova Tire Shine
- Thickest Coat: Chemical Guys Silk Shine
- Also Consider: Adam’s Wheel and Tire Cleaner
#1 Best Overall: Chemical Guys TVD-107
Chemical Guys TVD-107 is our top choice because of its long-lasting shine and UV protection. Its gel texture makes choosing the amount you want to apply easy, and it requires little effort to scrub it into treads. It’s also the least messy of the products we tested, which is a significant feature other tire shines don’t offer.
Key Features
- Available in 16.0-oz or 1.0-gallon sizes
- VRP (Vinyl, Rubber, Plastic) gel
- Wet shine
- Light tropical scent
- UV protection
Our Experience
We especially like the TVD-107’s versatility. The geniuses at Chemical Guys created a formula that’s not only suitable for rubber but also vinyl and plastic, so the TVD-107 doubles as an interior cleaner, too.
- Application: Due to its gel texture, the TVD-107 was very easy to apply and required no additional spraying or water.
- Shine: It produced a high gloss wet shine on the whole tire, including in between the treads.
- UV Protection: The TVD-107 has advanced UV protection to prevent future fading and cracking.
| Overall Rating | 5 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Application | 5 |
| Shine | 5 |
| UV Protection | 5 |
What Customers Are Saying
With over 21,000 Amazon reviews, the TVD-107 averaged 4.6 out of 5 stars. Nearly 80 percent of these were 5-star ratings, with customers raving about glossy finishes with no hassle.
Some negative reviews comment about the TVD-107’s lackluster finish on plastic compared to rubber and vinyl.
What Is It Good For?
Whether you’re a beginner or veteran in auto detailing, Chemical Guys TVD-107 tire shine can handle any wear and tear a tire may have. We recommend this product for anyone who wants a tire that will look brand-new for months to come.
#2 Runner-Up: Turtle Wax T-18 Wheel And Tire Cleaner
This tire shine is our runner-up because of its effectiveness in both tire and wheel cleaning. The Turtle Wax T-18 Wheel and Tire Cleaner creates a remarkable rim shine while also providing a protective barrier for your tires. And we love its foaminess that makes for easy scrubbing.
Key Features
- Can be purchased as a part of various kits
- Glossy finish
- UV protection
- Light fresh scent
- Biodegradable formula
Our Experience
- Application: The T-18’s fluid texture made it perfect for spraying and it spread evenly across our car’s tires. It also scrubbed onto rims with ease for a great finish.
- Shine: Our tires and rims had a bright sheen after a single use. We used little of this product to get big results.
- UV Protection: The T-18 created a protective barrier against UV rays that stays resilient between washes.
| Overall Rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Application | 4.5 |
| Shine | 5 |
| UV Protection | 5 |
What Customers Are Saying
Over 4,600 Amazon customers gave the T-18 tire shine an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Around 70 percent of these reviews are 5-star ratings, with popular feedback praising how few sprays were required per use.
Many of the positive reviews note the economy of the T-18 and how well a single bottle could clean multiple sets of wheels. However, some negative reviews claim the T-18 requires a few layers before creating a proper finish.
What Is It Good For?
If you want your rims and tires to be equally gleaming, choose the Turtle Wax T-18 All Wheel and Tire Cleaner. It’s a superb two-for-one combo that dazzled our review team with its ease of use and brilliant shine.
#3 Best Gloss: TriNova Tire Shine
TriNova Tire Shine Spray produces the glossiest shine of all of the products we tested for a thoroughly wet look. Its polymer additives create a water-resistant coating with a sleek black shine. TriNova also includes an applicator pad.
Key Features
- Comes in 18.0-oz spray or 1.0-gallon jug
- High gloss finish
- UV protection
- Nice smell
- Free applicator pad included
Our Experience
- Application: Using the spray bottle was straightforward, plus we enjoyed the feel of the applicator pad. However, it made scrubbing into the treads difficult. TriNova also recommends waiting 15 minutes before removing, which was longer than the other shines we tested.
- Shine: The Trinova easily created the most glaring shine out of our testing products. We attributed it to the extra gloss enhancers included in TriNova’s shine formula.
- UV Protection: Because of the TriNova’s thick coat, our tires were UV protected well.
| Overall Rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Application | 4.5 |
| Shine | 5 |
| UV Protection | 5 |
What Customers Are Saying
On Amazon, over 5,400 customers give the TriNova 4.5 out of 5 stars. About 75 percent of these are 5-star ratings, with positive reviews admiring the TriNova’s longevity compared to competitors.
While many of the reviews are positive, some negative reviews express disappointment with dry patches on their tires.
What Is It Good For?
If you’re searching for an extra glossy tire shine spray, look no further than TriNova. This shine will give you that new tire look without having to buy the rest of the car.
#4 Thickest Coat: Chemical Guys Silk Shine
Similarly to the TVD-107, our other Chemical Guys feature for best tire shines is an all-around workhorse. Its VRP formula works well across various surface types to provide a great clean.
Key Features
- Comes in a variety of package deals with other Chemical Guys products
- UV protection
- Spray-on shine
- Glossy finish
- Satisfying new car smell
Our Experience
- Application: The Silk Shine spread easily across our tire and soaked into the treads well. One thing we noticed was the bottle had a problem with overspraying due to its trigger design, so getting a direct shot was nearly impossible. The shine, itself, was also watery, so drips of shine were hard to control.
- Shine: After wiping down the tires, we found a pleasant shiny coat had formed.
- UV Protection: Silk Shine offered strong UV protection with its thick coat.
| Overall Rating | 4.7 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Application | 4 |
| Shine | 5 |
| UV Protection | 5 |
What Customers Are Saying
Amazon customer reviews were high on Chemical Guys Silk Shine, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from more than 8,000 reviews. A total of 82 percent of these reviews are 5-star ratings.
Although there are a good number of positive reviews emphasizing satisfaction with quality shines, the top three most liked Amazon reviews are negative. These few reviews argue that the Silk Shine works well with tires but not on other surfaces as advertised.
What Is It Good For?
For a sturdy wet tire shine that can be used on more than just tires, consider checking out Chemical Brothers Silk Shine tire spray. It may take careful aim to spray it just right, but the attention to detail can be worthwhile.
#5 Also Consider: Adam’s Wheel And Tire Cleaner
Amazon’s Choice for best wheel cleaner, Adam’s Wheel and Tire Cleaner has a non-greasy formula that’s safe on a variety of finishes. It can also help extend your tire dressing’s life. A key feature that we like about this product is that it targets built-up brake dust.
Key Features
- Comes in 16.0-oz or 1.0-gallon sizes, brushes available
- UV protection
- Spray-on cleaner
- Pleasant aroma
Our Experience
- Application: While the shine itself made for easy application on tires and wheels, the bottle was poorly designed and broke early into testing. This made measuring the right amount of soap difficult.
- Shine: Adam’s cleaner left a gentle shine on the tire. One coat was enough to leave a decent shine, but we believe a second coat provides the best results.
- UV Protection: Adam’s tire shine has advanced UV protection for any level of sun exposure.
| Overall Rating | 4.4 out of 5 |
|---|---|
| Application | 4 |
| Shine | 4.5 |
| UV Protection | 5 |
What Customers Are Saying
Out of about 4,000 Amazon customer reviews, Adam’s Tire and Wheel Cleaner has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, with 77 percent of reviews being 5 stars. Top reviews are mixed, with negative reviews citing poor performance getting the most likes. Positive reviews claim otherwise rank close behind.
What Is It Good For?
Diehard auto detailers may want to steer towards our other choices, but for a basic tire shine at a bang-for-your-buck price, Adam’s Tire and Wheel Cleaner is a steal.
Our Review Standards
The best tire shines in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by searching Amazon for top products, looking at factors like Prime shipping eligibility, customer ratings, Amazon superlatives, and prices. Our product testing team ordered the five best tire shines that met these standards.
Best Tire Shines Testing Process
A team member tested each product on a car, taking note of the glossiness each tire shine produced, ease of application, and the level of UV protection. Each tire shine was given a rating out of 5 stars based on this criteria.
- Application: Tire shines come in two textures: gel and spray-on. While most spray-ons have greater liquidity and are applied directly to the tire, gels are applied to a microfiber towel and must be rubbed in manually. Some tire shines must also be washed off after application, while others simply soak in without rinsing. It’s important to maintain an accurate spray pattern while applying to avoid tire sling, or when a shine accidentally misses the tire surface and stains sidewalls or other non-rubber elements.
- Shine: Not only does a high gloss shine produce a better aesthetic appearance, but it prevents dirt and grime from building up over time. By preventing this build-up, shine-protected tires also prevent additional contaminants from being thrown against the wheel wells of your car.
- UV Protection: Over time, ultraviolet light can have adverse effects on your tires such as yellowing, fading, and cracking. Tire shines with high UV protection act like sunscreen for your car’s tires, keeping them safe from the Sun’s harmful rays.
In order to obtain the best results, we tested each tire shine separately on dirty tires and recorded the before and after results. All tire shines were used according to their manufacturer’s instructions for application.
Tire Shine Bottom Line
Tires are often one of the dirtiest places on a car. It’s time to clean them up with one of our favorite tire shines. Whether you go with the Chemical Guys TVD-1o7 for that perfect finish, or with the TriNova for that glossy, wet look, you cannot go wrong with any of the options we reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
*Data accurate at time of publication.