Which Tire Shine Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 10 tire shine options head to head. Car Guys came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Car Guys
Price shown in test: $18 for 18 oz or $1 per oz
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Jay Leno's Garage
Price shown in test: $9 for 16 oz or $0.56 per oz
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Black Magic
Price shown in test: $10 for 23 oz or $0.43 per oz
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“The Car Guys came in on top with the best overall average of 2.9”
Best in 2 of 6 measurements, including Wash Durability and Overall Average Score.
Best in 1 of 6 measurements, including Painted Panel Dirt Test.
Best in 2 of 6 measurements, including Dry Dust Resistance and Mud Wash Off.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Consistency Of Finish
- 1Car Guys
most consistent finish among the first several brands tested, nice dark and clean appearance
- 2Jay Leno's Garage
rated 1.5, most consistent finish among the first several brands tested
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing
looks similar to Car Guys with a bit more glossiness but not as dark
- 4Cerakote
less glossy than the Xtreme brand but a very consistent finish
- 5303
very high gloss, done the best job of a consistent wet look so far at the time it was tested
- 6ExoForma
glossier finish than Adam's but some areas glossier than others, darker look than Adam's
- 7Chemical Guys
not as consistent as Jay Leno's Garage, pretty inconsistent glossiness
- 8Armor All Extreme
a little more consistent than Black Magic but still pretty inconsistent
- 9Meguiar's
more gloss than Jay Leno's Garage but an inconsistent finish just like Armor All, also pretty oily
- 10Black Magic
very inconsistent finish with patches of high gloss and other matte areas, very sticky
Residue
- 1Car Guys
not much residue, but more of an oily finish than Jay Leno's Garage
- 2Jay Leno's Garage
least amount of residue of all products tested
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing
similar residue level to Car Guys, seemed a little less oily, one of the least oily finishes along with Jay Leno's Garage
- 4Cerakote
more residue than the Xtreme brand but not too oily or sticky
- 5303
oily residue on the tire, though not as greasy as Armor All or Meguiar's
- 6ExoForma
more residue than Car Guys and Adam's, had an oily feel
- 7Chemical Guys
a lot less residue than Black Magic, Armor All and Meguiar's, but more than Jay Leno's Garage
- 8Armor All Extreme
leaves behind an oily coating on the tire
- 9Meguiar's
a lot like Armor All with a pretty oily residue
- 10Black Magic
leaves behind a pretty sticky residue, the only product described as sticky
Wash Durability
- 1Car Guys1st place
after soap and water wash, leaving a very rich dark appearance
- 2Jay Leno's Garage6th place
after soap and water wash
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing3rd place
after soap and water wash
- 4Cerakote2nd place
after soap and water wash, still a very consistent appearance
- 53034th place
after soap and water wash, lost a lot of gloss but still had a rich dark appearance
- 6ExoForma5th place
after soap and water wash, lost some shine but still looked pretty good
- 7Chemical Guys7th place
after soap and water wash, no longer very shiny
- 8Armor All Extreme8th place
after soap and water wash, most of it washed away
- 9Meguiar's9th place
after soap and water wash, most of it washed away
- 10Black Magic10th place
after soap and water wash, still very inconsistent
Wheel Cleaner Resistance
- 1Car Guys
had great hydrophobic qualities before the wheel and tire cleaner, not much water resistance left after
- 2Jay Leno's Garage
no change after wheel and tire cleaner exposure, already had no water beading
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing
no change after wheel and tire cleaner exposure, water was never beading on the tire
- 4Cerakote
rated 1, best possible rating, performed even better than the Xtreme brand after wheel and tire cleaner exposure
- 5303
no change after wheel and tire cleaner exposure, started off without any water beading
- 6ExoForma
rated 2, still very good hydrophobic qualities after wheel and tire cleaner exposure
- 7Chemical Guys
started with great hydrophobic qualities but was wiped out by the wheel and tire cleaner
- 8Armor All Extreme
completely wiped out by the wheel and tire cleaner
- 9Meguiar's
wiped out by the wheel and tire cleaner
- 10Black Magic
wheel and tire cleaner caused a lot of damage to its hydrophobic qualities
Dry Dust Resistance
- 1Car Guys7th place
after driving on a dusty road
- 2Jay Leno's Garage3rd place
after driving on a dusty road
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing6th place
after driving on a dusty road
- 4Cerakote10th place
after driving on a dusty road, described as a magnet for dust despite great hydrophobic qualities
- 53035th place
after driving on a dusty road
- 6ExoForma8th place
after driving on a dusty road despite great hydrophobic qualities
- 7Chemical Guys9th place
after driving on a dusty road
- 8Armor All Extreme4th place
after driving on a dusty road
- 9Meguiar's2nd place
after driving on a dusty road
- 10Black Magic1st place
after driving on a dusty road, very little dust collected
Dust Rinse Off
- 1Car Guys6th place
- 2Jay Leno's Garage2nd place
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing1st place
described as amazing how clean a quick rinse left it
- 4Cerakote7th place
dust stuck even after rinsing with water
- 53034th place
- 6ExoForma8th place
holds onto dust
- 7Chemical Guys5th place
barely edged out Car Guys
- 8Armor All Extreme9th place
- 9Meguiar's10th place
really holds onto dirt
- 10Black Magic3rd place
Painted Panel Dirt Test
- 1Car Guys
tied near the top with Adam's, both performing very well
- 2Jay Leno's Garage1st place
very little dirt remaining on the panel
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing
tied near the top with Car Guys, both performing very well
- 4Cerakote
close with 303, both performing quite a bit better than the earlier brands tested
- 5303
close with Cerakote, both performing quite a bit better than the earlier brands tested
- 6ExoForma7th place
quite a bit better than Chemical Guys
- 7Chemical Guys8th place
- 8Armor All Extreme9th place
collected a very thick layer of dirt
- 9Meguiar's10th place
dirt really stuck to the panel
- 10Black Magic4th place
Mud Wash Off
- 1Car Guys2nd place
- 2Jay Leno's Garage6th place
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing7th place
performed well with dry dirt but mud was a problem
- 4Cerakote3rd place
great hydrophobic qualities
- 53038th place
- 6ExoForma4th place
excellent hydrophobic qualities
- 7Chemical Guys9th place
performed just slightly better than Meguiar's
- 8Armor All Extreme5th place
- 9Meguiar's10th place
still quite a bit of mud on the tire
- 10Black Magic1st place
All measurements (3 more)+
Water Repellency
- 1Car Guys
most hydrophobic product of the initial group, water was not getting past it
- 2Jay Leno's Garage
not repelling water at all
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing
not repelling water, similar to Jay Leno's Garage and 303
- 4Cerakote
by far the best at repelling water of all products tested, beading up nicely
- 5303
not repelling water, performing a lot like Jay Leno's Garage
- 6ExoForma
great job repelling water, similar to Chemical Guys
- 7Chemical Guys
repelling water just as well as Black Magic in the initial test
- 10Black Magic
did a better job of repelling water than Armor All in the initial test
- 8Armor All Extremenot tested
- 9Meguiar'snot tested
Gloss Rating
- 53031
highest gloss finish rating of all products tested
- 8Armor All Extreme2
- 9Meguiar's2
- 10Black Magic2
- 1Car Guysnot tested
- 2Jay Leno's Garagenot tested
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressingnot tested
- 4Cerakotenot tested
- 6ExoFormanot tested
- 7Chemical Guysnot tested
Overall Average Score
- 1Car Guys2.9
best overall average of all products tested
- 2Jay Leno's Garage32nd
close second overall average
- 3Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing3.13rd
third place overall average
- 4Cerakotenot tested
- 5303not tested
- 6ExoFormanot tested
- 7Chemical Guysnot tested
- 8Armor All Extremenot tested
- 9Meguiar'snot tested
- 10Black Magicnot tested
How it was tested
- initial glossiness and finish consistency rating on tires
- residue and oiliness assessment
- water repellency (hydrophobic beading) before and after exposure to wheel and tire cleaner
- dry dust and dirt accumulation on tires after driving on a dusty road
- dust wash off with a water rinse
- overspray and sling dirt and dust pickup on painted test panels
- mud accumulation and wash off on tractor tires
- overall average score combining finish durability and category ratings
“The Car Guys came in on top with the best overall average of 2.9”
