Hard tires can be dangerous and may hamper the car’s performance. To know what chemicals will soften tires, read this article.
People often rely on tread checks to measure the tire’s health, which can be fatal at times. Bearing the entire weight, tires are an integral part of the car. They keep you in contact with the surface; hence, it’s essential to have them at their optimum health.
If your tires have gotten older or haven’t used your car for 2-3 years, the chances are that your tires have turned hard.
Hard tires have a hard time asserting their grip on the surface, which can cause a sudden loss of grip, and you may lose control of your vehicle. Old tires have caused countless reported accidents, but do not worry. We are here to save you from misfortune; we’ll walk you through all the information you need. Let’s dive in!
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Why Do Tires Turn Hard?
Tires are made up of rubber, and rubber tends to get hard as it ages, mainly if it is not being used and has been idle for long. Tires come in varieties. There’s a soft one, a wide one, a hard one, a small one; you may have picked up the wrong tire that is not compatible with your car. In that case, change it immediately.
Other Reasons Why Tires Turn Hard?
Is it the wintertime? Winter may be good for you but not so much for your tires; tires perform much better in a warm environment. Extreme cold puts a lot of pressure on tires as it contracts the air inside them. It can also cause your tires to go flat as the contraction happens, the seal of the tire loses up, which causes leakage.
Chemicals That Will Soften The Tires
The use of chemical softeners is still quite controversial. If you are using it for the race, then be informed that some race forums do not accept tire softeners, resulting in a ban. Also, the chemical component used in this mixture can be dangerous. All precautions are essential. You will need – ⅓ Acetone, ⅓ Mineral fluids, ⅓ Transmission fluids.
Once you have all that, mix them well as required. Once the mixture is ready, pour it on tires and allow it to soak for 15-20 minutes before using your car.
Precaution: must be done in a well-ventilated area and wear masks.
- Avoiding waste: Do not pour the liquid solution directly from the container. If possible empty it is inside a pressurized can and use it as a spray or soak the liquid in a sponge and then apply it on tires. This way, you will avoid wastage and apply the solution more efficiently.
- Necessary precautions: Always wear rubber gloves, eye masks and cover your nose. These precautions are necessary, especially if you are mixing chemicals without any prior knowledge and experience. Do not interact with chemicals in a closed area with no ventilation. It can be hazardous.
- Tire breakdown: These short-term tricks aren’t meant for constant and prolonged uses. If you use these methods too often, you risk breaking your tires, which can be heavy on your pocket. Alternatively, do not soak your tires for too long. It can result in the bulging of tires, rendering them permanently useless.
Will Hardness Reappear After Softening?
The answer is yes. It’s a temporary solution. It will work for a while, but it will turn hard again if the environment is not favorable; if the temperature is too low, consider not using your car for a time. If the tire is too old, it’s time to replace it with a long-term solution. Using the solvent, again and again, may cause harm to your tires, so it’s better to replace the tires than to use it. It can cost you your life.
Is Buying Tire Softeners A Better Option?
Yes, buying is much better than making it at home. Those available in the market, whether online or offline, are well researched and experimented with and have greater efficiency and long-lasting effect compared to homemade one’s
What are Advantages:
- Well researched, before being available in the market, they are used on various types and conditions of tires.
- Better grip, softening the tires help them fit perfectly on roads.
- Less heat generation, soft tires have better grip, and they slide much less, which results in lee heat generation.
- Readily available, they are available at almost every repair center.
- Easy to store.
- Long-lasting.
- You won’t have to go through a possibly hazardous process of making a softener.
What are disadvantages
As long as you aren’t using softeners as a long-term solution, there are almost negligible disadvantages of using a commercially available tire softener. They can be heavy on the pocket, but that’s pretty much it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Simple Green soften tires?
Simple Green is an industrial-based cleaner and degreaser. It’s used on washable surfaces, such as sinks, tiles, carpets, and more to remove dirt, oil, and food residue. They can make your tires clean and shiny, but they are not advisable to be used as a tire softener. Simple green pulls out oils from the surface, which will result in the hardening of tires.
So, the answer is no. Simple green does not soften the tires.
Does PB Blaster soften tires?
PB Blaster is a penetrant used to loosen the rusted or frozen parts caused by rust or corrosion. It contains chemicals that help protect from further decay or rusting of metals, generally used for automotive, industrial, marine, and other metal equipment.
PB blaster works similarly to WD-40, a more commonly used product that helps soften the tires, so the answer is yes. PB blasters can soften tires.
Applying method :
Spray the PB blaster evenly on the hard tires, use a small object such as a brush for better distribution inside the treads.
Wrap the tires in a plastic bag. It will help soak the chemicals more efficiently.
Warm up the tires by leaving them out in the sun to increase the absorption rate.
Does bleach soften tires?
Bleach is a chemical compound of sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and calcium hypochlorite. It has many uses ranging from removing stains, water purifiers, anti-pesticide, waste disposal, anti-bacterial, and much more.
The effects of bleach are similar to intense sunlight, called “colloquially drying of the rubber.” Bleach is not advisable for tires, not even for cleaning, but people use it nonetheless. Prolonged use of bleach will cause your tires to dry out, crack, and lose elasticity. It breaks the polymer bonds and burns out layers of tires which may seem like it has made it more grippy.
So the answer is no. Bleach is hazardous and inadvisable. It should not be used on rubbery materials.
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Wrapping up
If your tire is turning hard and giving you a hard time, it is an indication that they are getting older. The older the rubber is, the harder it becomes;
or are not suitable for the current environment, but do not worry; many solutions are available. With the use of certain chemicals, products, and precautions, you can make your tires soft again and make them last a while longer.
We are always open to suggestions; If you have any, share them with us. Happy driving!
