by Carwash Country
In case you haven’t noticed, spare tire covers get pretty filthy and need cleaning in order to last. If you have a Hummer or really any other vehicle that has a spare tire cover on the back, you need to know how to clean it properly to avoid dry-rotting, fading, or even cracking (if you have a plastic cover).
In this blog post, I’ll break down how to clean a plastic or canvas spare tire cover and a few best practices from an auto detailing perspective to keep them in optimal shape.
Note: If you have an older Jeep Wrangler, Bronco, or older vehicle you likely have a canvas or twill spare tire cover. These are very similar to soft tops and convertible tops and can be used with convertible top or canvas cleaners and protectants.
No matter what type of cover you have, the first thing you want to do is to use dish liquid and a soft-bristled brush to knock the loose dirt off. I like to use auto detailing brushes since they are great for textured plastic, but you can use a wider tire brush with soft bristles. Whatever brush you use just make sure that the bristles are clean.
The reason I like to use dish soap to start is because it doesn’t contain waxes or anything meant to protect your vehicle like many car wash soaps do.
Dish liquid is great for removing stuck on substances like grease and wax and are perfect for this type of application.
Once the tire cover is free of surface dirt, you can then begin removing stains or any other imperfections.
If you’re noticing dirt and other substances that still may be on the cover, you’ll need to make sure you use the right product depending on if your cover has a plastic shell or is made of a canvas type material.
If you’re noticing staining or embedded dirt, you may want to step up to a dedicated convertible top cleaner or canvas cleaner.
These products are formulated to restore these types of materials, and can be applied using a damp cloth.
If you have a convertible, a Jeep Wrangler, or other vehicle, I would highly recommend the Bestop Soft Top Care Kit. These products clean and protect this canvas-type of material and leaves no residue. You can learn more about this kit here on Amazon and read the reviews.
If you also have a soft top, you can check out this post I wrote on cleaning/protecting it (which is similar)
Believe it or not many of these tire covers are machine washable, however I would not recommend washing these in a machine if they can become stretched out over time. You’re really better off washing them by hand with a soft bristled brush since many vinyl covers are quite bulky as well.
If you have a plastic tire cover that has any type of design on it, you’ll want to protect it to avoid fading.
One product I like to use for cleaning plastic is M39 Mirror Glaze by Meguiar’s (they make a great line of professional products for plastics). This is a heavy-duty plastic cleaner and great for removing soiled plastic surfaces like a tire cover.
Why many people choose to use Armor All and other interior protectants on their tire covers, protectants really don’t do much to actually clean the pores of the plastic surface.
You can even go to the route of painting your spare tire cover if it’s an extremely bad shape assuming that it’s plastic.
Check out the video I created below that outlines how I like to clean prep and paint plastic surfaces:
The last step is to protect your tire cover from the sun, rain, snow and other elements.
Even though spare tire covers aren’t as close to the ground as your tires are, in my experience they are the first thing that dirty water contacts when running off your roof.
If you have a fabric cover (neoprene or canvas) I would recommend a spray-on product like RaggTopp Fabric and Vinyl Convertable Top Protectant you can find here on Amazon. It is a pretty expensive product since it is professional-grade and contains UV protectants.
Once you have your tire cover to a natural finish, a product like VRP by Chemical Guys can be used to apply a glossy finish that will really bring out the black color of most plastic tire covers.
Any soft foam sponge will work great as an applicator for this product, and can also be used on your trim to both protect and bring out the true color of the plastic.
When it comes to cleaning your vehicle’s spare tire cover, you obviously want to make sure you use the right product.
For fiberglass or painted tire covers, a simple spray-on car wax that you use to wash the rest of your vehicle will be just fine.
Over time, traditional canvas tire covers can get pretty faded out due to the sun’s UV rays, but if you clean and protect it regularly, you really can help avoid it looking faded and gross.
The more you protect your tire cover (like anything) the less difficult it will be to clean each time you wash the rest of your vehicle.
Hope it helps!
Understanding how to protect spare tire under truck is very crucial if you drive a truck. It is not unnatural for tires to wear out over time, whether in use or not. However, different factors are responsible for this gradual depreciation.
So, it doesn’t matter whether the spare tire sits under your truck all day long; it can also depreciate if not properly protected. Also, you may experience a case of theft without a proper protection structure for your spare tire.
Let’s see a few measures that can both enable you to protect your truck’s spare tire from wearing out even though not in use, as well as protect it from theft.
There are several ways to protect a truck’s spare tire from several damaging factors. Some of the protective measures include the following.
Using an under truck spare tire cover is a common measure to protect your truck’s spare tire. This cover is designed with rugged leather material and tough stretch cords.
The leather covering protects the tire from road salts, dirt or debris, and other chemicals that damage components underneath a vehicle. Note that the tire covers come in different sizes, so make sure you know the exact size you need if you want a 27555r20 tire cover.
It is crucial to protect your truck’s spare tire from theft. Besides protecting the tire from weather conditions, dirt, road salts, and other chemicals ensure your truck has a metal under-mount spare tire cover with locks.
The spare tire cover is designed with a metal plate, a rod, and in some cases, a chain to hold it in place. The metal spare tire cover has a lock spot where you can lock it up with a key to deter intruders. You don’t have to bother about theft with this component.
Furthermore, you can also get an aftermarket under truck spare tire bracket to protect the tire, especially from theft. The bracket is designed to fit in underneath the truck and hold the spare tire in place with bolts and nuts.
You can also contact an expert fabricator to forge a suitable under truck spare tire carrier or bracket for you. However, you must note that a spare tire bracket still exposes some parts of the tire to road salts, dirt, etc.
Therefore, you may have to get a leather spare tire bag to cover the tire first before fixing and holding it in place with the iron bracket.
There are a couple of recommended solutions you can implement to protect your truck’s spare tire from damage or theft.
Some of the recommendations include the following:
You can choose to use one or more measures to protect your donut spare tire from damages or theft. However, it is advisable to use both a leather spare tire bag and a bracket to protect it from damages and theft.
Of course, you need to cover your car’s spare tire properly. Exposing the spare tire will increase the possibility of quick damage. Since the tire stays without any covering, it is exposed to hot sunlight, water from rainfall, etc.
As the rain and sunlight consistently come in contact with the spare tire, the sidewall will start cracking. Also, the rubber will eventually become weaker over time, resulting in depreciation.
When this occurs, it will be risky to use such a spare tire because it is no longer structurally sound for use on a vehicle.
Otherwise, it can burst while running on the road, leading to a severe accident.
Yes, a spare tire cans dry rot if not in use for three (3) months and above. Tires are designed to be kept moist by oils and resins within the rubber. Constant downward pressure from coming in contact with the road helps to keep the oils active.
Therefore, leaving a spare tire for 3 months and beyond can make it dry rot, especially with rain and sunlight constantly beating hard on the component.
So, it is essential to figure out the best way to prevent your spare tire from dry rotting. Some of the following preventive measures can help you save your spare tire from dry rotting:
Of course, spare tire covers do work perfectly.
The cover protects the tire from direct sunlight, water (rainfall), cold, heat, wind, dirt, etc. By now, you have already known that these are some of the factors that damage a vehicle’s spare tire even though not in use.
So, if your car’s spare tire is exposed or not properly covered, ensure to get a nice spare tire cover for it as soon as possible. This will save you the financial stress of buying a new spare tire over time, especially when you need to use it; then, you realize it has depreciated so badly.
You can protect your vehicle’s steel rims from rusting by cleaning the wheels regularly, polishing them after a thorough cleaning, and plating the wheels.
Vehicle tires, like other components, are susceptible to wear and tear over time. However, vehicles with steel rims are often exposed to rust around the rims. Therefore, cleaning the rims with a balanced pH cleanser will help to get rid of brake dust and other iron contaminants.
Also, applying a nice polish over the surface of the rims will help cover up scratches and maintain a shining look on the rims. Meanwhile, ensure to plate your vehicle’s wheels to increase the aesthetic value and minimize oxidation effects.
Sure, you can wash tire covers. However, it is advisable to avoid washing this component with a washing machine. This is because the washing machine may leave deep scratches on the surface of the component. Sometimes, it may not also be able to access some tight or hidden areas when washing.
So, it is better to hand-wash your car’s spare tire cover with a liquid dishwasher, water, and a soft-bristled brush. Meanwhile, you may have to use dedicated cleaners to get rid of stubborn stains or dirt on the spare tire cover.
The simple purpose of a vehicle’s spare tire cover is protection. The component is designed to protect the tire from damages that result from direct sunlight, water (rainfall), wind, snow, dust, dirt, etc.
A spare tire without a cover will eventually depreciate over time, resulting in rubber weakness and cracked sidewall. Do not use this kind of spare tire (irrespective of the emergency) due to the risk of bursting while in motion.
Also, the cost of buying a new spare tire is an extra burden that you don’t want to bear when you can at least get a tire cover.
It’s a capital NO! A 20-year-old spare tire is completely not safe for use. Vehicle tires are designed to last around 6 – 10 years. Therefore, manufacturers recommend that you replace your vehicle tires every 6 years or 10 years at maximum.
Unfortunately, using old vehicle tires has been a major cause of road accidents. So, it is crucial to keep this in mind whenever you’re tempted to use a spare tire that has stayed up to 6 or 10 years, irrespective of the remaining tread. Changing a tire after the recommended period is very important.
This article has exposed a few measures on how to protect spare tires under-truck, especially from damages and theft.
If you own a truck with a spare tire underneath, ensure to implement one or more of the recommendations in this article. It will save you the stress of replacing a damaged spare tire when you need it the most.
Most car owners want to protect themselves from unpleasant incidents on the road, so they do not refuse extra insurance, namely, storage of a spare wheel. Consider the most popular methods of fastening the spare wheel and its further transportation in a car.
Trunk storage is the easiest solution. In the tire store you can find additional accessories that will greatly simplify the subsequent storage and attachment of the spare tire.
The most popular mounting methods are:
The spare wheel is located under the body at the outside rear of the vehicle. This method is suitable for owners of cars with a large trunk. To secure the spare wheel under the body, you will have to resort to using a reliable bracket so as not to lose the wheel while driving. In addition, it is better to buy a durable cover for the spare tire so that the additional component of the machine remains dry and clean in all weather conditions.
Attachment of a spare component to a light trailer is carried out in such a way that it is located under the bottom of the trailer body.
This arrangement of the wheel guarantees the safe operation of the vehicle. Fastening takes place using a bracket, which is used with all types of trailers with a V-shaped drawbar. The wheel is mounted from the bottom of the front body part with a bracket and fixed with special fasteners.
Despite the radical nature of such a decision, the appearance of the car will not only not suffer, but even become brutal. Manufacturers of modern crossovers and SUVs have long used this method of component storage. Using this method, the wheel does not take up space in the car and can be easily removed when needed. The only negative is the wear of the car door, the hinges of which do not always cope with the additional load.
After considering the methods of installing a spare wheel, we distinguish 4 main mounting methods:
Whichever type of bracket the motorist chooses, it must be equipped with a quality seat. When using flimsy equipment, wobble may occur, which will lead to a malfunction of the bracket or the vehicle itself. Choosing a strong bracket will protect the driver from unexpected accidents.
The question is quite logical: why do you need a spare wheel cover, because every standardized car has a special recess for this. A niche in the trunk area, for example, would seem to perfectly protect against any negative impact, adverse external conditions. At the same time, the wheel itself is always at hand. But today's time dictates its own rules:
Do you really need a spare tire cover? Many motorists are wondering. And here we recall this product, at least as an element of the image. Do you remember the beauty and style of SUVs that carried an unprotected spare tire, mounted on the back door of the car or on the trunk compartment. Today, the rear spare wheel looks even cooler in an ergonomic and aesthetic spare tire case, tailoring which can be ordered down to a millimeter in wheel dimensions!
If unprotected transportation of the wheel entails negative consequences, then a tight and reliable cover will solve all the problems of transporting the spare tire - it will not be afraid of ultraviolet rays, rain, snow and hail.
It will be possible to leave the car in the open air for an unlimited amount of time.
In the garage, by the way, it is also not always ideally dry, so the manufacture of covers for spare wheels today is a more than relevant thing! Damage, loss of required performance - all this will not be scary when storing the most important spare part of the car, wherever it is!
Before buying a cover for a spare tire, let's define some nuances. The main question is: do you need a standard, full-size case, or do you need to protect a non-standard spare part - a dokatka. It is slightly smaller both in terms of width and diameter. The purpose of the dokatok wheels is to be able to get to the nearest car service in order to fully replace the main attributes of the running gear:
Well, and accordingly, the materials for the manufacture of such covers differ. For temporary wheels, lightweight awning fabric is used for tailoring, covers for transporting a full-fledged spare wheel are PVC fabric of a denser weave.
Please note that the purpose of the covers is not only in the safe transportation of wheels in any part of the machine. If you prefer to store the spare tire in the garage, then this format will work best.
In addition, the products are ideal for storing a seasonal set of tires, covers will protect them during downtime from all negative influences.
Are you planning to change tires - from summer to winter? We advise you to order tailoring of wheel covers inexpensively from the manufacturer in order to always have reliable protection at hand for the most important part of the car! By the way, ordering four wheel covers is always a more cost-effective solution. Choose from covers as a set or individual protection.
If you contact a full-cycle manufacturing company "Tent Cover", you will receive premium quality products - covers for spare wheels, the price of which will be lower than the market average, and the level of workmanship will be at its best. Here it is also possible to sew a set of covers for storing tires inexpensively and in a timely manner. The advantages of the products are as follows:
Inspires optimism and service life - up to 10 years.
On the Tent Pouch website, each car owner can freely choose a cheap spare tire cover model in a catalog that is constantly updated. Or discuss the tailoring of covers for car wheels with the manager. Here - unlimited possibilities of execution:
