Chemical Guys Tire & Trim Gel Review: The Ultimate Tire Care Solution?

• October 26, 2022
• Story By
  Mike Garrett

Auto enthusiasts have always had an interesting relationship with tire shine and tire care products: some have their favorite go-to product and others are adamantly opposed to the wet, sheen look that so many of these products provide.

To Shine or Not to Shine

As for me, I've always fallen somewhere in the middle, applying the stuff when I feel my tires need it, but at the same time being totally fine the "natural look." Ideally, I'd prefer a tire that looks "new" rather than one that's been obviously shined up.

When I recently I installed a set of Nitto NT05 tires on my new C5 Corvette project, the tires were sitting in the shop for a while before I was ready to mount them up gathering dust before the typical scuffs and stains that happen when they get mounted.

So after getting them on the car, I wanted something to clean the tires up a bit. That's when my dad recommended Chemical Guys Tire + Trim Gel, something he'd been using on his own vehicles for a few months.

It's a dressing that is applied directly to the tire surface, either with one of Chemical Guys' own applicator pads or your own alternative. 

And having heard good things from friends about other Chemical Guys' products, I was excited to see how it'd work.

Applying it is easy, you simply apply a few drops of the gel to your applicator and then wipe it around the tire. You don't need much at all to do the trick, meaning even a small bottle should last you a long time.

How Does it Look?

So how does it look? Well, to give you an idea of how impressed I am I've since applied the same stuff to some of the other vehicles in the household, including my Ridge Grappler equipped Escalade EXT.

I also applied a coat to the Nomad Grapplers on the family RAV4 Prime, which were still dirty from my adventures at an off-road park.

At the moment you apply it, the tire sidewall will indeed have a bit of that wet, shiny look but it's not nearly as "oily" or greasy looking as other products I've used.

To put it another way, it won't be distractingly shiny when you look at your tires from a distance.

But what really makes the gel impressive it is how long it lasts. As I write this it's now been well over a month since I first applied the gel to my Corvette, and the tires still look great—even after driving on some dusty country roads.

More Than Just Tires

I should also mention that gel isn't just made for tires, it also does the same job of restoring and protecting on black plastic trim that's on so many of today's cars.

This added feature will come in especially handy for those who own older pickups or SUVs or crossovers where the plastic trim and cladding often has a tendency to turn gray or brown after being exposed to the elements. And the application process for trim parts is the same as the tire as themselves.

While I'm not an expert on tire car products, the Tire & Trim Gel has been the most effective product I've used. It's affordable, easy to apply, and it gives the right look—best of all it lasts a long time. 

The next time you are trying to make a choice from the vast number of tire care products out there, I'd suggest giving this one your consideration.