Why should tyre brushes climb your car cleaning priority list? For any keen petrolhead, a great deal of attention is always poured over having the right car cleaning products for sparkling alloys. You can clean them with a wheel cleaner or use a fallout remover to get rid of the embedded brake dust. If you like, you can use a clay bar and polish them and even seal them with a wheel-specific sealant.
In short, the market for alloy wheel cleaners is thriving. But while you can make your BBS Cross Spokes and Porsche Teledials look good enough to eat off, there isn't a massive amount of care directed towards the large bits of rubber that encircle them.
The best tyre brushes at a glance:
Editor's pick: Mothers Contoured Tyre Brush - view offer on Amazon.
Best for chunky tyres: Chemical Guys Big Blue Stiffy - view offer on Amazon.
Best tyre dressing applicator: Meguiar's X3090 - view offer on Amazon.
Tyres need to be cleaned semi-regularly to keep them looking their best. And owing to the properties of rubber, a proper tyre brush will do the job more effectively. You can also consider a dedicated tyre cleaner, so your tyres can look like they've just left the showroom.
The best tyre brushes:
Editor's pick
Via Mother's Mothers is a mid-range American car care company that offers a surprisingly large selection of quality brushes at affordable prices. We're giving Mothers Tyre Brush our top spot because it's so well-designed and has good value for money.
For a start, the brush is contoured to match the curvature of a sidewall, meaning those short, toughened bristles can cover the greatest surface area possible. The brush also features a rubber lip to keep alloys safe should the item be dropped. Best of all, the handle offers hand protection, very important if you've ever had the misfortune of clattering an alloy with your knuckles before. Its size means it may struggle on ultra-low profile tyres, but for anything with a fair bit of sidewall, this is our top choice.
Pros
- Effective in scrubbing off mud and grime
- Hand guard is useful
Cons
- May struggle on ultra-low profile tyres
The best heavy duty tyre scrubber
Via Auto Finessewww.eurocarparts.com
A fairly standard-looking brush (with an awesome name), Auto Finesse's Rubber Scrubber is our top choice for cleaning particularly mucky wheels. It's similar to the Mothers option in that it features a curved head for better tyre coverage and has super-stiff synthetic bristles for removing mud and other nasty tyre grime.
While the handle won't save your knuckles in the event of a collision, it is designed for maximum scrubbing power, handy for wiping away a winter's worth of tyre grime. When not in use, it can be hung from a hook for easy storage too.
Pros
- Stiff synthetic bristles
- Easy to store, thanks to hook
Cons
- No hand guard
Best tyre brush for chunky tyres
Via Chemical GuysDesigned primarily for cleaning the mammoth sideways of off-roaders, Chemical Guys Stiffy Brush makes use of stiff synthetic bristles to help strip away any mud, oil and grime that has embedded itself in a set of mud plungers.
Like the Mothers' example, it's designed to not leave scratches should it encounter paintwork and the handle is designed to be as ergonomic as possible. It won't be suitable for low-profile tyres, and it lacks that all-important knuckle protection. Still, it's our top choice for dealing with knobbly, off-road tyres.
Pros
- Ideal for chunky, off-road tyres
- Effective in removing mud
Cons
- Lacks hand guard
Best tyre brush for low-profile tyres
Via Gyeonwww.ebay.co.uk
After something a little smaller for cleaning sporty tyres? Look no further than this brush from Gyeon. While it may look more like a glorified nail brush than a tyre brush, it's still a really solid choice.
The brush makes use of tough fibres that are on the shorter side, perfect for smaller tyre profiles. It lacks a handle but is at least ergonomically shaped and wrapped in rubber for protecting alloys.
Pros
- Very ideal for low profile tyres
- Protects alloy wheels
Cons
- Lacks a handle
The best tyre dressing applicator set
Via Martin CoxWith a curved face made from soft foam, this Martin Cox applicator will deliver a consistent coating of tyre dressing. It's also an ergonomic design with slightly firmer foam used for the handle.
The only criticism we'd have is that the sponges are quite small, which could require patience for tyres with a larger surface area.
Pros
- Very effective in applying tyre dressings
- Soft texture protects rubber
Cons
- They aren't that big
Best tyre dressing applicator
Via Meguiar'sManufactured with a contoured handle to prevent your hands from getting messy, Meguiar's tyre dresser is designed with efficiency in mind.
Measuring in at 15 x 8 x 21cm, it can cover a slightly larger area than the Martin Cox brushes, though the difference isn't all that significant.
Pros
- Handle to stop your hands from getting mucky
- Very effective in applying tyre dressing
Cons
- Surface area isn't that great
How to best wash tyres
A decent tyre brush will help scrub away built-up mud and other gummed-in contaminants. However, it's always best to use a chemical cleaner to best cut through the grime and leave tyres looking factory-fresh. While it's perfectly acceptable to use a dedicated wheel and tyre cleaner from a brand like Autoglym, a strong all-purpose cleaner will also do the job perfectly fine.
What do I need to consider when buying a tyre brush?
Your number one concern should be how thick your sidewalls are when looking for a brush. Unlike dedicated wheel brushes, the stiff bristles of tyre brushes can scratch the face of an alloy wheel. So, it's a good idea to get one that's appropriately sized to prevent damage. While there's not a massive variation in the size of most tyre brushes, consider a larger one if you have chunky, off-road tyres with thick sidewalls. Similarly, consider a smaller one for the thin smear of rubber present on a track-ready sports car.
If you own a car with whitewalls or coloured lettering, take extra care with how much elbow grease you put in. This is because the brushes can strip away the painted finish.
Why should I use a dedicated tyre brush?
It's simple, really. Cleaner tyres will not only look better on a cleaned car, but the surface will also bond to a tyre dressing far better. This will, of course, leading to a longer-lasting shine.
What about tyre dressing brushes?
Short, toughened bristles are good for dislodging muck and other tyre detritus. However, they won't be much cop for evenly applying a coating of tyre dressing. Thankfully, proper tyre dressing applicators are relatively cheap. And it's possible to improvise one from household goods, meaning it should technically join the list of budget-friendly car cleaning products.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for CAR, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. With an MA in Automotive Journalism, when he's not testing buckets he can be found looking at old Porsches.
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