ericsan13

Hey Club Lexus detail enthusiasts,

I was looking for a permanent tire gloss system since I am lazy and I stumbled on Permagloss and Tuf Shine via Club Lexus. Both tout themselves as "permanent" - we'll put their name to the test.

First off, both products appear to be from the same manufacturer. They are from different area codes, but you will see that they use similar bottles, same sponges, and neither are silicone-based.

I will be applying these on brand new (only 42 miles) Michelin Premier LTX 235/55R20 tires on my new 2016 RX450h F Sport. I have followed their instructions to the letter. All tires were washed 7 times. Only the base coat was used for the Permagloss Tires. Both coatings were applied in 70F-79F weather in the shade. For Permagloss tires, I applied two base coats and two finish coats. For Tuf Shine tires, I applied two coats.

Glossary:

• PG = Permagloss
• TF = Tuf Shine
• LF = Left/Driver Front (Permagloss)
• RF = Right/Passenger Front (Tuf Shine)
• LR = Left/Driver Rear (Tuf Shine)
• RR = Right/Passenger Rear (Permagloss)

Special thanks to Zach (zmcgovern4) for providing me with a 6oz bottle of Tuf Shine for this test. Permagloss was $56.24 including shipping.

Note that I am not in anyway affiliated with Lexus, Michelin, Permagloss, or Tuf Shine. What you do with this information is your own responsibility. I am just a normal guy who likes easily and well maintained cars.

Finally, the full album can be found below which is where I'll be adding the photos I take beyond what I post in this thread. All photos will be taken with a DSLR when possible and I will be using the same settings when shooting all four tires.
https://www.clublexus.com/g/album/5429928

-Eric

ericsan13

Test subject: New Michelin Premier GTX 235/55R20 tires with only 42 miles on them.


Took roughly 60 minutes to clean all tires. It was not easy work and I would not want to do it again. Spray the cleaner into the brush to avoid getting cleaner on the car.


Adding the PG base coat already added shine:


PG finish coat foams a little but not as much as Tuf Shine. Tuf Shine was much easier to get into tight spaces. Consequently one Tuf Shine coat could be applied in a fifth of the time it took to apply one coat of PG base coat + finish coat. For the price of Permagloss, they really should've included a separate sponge (one for the base coat and one for the finish coat). Picture below is of roughly 10 drops of PG finish coat.


Total time to clean and apply was about 2.5 hours.

ericsan13

Permagloss is supposed to fully cure in 24-48 hours and I did not drive since applying each product. Left side sunny, right side shaded.

I'll be going on a 500 mile road trip this weekend. We'll see how PG and TS hold up.

satiger

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Eric for doing this and sharing with us. Based on experience so far, which one do you prefer, PG or TS?.

Looking forward to your 500 miles report .

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Thanks for doing this review. After 10 months, my Tufshine is starting to 'fade'. I washed my tires with regular car soap, added a single fresh coat and it now it's back to its original shine. This was done about a month ago and it's still looks like I just put on the coat. Most tire dressing I've used quickly faded after a rainstorm but this one held up much better.

ericsan13

I prefer TS so far since it is much easier to apply. One coat of TS takes half the time of a PG finish coat or a third of the time of a PG base coat. Not to mention you only need 2 coats of TS vs 4 coats of PG.

Hopefully the extra effort will mean that PG is more permanent.

popping

awesome write up and pics!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Great info so far... look forward to your long term results!

ericsan13

Warning: Potential purchasers of Permagloss. I noticed that I used a little more than half my bottle of Finish Coat when applying 2 coats to only 2 tires. I would not have enough to coat the two remaining tires and definitely not enough to maintain the finish.

Upon contacting Permagloss, they first questioned my usage of Finish Coat and the size of my tire. I let them know I had no problem with base coat and that I have a smaller than average sidewall for a SUV. They offered me 50% off a second Permagloss kit. Finally after several more emails, the best they could do was offer me a free bottle of Finish Coat but I would have to pay the $14 shipping.

I went for this option since I would like to see long term results, however keep your tire size in mind when you purchase Permagloss. I think it's pretty ridiculous that a $56 product cannot cover 4 tires with two layers of Finish Coat.

Here are their own claims per their website:
"This Tire Treatment Kit is designed to treat four tires on most standard passenger cars, light trucks and SUVs with standard sized tires, and includes enough Base and Finish Coat to treat each tire several times."

This is in the instructions:
"Tires treated with Permagloss for the first time will require two to three coats of Finish Coat"

Anyway you will see in the following pictures whether or not Permagloss is worth it however my initial thoughts are that it is not worth it.

ericsan13

42 hours - fully cured and shiny:


Many miles later and several rainy days and neither PG or TS are glossy anymore:


A wash mitt and soap did not restore the shine of either product.


So far my observation is that they appear to perform equally well. Only time will tell on the Permagloss and the next check-in won't be for a while. I won't be refreshing either coat until then.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

I observed the same thing on my wife's car years ago when I tested Tuf Shine. The gloss fades very quickly, but they maintain that satin look for much longer. The tire still looks better than bare rubber, but to me it is a bit misleading as consumers would expect the just dressed, glossy look to last far longer than a couple weeks based on the description of both products.

Thanks for the detailed pics & info so far!

ericsan13

Yeah it's crazy, in only 10 days all that effort I put in has basically faded to a satin finish. I guess nothing beats reapplication and it's impossible for us to be lazy. In this regard at least Tuf Shine gives you 6oz whereas Permagloss' 1oz is sure to be inadequate.

ericsan13

ericsan13

After a long road-trip, 81 days, and 2810 miles since I applied both products, you can see that there basically no difference between them. I think it's a pretty safe conclusion to save your money and go with Tuf Shine. I can't stand the look of my tires anymore and I'm going to re-coat them. I think it's pretty safe to say that this test is over!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the update!