Solvent-based vs water-based tire shine: what changes at the pump

How the two dressings differ

Nearly all tire dressings contain silicone. According to trade coverage of the two types, the solvents in solvent-based products are classed as volatile organic compounds, which face growing regulation. Water-based products avoid most of that solvent. Which one suits your wash depends on your customers, your applicators and your local rules, so we won't try to pick one for you.

Two practical points do matter for pumping. Products can differ noticeably in thickness, which affects how much a pump delivers at a given speed. And solvent products can be flammable, so their safety data sheet should guide where you store them and how you ventilate that space.

What stays the same on a Doza Pump

• Tubing: black Tire Shine tubing for both solvent-based and water-based dressings.
• Flow rate: 0.1 to 3.0 mL/s.
• Tubing life: about 100 pumping hours. DozaLink tracks it and warns you at 80% and 100%.
• Trigger: a set amount per controller signal is the usual choice for a dose per car.

What changes: calibration

A pump's delivery depends on the product in the tube, so calibrate with the dressing you actually use, at the flow rate you actually use. Here is the method:

1. Prime the pump, and hold the outlet over a container.
2. Run a test dose at your working flow rate.
3. Measure what came out. With a scale, weigh it in grams, and divide by the specific gravity on the product's safety data sheet to get mL. For example, 48 g of a product with a specific gravity of 0.96 is 50 mL.
4. Save the measured amount, then run it once more to check.

Calibrate again whenever you change dressings or replace the tubing. The device keeps up to 8 calibrated flow rates for each pump and tubing type.

Setting a dose per car

Start from your applicator maker's recommendation, then watch the results. Trade coverage reports newer online applicators averaging about one fluid ounce per car, which is about 30 mL, but the right amount for your site depends on the product, applicator and vehicle mix. At 3.0 mL/s, a 30 mL dose takes 10 seconds, so check that this fits the time your cars spend at the applicator.

Compare dressings on cost, not price per gallon

A cheaper dressing is only cheaper if you use the same amount of it. Compare what each costs per application:

In this made-up example, the dressing with the lower price per gallon costs more per car. These are example prices and doses, not measurements of any product. Metering each one and recording the result lets you run this comparison with your own numbers.

See the full tire shine setup, or tell us which dressing you run.