VYNIL TIRES

Buffing with Scotchbrite has worked for me.

Here're a couple methods that not only dulls them down but weathers them fairly easily as well.

1. Coat them in clear flat and let dry thoroughly.
2. Grind up pastel chalk resembling the weathering you want into a re-closable, preferably zipper type, plastic bag, e.g. Glad lock, Zip lock, whatever. If the vehicle's on a base or diorama, using the diorama base material is of course an option.
3. Place tires into bag, zip it closed, and shake vigorously.
4. Let the bag sit for a few minutes so the dust settles some, then carefully remove the tires. Use tongs or anything except your hands, or you get big ugly fingerprints on them.
5. At this point you can either leave them as is and place them on the truck, or you can go one step farther and mist the tires with water. The water makes the chalks run, as the dust/grime would do on a vehicle that ran through some muck then got parked for a few hours.

Another method is to use a mix of clear flat and a dust color, e.g. Tamiya Buff or Polly Dust, mixed at @ 8 parts clear to 1-2 parts paint. Brush or spray as desired, although spraying helps blend the "color" in much better and offers a level of control. This method has the advantage of allowing you to weather wheels and truck at the same time.

I scuff them up with 400 grit sandpaper, sides and treads. Always worked for me. I'll be posting a Jag XJ220 in a couple of days in a.b.m.s. Waiting for the body to dry. You can see the effect then.

Chris

I use an abrasive kitchen clenser powder. I mix some water with it to make a paste, then using an old toothbrush I scrub the sidewalls of my tires.

It takes a lot of elbow grease but it dulls them up. and it won't rub off like paint or chalks. Experiment on how much scrubbing will give you the right result by using a back side of one of the tires as the result is not reversible.

Peteski