Road Trip Supplies - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

CamaroDreams07 · 08-27-2014, 11:50 AM

Cotton towels will destroy your paint. Not to get into another towel pissing match, just don't want any newcomers to read that and think it's OK.

myold88 · 08-27-2014, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Cotton towels will destroy your paint. Not to get into another towel pissing match, just don't want any newcomers to read that and think it's OK.

Here we go again, why is it not ok ? Because you don't sell them ?
My Camaro still looks new after 5 years. Please explain your statement.

DylanVK · 08-27-2014, 12:42 PM

I'll chime in - theres a few things...

Fiber consistency: Cotton being a natural fiber grows pretty much however it wants to, meaning that each individual fiber can vary in size, shape, etc. Even after combing this doesn't mean the individual fibers are consistent so you have a wild variation from strand to strand that can have finer spots and more abrasive spots in the same towel.

Microfiber on the other hand is engineered and features a very consistent, very uniform, identical strand size from end to end.

Fiber Size: As a point of reference a human hair is around 17 micrometers in diameter. A microfiber strand is 1/100th that size or 0.17 micrometers. A very fine cotton fiber is less than half the size of a human hair, or 10 micrometers.

Why does this matter - look at it in terms of abrasives. The lager the fiber the more coarse it will be when used for a towel. Microfiber is much much much finer per strand making it much more delicate for any surface.

Fiber Structure: the actual shape of the individual strands allows microfiber to trap small particles away from the finish more effectively than a cotton fiber. This diagram is ripped from Wikipedia, but it illustrates the fiber shape of MF vs. cotton very well

Linting and Deterioration: Cotton lints, quality microfiber doesn't (or shouldn't) MF features a stronger composition of each individual strand so it is less likely to lint. You can do a simple experiment at home that shows this. Wash a load of cotton bath towels and then put in the dryer. At the end clean out the lint trap and take notice of how much lint there is (this is all stray cotton fibers)

Repeat the process with nothing but microfiber towels... after the dryer is done odds are there will be ZERO lint there. Thats because microfiber doesn't shed its fibers and the fibers do not break as easily when wet or agitated like cotton does.

CCMADONNA · 08-27-2014, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myold88

Has Anyone else staying overnight in a motel gone out at 5 AM with the trash cans full of water and several wet motel bath towels ?
I've done this several times to keep my Camaro clean on long trips. Just can't drive this car dirty.... lol

The Ritz Carlton frowns on that.

myold88 · 08-27-2014, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCMADONNA

The Ritz Carlton frowns on that.

I know, but I'm outta Dodge by the time they find out- lol.

CamaroDreams07 · 08-27-2014, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myold88

Here we go again, why is it not ok ? Because you don't sell them ?
My Camaro still looks new after 5 years. Please explain your statement.

I don't sell anything lol. Your lack of research is not my responsibility.

JTruck · 08-27-2014, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myold88

I know, but I'm outta Dodge by the time they find out- lol.

You ask for an explanation of why cotton towels are not okay. You receive a detailed one from Dylan and chose to ignore it.

menendez1293 · 08-27-2014, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myold88

Here we go again, why is it not ok ? Because you don't sell them ?
My Camaro still looks new after 5 years. Please explain your statement.

Umm Last time I checked, Matt does not sell any detailing products. He might recommend what he has found to be the better products out of the ones he has tried, but not sell. He simply has a lot of knowledge and expertise in the subject and chooses to share it with the community.

AmericanMuscleCars · 08-27-2014, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myold88

Here we go again, why is it not ok ? Because you don't sell them ?
My Camaro still looks new after 5 years. Please explain your statement.

None of us here are taking a "jab" at you… We're trying to help you out thats all. I'm sure if a person who knew what to look for looked at your paint and showed you the damage you would understand. Just trying to educate people here thats all man.

hrpiii · 08-28-2014, 07:52 AM

Take something for Brake Dust/Wheel Cleaner. I have matte black rims and this really stands out on the car with long trips. Keep it simple, pack your towels. Even if you can find a coin carwash, you can stray it down with soap and use your towels to wipe down and dry. I have a lot of my stuff in travel bottles labeled, and they all fit in a little portable/collapsable cooler.

13lstuner · 08-28-2014, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTruck

You ask for an explanation of why cotton towels are not okay. You receive a detailed one from Dylan and chose to ignore it.

What? You mean that long response with detailed pictures in it? That must not be factual.

DylanVK · 08-28-2014, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrpiii

Take something for Brake Dust/Wheel Cleaner. I have matte black rims and this really stands out on the car with long trips.

Just don't take an color changing wheel cleaner like AWC+

No one needs that smell in their trunk LOL

08-27-2014, 11:50 AM	#15
CamaroDreams07 Drives: Slow V6 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: East Lansing, MI Posts: 9,361 View My Garage	Cotton towels will destroy your paint. Not to get into another towel pissing match, just don't want any newcomers to read that and think it's OK. __________________ [B]

08-27-2014, 12:42 PM	#17
DylanVK Drives: a few Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Colorado Posts: 507	I'll chime in - theres a few things... Fiber consistency: Cotton being a natural fiber grows pretty much however it wants to, meaning that each individual fiber can vary in size, shape, etc. Even after combing this doesn't mean the individual fibers are consistent so you have a wild variation from strand to strand that can have finer spots and more abrasive spots in the same towel. Microfiber on the other hand is engineered and features a very consistent, very uniform, identical strand size from end to end. Fiber Size: As a point of reference a human hair is around 17 micrometers in diameter. A microfiber strand is 1/100th that size or 0.17 micrometers. A very fine cotton fiber is less than half the size of a human hair, or 10 micrometers. Why does this matter - look at it in terms of abrasives. The lager the fiber the more coarse it will be when used for a towel. Microfiber is much much much finer per strand making it much more delicate for any surface. Fiber Structure: the actual shape of the individual strands allows microfiber to trap small particles away from the finish more effectively than a cotton fiber. This diagram is ripped from Wikipedia, but it illustrates the fiber shape of MF vs. cotton very well Linting and Deterioration: Cotton lints, quality microfiber doesn't (or shouldn't) MF features a stronger composition of each individual strand so it is less likely to lint. You can do a simple experiment at home that shows this. Wash a load of cotton bath towels and then put in the dryer. At the end clean out the lint trap and take notice of how much lint there is (this is all stray cotton fibers) Repeat the process with nothing but microfiber towels... after the dryer is done odds are there will be ZERO lint there. Thats because microfiber doesn't shed its fibers and the fibers do not break as easily when wet or agitated like cotton does. __________________ *1967 C/10 PROJECT TRUCK \| DETAILING EXPERT \| CRAFT BEER ENTHUSIAST* Last edited by DylanVK; 08-27-2014 at 11:08 PM.

08-28-2014, 07:52 AM	#24
hrpiii AKA "Beefcake" Drives: 2023 ZL1 Sharkskin Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indy Posts: 8,529	Take something for Brake Dust/Wheel Cleaner. I have matte black rims and this really stands out on the car with long trips. Keep it simple, pack your towels. Even if you can find a coin carwash, you can stray it down with soap and use your towels to wipe down and dry. I have a lot of my stuff in travel bottles labeled, and they all fit in a little portable/collapsable cooler.