# Does snow foam really work???



## tmitch45

Just playing devils advocate here and asking a brave question - Does snow foam really work???

The reason I pose this question is I've used various makes of the stuff for a few years and each time I think has it actually made it better than just pressure washing. I've always thought that well its quite good fun and it can't do any harm. Yes when the car is soaking wet after foaming it looks clean but if you let it dry its still flithy. I've tried different mixes and settings with the foam lance with no improvement in outcome. The car usually has a good layer of wax on to.

Today I decided to use Chemical guys no touch snow foam and was quite excited at the prospect of a product that may remove most of the dirt. I used it on my focus first which has no wax. I mixed 1/2 inch in a 1/2L foam bottle with hot water and foamed the dry car and left for a good 5-10 mins. Even with the highest mix setting on the lance the foam was a little watery for me. I pressure washed off the foam and unintentionally let the side nearest the sun dry and it was still really dirty. So onto the next car this time I rinced the car first and then applied as before this time with 3/4inch mixture in an attempt to get thicker foam. The foam was pretty much the same and after pressure washing off there were still areas of dirt it hadn't touched. Now neither car has a good layer of wax but I would have expected more. To make matters worse there was copious amounts of foam on the driveway and in the road which had formed large chuncks which were not dissapearing. In fact it took me 20mins to hose the drive and road outside mine and the neighbours house, something I've never had to do before! I'm using a Karcher PW with foam lance from one of the traders on here (can't remember which) its got a brass connection to the PW, a red knob on the side for adjusting the mixture and a black placstic end that twists to adjust the spray pattern 

Did I expected too much?
Does it sound like I'm doing something wrong?
Could my foam Lance be broken as the mix did seem weak to me.


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## -Raven-

Generally, yes snow foam works. Might not be 100% touchless wash (you're expecting too much by the sounds of it) but it is still removing dirt, breaking down oils and grime, and softening what ever is left. The more crap you can get off your car without touching it, the better.

I don't use a specific snow foam, any shampoo will foam. I like to use either a citrus wash, a truck wash, or APC in my foam lance.


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## Subc

Personally have tried a few Snow Foams and the best in my opinion for nearly No touch cleaning was Bilt Hamber.Snow foam is great on winter salt as its so abrasive and its bound to remove the heavier particles. Summertime well I am not so sure if a good soak with a hose is just as good before washing. Mind you its great fun  PS have ordered some of the Red Snow Foam from Shinerama so must take a pic.


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## Bill58

I think it is great for getting road salt off at this time of year. I leave it on for about 20 minutes then power wash it off.


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## dachshound

You didn't do anything wrong.
Sounds like you have a Autobrite foamgun, they're very good for snowfoaming.

But I understand your questions, I just sold my Autobrite HD foamgun on a dutch detailing forum.

Been using it for 2 years now; used it with all kind of foams and dillution-rates.
Except for the fun-factor and a bit loosening of some grime and dirt I saw no big results in pre-cleaning.
At least not more than a pressurized handpump with a dilluted APC solution couldn't do also... or a great produkt like AF CitrusPower in combination with a pressure-washer.
The pressure-washer and it's strength played the bigger part for me in the combination of foamgun and pressure-washer.


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## tmitch45

dachshound said:


> You didn't do anything wrong.
> Sounds like you have a Autobrite foamgun, they're very good for snowfoaming.
> 
> But I understand your questions, I just sold my Autobrite HD foamgun on a dutch detailing forum.
> 
> Been using it for 2 years now; used it with all kind of foams and dillution-rates.
> Except for the fun-factor and a bit loosening of some grime and dirt I saw no big results in pre-cleaning.
> At least not more than a pressurized handpump with a dilluted APC solution couldn't do also... or a great produkt like AF CitrusPower in combination with a pressure-washer.
> The pressure-washer and it's strength played the bigger part for me in the combination of foamgun and pressure-washer.


Thats good to know mate as I thought it was just me (it still could be). Lots of people rave about them but I've not been sure for a while and TBH its a bit of a faf. Also I found that in the sunshine today it streaked really bady after around 5 mins even though the air temp was about 4 degrees. I'm gonna wax the cars next weekend when I have more time and see if the snow foam is more effective on a waxed car.


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## alan hanson

it works just think some peeps expect too much from it


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## spursfan

look at it another way, all the pros on here use it, so i figure there's something in that.
I also use it and now that i have had Magifoam for the past year, results are far better than the first foam i tried.
Magifoam allows me to get a really good clean without having to touch the car in any way, usefull when it this B****dy cold:thumb:

Kev


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## tmitch45

alan hanson said:


> it works just think some peeps expect too much from it


That what I'm asking. I've just noticed your avitar Alan and I couldnt gat the foam to be anything like it is on your car in the pic mate so I guess it could be me or the lance?

Spursfan - thats what I'm hoping for dont expect 100% clean results from a foam and PW but at the mo i'm nowhere near that.


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## spursfan

tmitch45 said:


> That what I'm asking. I've just noticed your avitar Alan and I couldnt gat the foam to be anything like it is on your car in the pic mate so I guess it could be me or the lance?
> 
> Spursfan - thats what I'm hoping for dont expect 100% clean results from a foam and PW but at the mo i'm nowhere near that.


Have you tried Magifoam? it's very good, theres also one from Chemical guys that gets good reviews.


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## tmitch45

I'm using the Chemical Guys no touch foam which has had loads of good reviews which is why I'm confused and think i'm doing something wrong as everyone raves about it!


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## vRS Carl

tmitch45 said:


> I'm using the Chemical Guys no touch foam which has had loads of good reviews which is why I'm confused and think i'm doing something wrong as everyone raves about it!


I don't think your doing something wrong. I have the same stuff and it works very differently to Valet Pro PH Neutral.

I used this much Chem Guys No Touch at first, mixed with hot water and a touch of shampoo. However like you even on the strongest mix through the lance it didn't foam very well. I had to effectively double the amount to get it to foam properly.










With the VP PH Neutral i used half the amount in that pic and it would foam nicely.

What i do now is mix half Valet Pro and Half Chem guys to make the amount in the pic above, add a drop of shampoo and fill with hot water. This seems to give me what i was expecting in terms of dwell time and thickness of the foam.

I found it good today for getting a lot of the salt off the car but it certainly isn't a single solution for cleaning in any way shape or form (as alluded to in the reviews which prompted me to buy it!!)

Maybe we have different salt here but even after 20 mins on the car and rinse of with PW the car is nowhere near as clean as the pics in the group buy/reveiw thread for it.


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## redspudder

i purchased CG no touch SF last year after reading good things about it,used it three times (at different ratios) and sold it on i just found it very watery.But its like other products its finding whats best for you,i use cherry SF from a local lad non branded and i have to say its awesome nice and thick and excellent dilution ration,the other side of the coin is if its to thick then it may well dwell on the car you need to find that fine line so it drips enough to pull any top soiling from the car.But a SF will never be a one touch miricle cleaner and yes maybe a gimmick but its good fun and i for one use it before i attack the car with a mitt and TBM.


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## RedUntilDead

spursfan said:


> look at it another way, all the pros on here use it, so i figure there's something in that.
> I also use it and now that i have had Magifoam for the past year, results are far better than the first foam i tried.
> Magifoam allows me to get a really good clean without having to touch the car in any way, usefull when it this B****dy cold:thumb:
> 
> Kev


I know pros who don`t use snow foam:thumb:
Its not for me.


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## Tazz

ive only been snow foaming for a few weeks now, using a karcher lance with vp ph neutral

i put 300ml SF with 700ml hot water from the kettle, i get great results, although it does add an extra half hour to my cleaning process, plus after ive washed with megs ultimate, i sometimes go over the car again with SF, it does no harm and uses up what i have left in the bottle

it certainly loosens the cr*p up to make it easier to wash, but you are right, it streaks when left to dry


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## alan hanson

i rarely use foam but a citrus wash, foam will loosen and break down dirt but ive never seen it remove traffic film to the car still looks dirty.

Just trial and error with the setting on your lance though flow rate plays a massive part


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## aod

You shouldn't expect too much from snow foam, from my experience its more of a pre-wash than a no touch cleaner. 

The main purpose as far as I can tell is for it to soften surface dirt and allow it to be pulled off the paintwork during dwell time and then powerwash a layer of softened muck off without a) causing as much paintwork damage than using no pre-soak/wash b) allowing the next stage of hand washing to be easier and safer on the paint.


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## ford nut

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=245395

This is a quick clean up i did, you can see the state of the car before foaming, and whats left after a dwel of about 15 - 20 mins.

I use the no touch foam now and its even better than the one I was using...

Would never detail a car without this step. Just to be sure that I dont inflict more swirls than will inevitably end up on the paint over time.:thumb:


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## stantheman

Imo snow foaming does work but the work it does is not what everyone expects! It is only a pre-wash after all and using a good quality foam left to dwell long enough will soften the grime suffiently to enable a safer post pre-wash. You can tell if it's worked by the feel on your mitt against the paint work. For obvious reasons works better on well protected paint.
It will not clean 100%,the best you can expect is *upto* 90%.


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## msmmr

I think its fabulous seen videos and a mates and was drooling over the results without any effort. If ur car isnt too dirty u can use it to give a clean over


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## Tank.

I reccently purchased ultra mouse a reasonably new product from autosmart, incredibly thick with the right ratio and in my opinion does a really good job on its own.


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## gerz1873

For me snow foaming is a good part of my cleaning routine as it get rid of some salt grime etc before touching the paint then 2 BM too


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