Snow Foam

[design guru]

I have recently purchased a snow foam lance for my karcher washer. I am looking to buy some snow foam but need to know which is the best brand. I have seen a few different brands and also different levels (50:1, 20:1).

Can anyone recommend the best brand that is best value. I have seen many people on ebay selling different brands. Not sure which is the best.

 

[nigel cross]

Why didnt you buy it when you bought the lance?
Bilt Hamber is good

 

[rascalmaster]

Ultimate Snow Foam - 5 Litre | Snow Foam 5 Litre

5 stars from auto express... i use it as well and its very good

word of warning- make sure you have the right lance...
i tried a few and this is the only one that works well for me...
KARCHER K Series Heavy Duty Professional Foam Lance 1L

 

[fuzzer]

I use autobrite Magifoam , but will be trying chemical guys no touch snow foam next time.

Id suggest buying a pump and a 5L bottle of the foam as it makes it far easier to accurately measure.

The problem with the foam is getting rid of the foam once you wash it away.. be warned lol

 

[mark130]

be wary on snow foam products especially if there non touch as they may contain a percentage of caustic (salts) e.g sodium / potassium hydroxide which will eat into your bright work round windows doors etc also erasing any waxes applied ! be cautious very cautious!

 

[mikec32]

Bilthammer auto foam for the win.

 

[A210AMG]

Autobrite for me....

That aside do people actually think it works very well? I just like the way it turns my car White

 

[rascalmaster]

It does work ( u can see it lifting a lot of the muck off as it runs off the car when u rinse it)
What I do like- is that the one I use is very gentle, and does not remove the wax at all.

 

[Ian_Mac]

I use autobrite Magifoam , but will be trying chemical guys no touch snow foam next time.

Id suggest buying a pump and a 5L bottle of the foam as it makes it far easier to accurately measure.

The problem with the foam is getting rid of the foam once you wash it away.. be warned lol

The other half very kindly bought me the Autobrite HD gun & 5ltrs of Magifoam as part of my birthday present. Although I've used Snow Foam before this was my first go with the Magifoam.

It's fair to say it was like shaving foam on the car and yes, you are totally correct about the mess!

 

[Red C220]

I use an Autoglym one I buy in Halfrauds in 5ltr container.

I have the Karcher pressure washer with the actual Karcher attachment and it works fine. Doesn't produce shaving foam type stuff like the above image but it isn't far off and is easy to wash away once you're done.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Besides looking like you're car has been gulled on a lot, what is the purpose of snow foam?

 

[adam87]

Besides looking like you're car has been gulled on a lot, what is the purpose of snow foam?

It helps loosen dirt on the car so there is less muck on the surface before washing it but you don't have to foam to get the same effects you can use pressure sprayers etc... But they don't look as cool.

 

[Red C220]

It's basically a pre wash, it's designed to lift off a large proportion of the road dirt and grime without rubbing (and scratching the paintwork). Then wash as normal.

It's a lazy persons way to wash a car - which is why I use it

 

[adam87]

It's basically a pre wash, it's designed to lift off a large proportion of the road dirt and grime without rubbing (and scratching the paintwork). Then wash as normal.

It's a lazy persons way to wash a car - which is why I use it

beat ya

 

[artyman]

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....."

 

[MOCAŠ]

You need to be careful with pressure washers - seems they can shift the characters on number plates if the pressure's a bit too strong...

 

[Kingy68]

Autobrite here too. Been using it for a couple of years and its excellent. Don't get too tied down with mixing ratios because after a few washes you will know how much gives you the best results and will stick with that.
I've never personally had any problems getting rid of the snow foam, as by the time I've finished washing the car(s) - Snow foam / gentle pressure wash at distance / two bucket wash / rinse .... then onto drying etc there has been enough water around to ensure the snow foam has broken down and disappeared towards or into drains.

Besides looking like you're car has been gulled on a lot, what is the purpose of snow foam?

As said it's a pre-wash. Does a good job of removing any dirt/grit before a two bucket wash and so does it's part in keeping swirl marks to a minimum.

 

[npuk]

I also add a small amount of meguiars gold glass shampoo to the snow foam.

 

[Kingy68]

Forgot to mention - I've found I get much better snowfoam if I add warm/hot water to the lance bottle rather than cold.

 

[Superspec]

Snow foams vary in quality - they all make great foam but most have relatively poor cleaning ability. Unless your car is already very clean snow foam is just a stage in the cleaning process - you will still need to wash by hand. The point of it is to remove as much contamination as possible.

My favourite foam is Meguiars Hyperwash. It isn't cheap but has much better cleaning power than the other foams although it doesn't foam quite as well. It is also a brilliant shampoo for hand washing with and dilutes 400:1, smells nice and feels really well lubricated.

If you plump for a standard foam you can add a bit of APC (something like Meguiars APC or G101 - not much) to the mix to it to improve it's cleaning ability.

Whatever you go for it will become your favourite part of the cleaning process and will reduce the likelihood of putting swirls into your paint.