Best wheel cleaner solution and method

[LouG]

I was hoping it would get somebody! My son is 8, and I am sure he would love that.

I had a mental picture of a Darwin Awards vid.

Sponsored

 

[flyinlow007]

Been doing my own detailing for the last 20 years, its amazing how good the products are now. If the wheels do not have a coating on them, the first time you clean them you want to use a good wheel cleaner like P&S Brake Buster. I believe Autofiber has a microfiber blade style wand to clean those inside barrels, which I use, I also have some soft nylon brushes for the inside barrels. For the face of the wheel it is safe to use a flag tipped nylon brush, they don't scratch. You can also use boars hair brushes to get into the smaller areas if you have intricate wheels like the Mach 1 HP cars have. You want to get them good and clean. Once cleaned, while wet, apply a product like Gyeon wet coat, Carpro Hydro02, DIYdetail Quick Beads and others. These are spray on products and then you spread them with a high pressure spray from a hose nozzle or pressure washer. They make a nice coating on the wheel, it doesn't last forever, but easy enough to re-apply as needed. Or you can ceramic coat them just like the paint on the car, your choice. I use all three of the products mentioned, Quick Beads really works well.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Thanks! Those are the EXACT set of brushes I have. They scratched the clearcoat on black painted wheels on my wife’s car. Real fine scratches, but

Been doing my own detailing for the last 20 years, its amazing how good the products are now. If the wheels do not have a coating on them, the first time you clean them you want to use a good wheel cleaner like P&S Brake Buster. I believe Autofiber has a microfiber blade style wand to clean those inside barrels, which I use, I also have some soft nylon brushes for the inside barrels. For the face of the wheel it is safe to use a flag tipped nylon brush, they don't scratch. You can also use boars hair brushes to get into the smaller areas if you have intricate wheels like the Mach 1 HP cars have. You want to get them good and clean. Once cleaned, while wet, apply a product like Gyeon wet coat, Carpro Hydro02, DIYdetail Quick Beads and others. These are spray on products and then you spread them with a high pressure spray from a hose nozzle or pressure washer. They make a nice coating on the wheel, it doesn't last forever, but easy enough to re-apply as needed. Or you can ceramic coat them just like the paint on the car, your choice. I use all three of the products mentioned, Quick Beads really works well.

^ This 100%

 

[Clawfford]

I have the big performance pack Brembos, which seemingly shed brake dust just sitting still at a stop light. My aftermarket wheels consist of part powder-coated paint, part brushed aluminum, and part actual chrome.

The most important thing is to use a ceramic coat (or similar) at least every year or two to make regular cleaning easier. I use Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armor, which sticks with me at least 2 years. Follow the prep instructions carefully. Doing it right makes regular maintenance a breeze.

Once done, cleaning is easy, and sometimes almost touchless. I also use the Adams like you, but I spray it on a cool DRY wheel. (Does it really tell you to put it on a wet wheel? You don’t want to let the product dry, though, so do one wheel at a time). I let it sit a few minutes, sometimes brushing a little bit if I know my wheels are especially dirty. Sometimes the chemicals alone are enough. Then I hose it off and USUALLY towel dry them (I have deep dish chrome that I don’t want it to puddle in).

The Adams is nice because I can do the wheels and tires at the same time, it’s safe on all my different wheel materials AND my brakes, and it’s thin enough to make a semi-misty spray for good coverage.

So…

A) Protect your wheels ahead of time with a ceramic, to make regular cleaning easier,

and

B) Use something for regular maintenance like Adams that is both safe and effective.


Wheel cleaning is pretty quick and easy for me now, even with such demanding brakes and wheels.

Sponsored