Clenaing Wheels

[jdoria]

What are you using to clean wheels and tires? Does it work the way you expect?

Right now on heavily soiled wheels, I am using Poorboy's Spray & Rinse. I dilute it 10:1 with water. It melts the brake dust away.
On my own cars, I just use soap as they are already clean and sealed.

Try some Zaino or Poorboy's Wheel Sealant after you get them clean. Brake dust wont stick as easily.

 

[MotherMopar]

Bud (Rick) lead me onto this: Simple Green.

However, and as of 'late' (meaning the last 6 months), I've forgone using anything other than water and liquid dish soap... as I've come to accept the massive amounts of brake dust the Brembos produce.

Oh, and unlike Chris (legmaker), my car will actually stop before hitting a brick wall.

 

[jdoria]

Easy fix:

Don't use dish soap. Its a degreaser and removes wax and any other protection.
Dont use Simple Green regularly. Its too strong.

First get those wheels spotless, you can use a clay bar, dish soap, Simple Green, whatever you like. Then seal them with Zaino Z-5 or Poorboy's Wheel Sealant. It will make the surface slick, brake dust wont stick as easily and will rinse off with some water. The high temps will eventually wear away the sealant, but you can reapply as necessary.

Same goes for the windshield.
Wash it.
Clay it.
Apply Zaino Z-5.
I dont need to use my wipers at highway speeds. The water beads off so quickly.

 

[Ozzie]

If you have built-up road grime, brake dust, etc on your wheels and tires, without a doubt Westleys is the way to go. This stuff cleans your wheels and tires faster and better than anything I've ever come across, including Simple Green and all the other cleanants (thanks for the tip, Cam :thumb. It's not PC. This stuff is toxic. HaaHAAA! You just need to really rinse everything well. Try it.

 

[The_Main_Event]

I hate cleaning my rims it takes to long. It always becomes a day project.

 

[LegMaker]

What are you using to clean wheels and tires? Does it work the way you expect?

Right now on heavily soiled wheels, I am using Poorboy's Spray & Rinse. I dilute it 10:1 with water. It melts the brake dust away.
On my own cars, I just use soap as they are already clean and sealed.

Try some Zaino or Poorboy's Wheel Sealant after you get them clean. Brake dust wont stick as easily.

just good old soap and water....... have sealed the wheels so many times, the dirt just comes right off now......that and the powdercoated finish is also very easy to clean!!!!

Bud (Rick) lead me onto this: Simple Green.

However, and as of 'late' (meaning the last 6 months), I've forgone using anything other than water and liquid dish soap... as I've come to accept the massive amounts of brake dust the Brembos produce.

Oh, and unlike Chris (legmaker), my car will actually stop before hitting a brick wall.

two things smart guy...

1 - simple green and regular dish soap will strip whatever minute traces of wax, or sealants you may have applied at one time. this makes the wheels even more suseptible to dirt and dust..........

2 - my car stops less than 3 inches difference than with my stock powder keg pads...... yep 3" momo, about the same length as your "tool"........ :boxing: hehehehehehe

ok,ok, so the stopping distance may be a bit exagerrated, but it does stop quite well regardless of what the anti-poho may say, and i do not have to fight the gun powder like dust from the stock pads!!!! hahahahaha

 

[Quick]

Same goes for the windshield.
Wash it.
Clay it.
Apply Zaino Z-5.
I dont need to use my wipers at highway speeds. The water beads off so quickly.

I guess the Z-5 might be better than Z-2 for the little bit of filler in it? What do you think about the Zaino clearseal?

 

[jdoria]

Powder coating is easy to clean. I dont know if it is because it is so durable or if it's the lack of deep shine.
I have machined and clearcoated wheels on one car. 2 others have painted and clearcoated. So cleaning them is just like cleaning your paint. Keep them slick and they will clean up easy.

 

[LegMaker]

exactly!!!! i just took off the wheels today to install my new center caps and the inside of the wheels cleaned right up with a little spray detailer!!! put a little wax on them and bam, done!!!!! shiny, clean, and slick!!!

 

[MotherMopar]

just good old soap and water....... have sealed the wheels so many times, the dirt just comes right off now......that and the powdercoated finish is also very easy to clean!!!!



two things smart guy...

1 - simple green and regular dish soap will strip whatever minute traces of wax, or sealants you may have applied at one time. this makes the wheels even more suseptible to dirt and dust..........

2 - my car stops less than 3 inches difference than with my stock powder keg pads...... yep 3" momo, about the same length as your "tool"........ :boxing: hehehehehehe

ok,ok, so the stopping distance may be a bit exagerrated, but it does stop quite well regardless of what the anti-poho may say, and i do not have to fight the gun powder like dust from the stock pads!!!! hahahahaha

Awww... how cute... you're still sensitive about the brake pad issue. Yeah, the anti-poho... that's his new gig. Inventive, I think!

 

[Bud]

Awww... how cute... you're still sensitive about the brake pad issue. Yeah, the anti-poho... that's his new gig. Inventive, I think!

I'm still here...same as always, I'm just not cluttering up the airwaves. I'm planning on talking to Ron, Mains, and Hal about recieving 10 posts for every post that I post so I still look as cool as you guys.

About the brake dust: use a towel every other day or so....and then wash and wax with the car...nothing really special!

And Chris: Denial ain't just a river in Egypt...you know what I'm talking about R/T boy!! Hehe

 

[Steve@Tropi-Care]

For this purpose, we sell and use 16” Wheel Spoke Tampico Bristle Brush($4.75 each). Bristles 3 ¼” diameter in sanded hardwood handle. It effectively fits in between the small spokes to clean inside the wheel. It will not scratch the surface when used properly.

Ordinarily we use the TC-6 Car Wash concentrate from the surface wash to finish up with regular road grime and brake dust using a dedicated microfiber wash mitt for wheels only.

But if you need something for imbedded brake dust and old residue tire dressing, this is a potent ready-to-use wheel and tire cleaner. Removes dirt, brakes dust and road film from wheels and tires with ease.

The TC-17 Tire and Wheel Cleaner at $7.95 for 16 ounces is excellent on clear coated alloy wheels. Not for use on aluminum or chrome wheels.

 

[jdoria]

That brush is priced right.
How do you recommend the product get diluted? Is it like a wheel acid?

 

[Quick]

The TC-17 Tire and Wheel Cleaner at $7.95 for 16 ounces is excellent on clear coated alloy wheels. Not for use on aluminum or chrome wheels.[/IMG]

Steve, please elaborate. How about the SRT8 wheels? I think I have forged aluminum? wheels with a clear coat. Unfortunately my clear coat has a couple of rock chips in it. Can I still use this? The outside of my wheels are in good shape (except for the couple of chips) but I'd like to get the insides back to looking new. The insides have areas of what appears to be permanent brake dust stain.

 

[LegMaker]

I'm still here...same as always, I'm just not cluttering up the airwaves. I'm planning on talking to Ron, Mains, and Hal about recieving 10 posts for every post that I post so I still look as cool as you guys.

About the brake dust: use a towel every other day or so....and then wash and wax with the car...nothing really special!

And Chris: Denial ain't just a river in Egypt...you know what I'm talking about R/T boy!! Hehe

yeah, but my r/t is faster than your r/t....... :thongue2:

 

[Steve@Tropi-Care]

That brush is priced right.
How do you recommend the product get diluted? Is it like a wheel acid?

It's a very effective brush for reaching in between the tight mesh of today's wheels.

The tire/wheel cleaner is an alkaline based cleaner which can be diluted up to 50% with water for effective cleaning on light dirt and grime. You can rinse by hose or with power sprayer to wash off cleaner. Some light agitation may be needed on heavier dirt. We refrain from using this on raw aluminum or chrome surfaces, there may be a chance of spotting or "flashing" these surfaces.

 

[Steve@Tropi-Care]

Steve, please elaborate. How about the SRT8 wheels? I think I have forged aluminum? wheels with a clear coat. Unfortunately my clear coat has a couple of rock chips in it. Can I still use this? The outside of my wheels are in good shape (except for the couple of chips) but I'd like to get the insides back to looking new. The insides have areas of what appears to be permanent brake dust stain.

We developed this formula for use on heavy brake dust producing wheels such as the painted clear-coated alloys such as BMW, Audi, and Mercedes style wheels.

For your SRT-8 on a continual basis, washing them regularly with soap and water will be significant in preventing stubborn brake dust build up. The regular application of a paint sealant such as our TC-3 can be used on the wheel as well to making future cleaning and maintenance as easy as possible. For inside the barrel of the wheel, you might try a "Scotch-brite" pad to remove the stain as this surface is an unfinished aluminum surface.

 

[Tweeks SRT4]

I use Westley's on my Trans Am for my BFGoodrich Radial T/A's (raised white-letters) & just water on the Cragar S/S wheels I use water or Meguiar's #34 Final Inspection spray wax if they aren't too dirty. The SRT-4 I use Simple Green on the tires and use just water on my Konig Sideways and after that I usually polish the wheels with Meguair's #26 Yellow Wax or Final Inspection spray wax.

 

[Steve@Tropi-Care]

Before:

After:
Products such as the Westley's and our TC-17 Tire/Wheel Cleaner provide excellent cleaning results especially on raised white letters and sidewalls. This was done using a brass wire tire sidewall cleaning brush.

Do you notice how much less grime and brake dust accumulates with regular applications of a surface protection product? This protected surface making future cleaning quite easy.

 

[Mains]

I kinda like the gunmetal look of my rims after a weeks worth of brake dust.