Benefits of Sealant on Wheels

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pingable

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Brake dust is hot..

Rotors get hot

I suppose heat transfer to the wheels themselves



Don't recall seeing any A/B tests on whether sealants/wax does make a difference on wheels.



I'm the naysayer and do it anyways everytime the summer/winter tars get flipped. Me wonders if there is any benefits or not though
 
I can't recall any problems from using conventional waxes on wheels. I usually use sealants just for their greater longevity, but it's not like waxes "melt away" or anything like that. I wouldn't choose Souveran for this, but I've done fine with Collinite and #16. Actually, I *did* use Souveran for many years on the Jag's wheels, and I used Malm's before that.
 
chefwong said:
Brake dust is hot..

Rotors get hot

I suppose heat transfer to the wheels themselves
Click to expand...





wheels are also cooled by the air as they turn



and I know for a fact that my wheels are much easier to clean

with a few nice layers of the Klasse twins or some #16
 
The DD has had some high polished wheels outer halves and I was more~less doing mini metal oxidation polished on them every 1-2 weeks. I tried various sealants and just did not like the look they gave ....and while it did help with oxidation, the high polish tended to just DRINK any type of dew/water. It also took a bit of shine from the high polished...so I stopped using it altogether.



Winter wheels - too much grime to notice if they kept cleaner or not.



Putting new tars on this week....probably will end up using the Zaino I have. Or the Sonus Acrylic that I stumbled upon.
 
I think I remember reading somewhere that carnauba wax gets mushy and melts/evaporates at about 185 degrees F. Polymer sealants are up at around 385. Someone can please correct me if I'm wrong but the bottom line is that sealants can endure at higher heats. If I remember it's the bond that is jeopardized at 385 and it "lets go" of the surface.



I've been looking at getting one of those laser thermometers to see what my wheels get too after "spirited" driving.
 
In my experience waxing or sealing wheels is a waste of time. Wheels get hot, tiny shards of metal from the rotors and pads, and the way people use brushes and/or harsh cleaners on the wheels.
 
Don't take this as adversarial beachcities but I like the way the dirt and brake dust washes off after using a sealant. I do agree that I clean my wheels a bit harder than my paint and you do have a good point.
 
I am another that does not need to know how hot the wheels get, the melting point etc.. I seal wheels and see first hand the difference it makes regarding ease of cleaning





beachcities said:
In my experience waxing or sealing wheels is a waste of time. Wheels get hot, tiny shards of metal from the rotors and pads, and the way people use brushes and/or harsh cleaners on the wheels.
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If you are using cleaners to maintain sealed wheels you have missed the boat, the whole point is that you DO NOT need to use harsh cleaners.. a simple car wash solution does the jb exceptionally well
 
Wax on a wheel just doesn't really cut it. Most contain oils as it is, so it adds to retaining brake dust, dirt etc. Besides, wheels WILL get hot with brake use then cool as you drive. One day if you have a laser temp probe, run you car as you do normally, then get out and shoot the wheel and see for yourself how hot it is. No wax will really do any good, but some say it's better than nothing. I disagree due to the wax when it heats up, relases more oils and just every type of dust sticks like flypaper.



It's the same for tree pollen. Try getting pollen of a waxed car in the sun as opposed to one that has a sealant on it. Big difference.



Any good sealant will work. Some are more reflective than others and were designed for different applications. Rejex comes to mind as it was used for air industry to keep the jet fuel from destroying the fans, now people use it on their finish... go figure, but for wheels, it's a good choice.



Cleaning wheels treat just as your paint, always start mild first and work up. Most wheels are coated now to avoid pitting. Most car soaps do the job with the right mitts, brushes and if this is not enough and you want something just for the wheels, start with the P21S wheel cleaner.



Even if you do not have to wash you car, wash the wheels as often as you can, just make sure everything is cool first.. duh. before flooding with cleaner or water.



Lucky for me I have ceramic rotors and pads so I only worry about road dirt, but that too can be a PITA if the wheel was not treated with a sealant. I use whatever sealant leftover for the wheels. Right now I have a whole gallon of Meguiars sealant for this.



Just use the right brushes as well, some can scratch if they use metal posts to hold the brissles or use a very hard plastic. Always check the brushes, spread them to see if there is anything that can damage your wheel. Some are just foam on a stick and use foams ranging from soft to what a cutting pad whould use.



Best way is a full off removal of the wheel from the vehicle to properly clean and treat them. Just be safe in using any jack, jack stand or ramps.



Regards,

Deanski
 
beachcities said:
In my experience waxing or sealing wheels is a waste of time. Wheels get hot, tiny shards of metal from the rotors and pads, and the way people use brushes and/or harsh cleaners on the wheels.
Click to expand...





I have to go the other direction with this one. Used NXT 2.0 on the wheels this go around just for a test. Takes a split second to wax 4 wheels. Anyhow, I have to agree that the effort is reduced to nearly zero on wiping off brake dust now. Before it took some effort even after a 40 mile drive to get them spotless on a dry wipe down. Now it is smooth as a baby's butt and the dust/dirt comes off just by lightly wiping a cloth over it. Might take me 2 minutes to wipe down all 4 wheels to a complete 'like freshly washed/waxed' look.



I don't wash my wheels that aggressively because it isn't necessary. I suppose if you go a long time between cleanings some aggressive rubbing/scrubbing is necessary but if they are 'relatively' clean then a MF mitt with soap does just fine. Wheel cleaner is just an added 'ease' for a few tough spots or to help get older spots to come off a bit more each time you wash them.
 
I notice a huge difference, particularly on the backs of the wheels, when using a sealant or a wax. Yes, you still get the "shards" of brake dust, and tar spots, but by and large, the surface comes clean as opposed to bare.
 
Even if you use Z-CS or Poli-Seal, anything helps with wheels. Luckily the car I have now doesnt really get too much brake dust on the wheels. I sealed them with Poorboys Wheel Sealant and touch them up with Poli-Seal at every wash.



No cleaners other than foam from the gun. Even a direct blast fromt he hose gets them pretty clean.
 
I use the Klasse twins on my wheels. They hold up pretty well. I use regular car wash soap to clean them and never have a problem with brake dust. I usually polish and seal them twice a year.
 
weekendwarrior said:
After I wash my wheels, I give them a couple of squirts of Aquawax before I dry them. My wheels stay pretty clean. I typically do this every 2 weeks.
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I do the same. It's just so easy to give them a spritz of AW and wipe them down....plus I always QD my wheels after the wash anyway so it takes no extra time.



I do give them a coat of 105 about every 3-4 months as well.
 
Yeah, same here- easy cleanup with shampoo mix and gentle BHBs. I can't quite get by with touchless cleaning, but then I let things get pretty dirty between washes :o



With just waxes on the Jag's wheels they're still concours-worthy after 23 years and the sealed wheels on the daily drivers seldom need redone more than twice a year.



And yeah, I give 'em a quick spritz of FK425 after every wash. Can't say if it really helps with the next cleanup, but it sure doesn't hurt anyand they seem to stay clean-looking a little bit longer.
 
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