Brake dust on wheels too long..

D

DAC17

Member
I just washed my Corvette after not having been able to wash it since last November. When I tried to clean the chrome wheels (with Griot's wheel cleaner), there is a lot of brake dust that appears to be etched or really stuck to the wheel. Is there any particular product anyone has used that makes this job easier?



Thanks.
 
Frequent car care is easy car care. That being said, I would clay and polish your wheels (will remove stubborn dust), then seal with a synthetic paint sealant (Zaino, Rejex, Klasse). From here, weekly cleanings will be simple with just soap and water.
 
Griot's Wheel Cleaner (which is my usual choice for that type of product) is very mild. On chrome I'd try something more potent and clay while it's dwelling, and/or use a chrome polish, some of which are pretty aggressive. With any luck it won't have compromised the top layer of chromium.
 
Accumulator said:
Griot's Wheel Cleaner (which is my usual choice for that type of product) is very mild. On chrome I'd try something more potent and clay while it's dwelling, and/or use a chrome polish, some of which are pretty aggressive. With any luck it won't have compromised the top layer of chromium.
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+1 on that...It may be that the Wheel Cleaner you're using is being laughed at by the brake dust. Try claying the wheels to pull off any contaminants, and then come back over it with a chrome polish (Meguiar's All Metal Polish or Autosol - I recommend the Meg's because it's generally easier to find, does almost as good a job on chrome as the Autosol, and is quite a bit less, cost wise).



I WOULD recommend, however, that if you're going to polish the wheels with one of those products, that you get a drill and a Mother's Powerball or Flitz Polishing Ball to help, as it can take several hours to do your wheels by hand. :)
 
Thanks to all. I used some Meguiar's by hand, and got most all of it off (thank God!) Next time I do the car, I'll have to work on the non-chromed portions of the wheel with a stronger cleaner.
 
SuperBee364 said:
P21S wheel cleaner works really well, too.
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Maybe not in this case ;) I found (regular, not the gel) P21s to be about the same as Griot's....well, it's a *little* stronger, but not like Eagle1 All Wheel or anything like that.



BTW, P21s in another wheel cleaner that worked OK for me when diluted with water, but I wasn't using it on *really* dirty wheels.
 
Both of my SRT8 Chargers kick out huge amounts of brake dust. So much so that it has to be cleaned on a daily basis. It's just unreal how much it kicks out. It even coats my doors! I'll have to grab a couple pics...



I've never let it sit long enough to really be a test of P21s's brake dust cleaning prowess. Used daily, it works well. Probably over kill, really. It's kinda pricey, though, and I'm looking for a cheaper replacement. Think I'm going to try some of your Griot's next. :)
 
SuperBee364 said:
Both of my SRT8 Chargers kick out huge amounts of brake dust. So much so that it has to be cleaned on a daily basis. It's just unreal how much it kicks out. It even coats my doors! I'll have to grab a couple pics...



I've never let it sit long enough to really be a test of P21s's brake dust cleaning prowess. Used daily, it works well. Probably over kill, really. It's kinda pricey, though, and I'm looking for a cheaper replacement. Think I'm going to try some of your Griot's next. :)
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Yikes, that sounds pretty extreme! Guess it's the price you're paying for decent brakes that stay nice an quiet :D



Griot's stuff is never exactly a bargain, but if you get a gallon and dilute it a little it shouldn't be all that bad.



With your situation, I'd probably seal the wheels and wash them with sorta-strong shampoo mix; I'm doing that on most of our vehicles and it works well, even though I let 'em get pretty dirty before I wash 'em.
 
SuperBee364 said:
... huge amounts of brake dust. So much so that it has to be cleaned on a daily basis. :)
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That's not really out of line for the ANAL-COMPULSIVE detailer (such as you and me! haha)...



I wipe down my rims every day with Z6. I never wash them, rarely use sealant on them. On my wifes daily driver, I use the same method, except its every other day. (not quite as compulsive on her ride!)...



It only takes about 1 minute per wheel. After 80,000 miles, they still look brand new.
 
Accumulator said:
Yikes, that sounds pretty extreme! Guess it's the price you're paying for decent brakes that stay nice an quiet :D



Griot's stuff is never exactly a bargain, but if you get a gallon and dilute it a little it shouldn't be all that bad.



With your situation, I'd probably seal the wheels and wash them with sorta-strong shampoo mix; I'm doing that on most of our vehicles and it works well, even though I let 'em get pretty dirty before I wash 'em.
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My new wheels have a matte finish to them. Think I'll go snap a couple pictures of them and the one day's worth of brake dust accumulation on the wheels and doors. It rained/snowed alot yesterday, so the brake dust isn't as bad as it normally is.



Luster said:
That's not really out of line for the ANAL-COMPULSIVE detailer (such as you and me! haha)...



I wipe down my rims every day with Z6. I never wash them, rarely use sealant on them. On my wifes daily driver, I use the same method, except its every other day. (not quite as compulsive on her ride!)...



It only takes about 1 minute per wheel. After 80,000 miles, they still look brand new.
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Since the new wheels are a matte finish, I'll give this method a shot. I don't have to worry about swirling them. :)



Everyone complained to Dodge so much about the brake dust, Dodge changed the SRT wheel. The new one has black sides and a matte finish. It hides the brake dust much better. There was also a note attached to the driver's side sun visor explaining that the large amount of brake dust was normal, and to not call them about it.



Unfortuantely, these brakes don't stay quiet for long. At about 5k miles most SRT owners start to complain about the squeal. I replaced the pads on my yellow super bee with Posi Quiets. They were silent, and didn't generate any dust at all. They also didn't have nearly the stopping power of the factory Brembo pads.
 
Here's a few pics of the brake dust problem...



First, the new SRT8 Style wheel:

IMG_0909.jpg




One day's worth of brake dust. Not as much as usual, due to the fact that it rained/snowed all day yesterday.



IMG_0908.jpg




A couple of shots of the brake dust on the side panels. The big spots aren't brake dust.. Just water spots. Yup, I really did run my finger through the dust. I'm sure I marred the paint by doing this, but the car is going to get a "jeweling" job when my new rotary, pads, and polish get here anyway.



IMG_0906.jpg




IMG_0907.jpg
 
If those were my wheels, I'd be doing daily QD wipedowns in a heartbeat. Very easy to clean since there are no crevices, or exposed rivets or bolts.



1 minute each. (that's if you do a REALLY good job!).



P.S. Add another 30 seconds each and dress the tires! (haha)...:xyxthumbs
 
:o Yup, these are "befores". I'm going to do it's daily washing right now... Well, after I take apart my foam cannon and see if I can get it working correctly again.



What I've been doing is spraying down the wheels with P21S wheel cleaner, then using my pressure washer to rinse the car, then layering the whole car (including the wheels and wells, of course) with the foam cannon, rinsing with the pressure washer, spot free rinse from the Mr. Clean gun, then air drying with a leaf blower. Results to be posted here shortly... :)
 
SuperBee364 said:
Both of my SRT8 Chargers kick out huge amounts of brake dust. So much so that it has to be cleaned on a daily basis. It's just unreal how much it kicks out. It even coats my doors! I'll have to grab a couple pics...



I've never let it sit long enough to really be a test of P21s's brake dust cleaning prowess. Used daily, it works well. Probably over kill, really. It's kinda pricey, though, and I'm looking for a cheaper replacement. Think I'm going to try some of your Griot's next. :)
Click to expand...



That's what happens when you buy a 4,200 lb vehicle with giant brakes. :p



My car: 2600lb's with:

Disc Diameter: 276 mm (10.9 in)

Pad Area: 94 sq cm (14.6 sq in)



vs. yours

Disc Diameter: 360 mm

Pad Area: ??



:woot2:
 
My5ABaby said:
That's what happens when you buy a 4,200 lb vehicle with giant brakes. :p



My car: 2600lb's with:

Disc Diameter: 276 mm (10.9 in)

Pad Area: 94 sq cm (14.6 sq in)



vs. yours

Disc Diameter: 360 mm

Pad Area: ??



:woot2:
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LoL, yup! And then you throw in *this* driver, and the brakes REALLY have their work cut out for them! I gotta start working on getting rid of my "winter coat". :)
 
SuperBee364 said:
Mmmm.. that looks like a fun road.
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Very. :dance



You have to pick the right time or you'll run into about 20 cops (or more). But I don't drive like a maniac so it's all good. I've got a 22 year old car and stuff breaks. Like this gem I just found waiting to throw me off a cliff.... :soscared:



Both front struts were like this. Front and back of them. Got some Tokico HP's in the mail. :p
 

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