Cleaning Inside Tires

L

LI Auto Detail

New member
Im looking to buy a tool that is great for cleaning deep inside the rim to reach the places that alot of brushes and my hand can't.



And i need it because i want another alternative instead of jacking up the car and taking off the wheel.



Whats good out there??
 
im interested as well, because i have to take off individual wheels to get things as clean as they should be.. anyone show me how to get it this clean (pics) without taking off the wheels, then im down to buy whatever..

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dayummm man! those came out amazing.



i mean there is really no better alternative to taking off the tires, but when time is a premium it matters, and an "inside the wheel specific tool would be a huge help
 
I think a lot of the tools like the EZ brush work well when the wheel is already pretty clean. Once the wheel is trashed and speckled with tar and other crap, taking the wheels off seems to be the best route. :nixweiss
 
i wonder how it compares to the Mothers powerball i used to use. Powerball worked decent but the foam end seemed to deteriorate after like 3 cars. kinda got pissed.



Maybe ill give the powerstick a try. seems a little pricy but if it works...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
How about these? Ace Powerstick
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now that is pretty sweet, but it seems that every little drill attached tool for wheels either gets shredded after a few uses or get so caked with grease and brake dust, that no matter what i do to clean the 'tool', it never is the same again.. is the powerstick better than the others? I need something for 'time concious jobs' to substitute for taking off the wheels, which takes an hour by itself!



Black Magic Bullet Wheel Polisher

this is what i 'used' and it was worthless after one car. the tip is all deformed now and no matter how i wash it, it remains somewhat greasy when i try it again..
 
LI Auto Detail said:
i wonder how it compares to the Mothers powerball i used to use. Powerball worked decent but the foam end seemed to deteriorate after like 3 cars. kinda got pissed.



Maybe ill give the powerstick a try. seems a little pricy but if it works...
Click to expand...



i also was a fan of the powerball (for paint), until i got bashed about how it is stupid to use, by the pro's on here! ha. its what motivated me to step my game up, and im glad i did. constructive critisizm! ha.



But anyway, the powerball for wheels always shreds apart after a few uses, and i just cant justify spending 20 bucks per ball for 1 or 2 uses. even the mini power ball gets shredded up as soon as it hits a snag or the air stem on the rim.. it sucks in my opinion. i have yet to see a true 'drill mounted' tool that helps with cleaning rims..
 
Flawless Image said:
im interested as well, because i have to take off individual wheels to get things as clean as they should be.. anyone show me how to get it this clean (pics) without taking off the wheels, then im down to buy whatever..
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Once they're this cruddy they've gotta come off....



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However, once they're this clean an EZ Detail brush will help keep the inner barrels cleaner. Don't know any way to get the inside of the tire without removing it though.



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What products / methods did you use to clean that? I've got some not quite that bad and I'm waiting for UPS to deliver the Wheel Brightener. Nothing else worked.



TL
 
i used to have this one brush my dad used for his HD, and it was the best tool for rims ive ever used to date until i backed up over it. it was dark grren bristles with a soft plastic handle so it can bend easily in tight spaces. Im pretty sure they dont even sell it anymore. i cant remember the name
 
Maybe a nice coating of wheel wax after cleaning would help keep them from getting as cruddy. Then they could be cleaned up well using conventional methods.



Just a thought.
 
TLMitchell said:
What products / methods did you use to clean that? I've got some not quite that bad and I'm waiting for UPS to deliver the Wheel Brightener. Nothing else worked.



TL
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very very simple.. purple power concentrate at 75% dilluted, a few brushes from wal mart, and a pressure washer. gets it every time! here's another two. my old vette, and a customers BMW (same owner of the tahoe).

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Taking the wheel off is the correct way of doing it. There is no brush on the market that will get every single nook and cranny while the wheel is mounted. There's just nothing out there that can and will do it effectively all the time. It's not at all hard to do. Dosen't take up a lot of time and is 100% effective each and every time. No corner cutting. Once they are clean you can maintain them with brushes and such of which there are many options. But to actually clean them and give the customer what they pay for you're just going to have to jack it up and take the tires off.
 
Flawless Image said:
very very simple.. purple power concentrate at 75% dilluted, a few brushes from wal mart, and a pressure washer. gets it every time!
Click to expand...



Guess I'm gonna have to dig out the pressure washer! Bought it last year to refinish the deck and some cedar trim. Didn't think I'd be wanting to blast car parts...



Thanks... TL
 
TLMitchell said:
Guess I'm gonna have to dig out the pressure washer! Bought it last year to refinish the deck and some cedar trim. Didn't think I'd be wanting to blast car parts...



Thanks... TL
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I have 3 tips with my pressure washer. I use the middle one for pretty much everything. Especially since my water tank doesnt 'force' as much pressure as a water connection on a house, the 25 degree connection works perfect.
 
Jakerooni said:
Taking the wheel off is the correct way of doing it. There is no brush on the market that will get every single nook and cranny while the wheel is mounted. There's just nothing out there that can and will do it effectively all the time. It's not at all hard to do. Dosen't take up a lot of time and is 100% effective each and every time. No corner cutting. Once they are clean you can maintain them with brushes and such of which there are many options. But to actually clean them and give the customer what they pay for you're just going to have to jack it up and take the tires off.
Click to expand...



this guy agree's i always take wheels off. it is just an important part aof a cleanup. its those little things that make it!! but then again i got me a 80 gallon compressor and a nice old impact wrenh! make things faster. soon im getting on of them mid rise lifts! i can't wait for that!
 
that mid rise lift will be freakin nice! I also use my compressor to take off/put on lug nuts (after breaking them loose with lug wrench). It def makes it alot easier..
 
We use scissor lifts in all our shops, we would not detail without them! Not only do they make working on the exterior easier, but also the interior, imagine having the carpet a chest height when vacuuming, worth very penny. As for removing wheels, most customers that want the wheels removed for cleaning(extra cost to them) are also owners of expensive alloys. When putting them back on remember to use a torque wrench set to the manufacturers specs, or else you could find yourself with a very unhappy customer. Over torquing can lead to a warped wheel, or brake rotor, or worse a customer stuck on the side of the road with a flat and a broken lug wrench, because the lug nuts are over tightened. We also drive the car a few blocks and re-torque after the drive to make sure all is well.





If you have a steamer you have a great tool for wheel cleaning without the need for acids. This is from 30000 miles of driving, and the interior of the wheel was never washed before.



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just short of pulling the wheels (IMO, I only like to pull them if I'm swapping sets for the track or swapping winter/summer on the DD) , while it's nice to get them deep down and clean to the inch, if it's not a Concours detail, I don't see the benefit in that IMO...



Wheels will get dirty the minute you start driving.

So instead of pulling wheels and doing ala councourse cleaning



I Recommend the Powersticks from Detailers Domain.

I have a few of these and they work great.......even with 2 of the rides with Big Brake Kits and nil-none clearance between the rotors and the wheels.



I was a stickler cause they look cheap and $$ , but they truely are well built !!!!!!



EXTERIOR CAR CARE - Wheel and Tires - Brushes
 
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