Cleaning tires with sealed/waxed wheels

G

GeeReg

New member
I read a lot of posts from people who say that they seal their wheels and then only need something like ONR or shampoo to clean them.  My question is, what is used to clean the tires?  The same thing?  I can't imagine ONR doing that well versus a dirty tire.  I've always used a mild APC solution to clean both, but this obviously would strip a sealant on the wheels.  How do you avoid getting the tire cleaner on the wheels?


 


I know someone is going to say to Opti-Coat them, but I won't be coating the car(s) so it's not really cost effective for me.  Are people just re-sealing them every few washes?


 


 
 
GeeReg- I clean my tires with Griot's Rubber Cleaner, which is one *very* gentle product, so getting a little on my coated/LSPed wheels probably isn't a big deal.  But no matter what I cleaned them with, I'd just try to use the least product necessary and, well...try to keep it off the wheels.  I spray the product directly on the tire, but I'm pretty careful about it.  Whether I'm scrubbing the tire with a "tire brush" (most tires) or a sponge (soft compound tires), I don't find it all that tough to keep the tire cleaning product off the wheel (maybe because I'm using so little tire cleaner, maybe it's just decades of experience). 


 


It's the *rinsing* that can get tricky for me; I don't want the hose to blast the tire cleaning product everywhere.  Sometimes I even resort to wipingit off with a sponge as thoroughly as I can before spraying the rinse water.


 


I'll be a [jerk] and suggest that you coat them :P  Hey, I don't coat the rest of the vehicle, only the wheels and some suspension/etc. bits.  Cost effective *for me* because the wheels stay "done" for ages, saving me a whole lotta time.


 


On the vehicles whose wheels I seal, I just do it whenever it needs doing; the usual indicator is a change in the beading.  Note that wipe-on-walk-away sealants (I use Garry Dean's Beyond Infinity Sealant) are almost as quick as using a QD (which I'd do after every wash anyhow).


 


The downside of using a LSP instead of a coating is that it's *VERY* tough to do a decent job on the inner barrels/back of the spokes without dismounting the wheel and even a half-@$$ed job takes some doing.  So while I do manage to keep those surfaces nice and clean, I'm not LSPing them as often/thoroughly as I'd really like.  Using the OptiCoat makes this a moot point.
 
Thanks, Accumulator.  Regarding a WOWA sealant, that was my thinking as well.  I'm planning on switching to Opti-Seal (Gary's product looks good also) and thought it's not big deal to go over the wheels with it quickly, but I'd rather not have to do that EVERY wash, as I'm trying to streamline my washing and speed things up.


 


I just assumed a tire needs a decently strong cleaner, although I suppose that depends on how dirty they are in the first place.
 
I've been using Mothers Back to Black TIRE CLEANER--no water required, just apply to the tire and wipe off.   Had great success at keeping it off the wheel.
 
GeeReg- I guess that "cleaner strength" is a matter of just how clean you want/need to get them.  Mine don't get "Autopian clean" most of the time, not by a long shot.  No, I don't think it matters, at least not to me.


 


pwaug- I keep hearing good things about Mother's Products for tires recently (and, IIRC, wheels too).
 
Accumulator said:
pwaug- I keep hearing good things about Mother's Products for tires recently (and, IIRC, wheels too).
Click to expand...


 


The Back to Black Tire Cleaner is excellent--spray on--wait a few seconds then wipe off.   For tires that haven't been cleaned in awhile I will agitate with a brush before wiping off for that extra bit of cleaning.   Very easy to control the product to keep it off wheels.


 


I just use car soap to clean my wheels (keep them sealed with DG105) so can't speak to the Mothers Wheel Cleaners and haven't used the Trim Cleaner yet, but it has gotten excellent reviews on other forums so I will be trying it on the PIA black pebble trim around the entire bottom of my Passat.  Do need to get a bottle of the Valugard.
 
pwaug- The way that ValuGard FastFinish revived the black trim on some of my vehicles was nothing short of amazing.  You'd swear I'd "restored" it with something a lot more involved than "just a QD".  That kind of trim *can* be a PIA, but with some of these newfangled products I've gotten it down to a genuine "no longer a problem"-type of maintenance.
 
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