Taking off tires to clean wheels

G

George M.

New member
Hey

I was thinking about taking off my tires to do a better job at cleaning my wheels. While i am back there i can also clean my brake calipers and check my brakes.



I am assuming i am going to run into a HEAVY load of brake dust and pitting in the wheels. So what will i need to take care of that?



I already have some pitting, at least i think it is pitting. on my wheels where the holes are. it is unfinished. What can take care of this?



Im thinking of doing this within the next month or 2. So i have plenty of time to look for products.



Any tips are appreciated.



here is a pic of the wheel, you can kind of see where the wheel is unfinished in the holes. Really rough and spotted with brake dust.
 
Could you clarify? You are taking the wheel/tires off the vehicle to clean the wheel, or you are dismounting the tires from the wheel to clean the wheels?



Also, is the unfinished area rusted? If it's just bumpy, it could be because it is rough-cast aluminum and not pitting. I don't think there is too much you can do about that unless you want to smooth down the metal.
 
Every time I rotate my tires, I thoroughly clean and wax the back side of the wheels and the rotors and calipers.....(also springs, shocks and all that other stuff I can reach!).....



Spray the back side with Simple Green and let soak for 1 minute. Then wash with any good car-wash soap and it will take off the remaining brake dust. You may have to do a little scrubbing........



Make sure the Simple Green is DILUTED! It doesn't take much Simple Green mixed with water. As long as the water is light green it will be fine. It is very strong when in its concentrated form. (don't want to stain your wheels!)



I also touch-up paint the rotors and calips when I rotate.



If your wheels are clear-coated, you could actually clay bar to remove the roughness......then 2 coats of wax or polish.



I have always found that 2 coats of a good wax really helps to reduce the amount of dirt and brake dust that sticks to the wheels.



fc9607e7.jpg
 
Im not planning on dismounting the tires. Just remove them from the truck.



It is a rough alum. and is not rusted. I guess it is just brake dust that is really stuck on. I know with some good ole' elbow grease i can get rid of most of it.



Thanks for the tips. Im gonna take that opurtunity to grease everything too. I just had my tires rotated at Les Shwab because they do it for free since i got the tires there.
 
Do yourself a favour and remove the wheels from the vehicle to clean them.



The wheels on my car were very badly neglected by the previous owner. I went through a variety of products trying to find something that would remove the layers of brake dust, road debris, and grease.



I started with BMW wheel cleaner. It took multiple applications with scrubbing to cut through the build-up. The wheel cleaner only took me so far. There was a lot of baked on grease that it would not break down. I tried a variety of degreasers which did not work. Eventually, I got some Oil Flo Safety Solvent Cleaner, which worked amazingly well to remove the baked on grease.



When I was done cleaning the wheels, they were completely spotless. I finished the job with a couple of coats of Meguiars #20 Polymer Sealant.



I could not have done the job with the wheels on the vehicle. The job was hard work, but well worth the effort.
 
I worked on my wheels and wheel wells today. The underside of my car is really bad. I have not had time to do it and I know the previous owner never did.



Here's a before pic. I used EF Engine Degreaser to do the heavy lifting and EF Hi Intensity to remove the stubborn spots.
 
When I was finished cleaning I sprayed everything with Meguiar's Engine Kote. In this picture it's not quite dry. It takes on a nice satin finish. It does a pretty good job protecting.
 
Hey David,



It looks fantastic!!!:up



I noticed the discoloration on the brake rotors. Did you spray the rotors with Engine Kote??



Tim
 
The discoloration on the rotor is called rust. I live right on the ocean front, so it only takes a few minutes for the oxidation to start. I sprayed everything with a generous amount of Engine Kote. It took about 2 hours for it to dry tack free.
 
Not much point in spraying anything on the rotors. Because of what they do, they just don't get dirty. No point in avoiding getting them wet either. Unless they are hot, of course. They get wet when you drive anyway so I'm sure they won't melt.
 
Hey Jngr!



I was only curious as I am really careful on what gets near the brake pads. I have seen saturated brake pads before, once contaminated, they are had it. You can not simply clean them off. Hence, I was asking David if he sprayed the rotors with Engine Kote and if he has had any problems afterward. ie. does Engine Kote affect the pads like a silicone or grease does?
 
Ah. Good point. I've never hosed my pads so I don't know what will ruin them or not. I would just suggest staying away from putting anything on your rotors except water if you are concerned about it damaging your pads. Its best not to monkey with stuff like your braking system if its possible that it will cause problems.
 
I polished up a set of very similiar wheels awhile back and had good luck using Wenol. I used a rag wrapped around my finger to clean those bloody pain in the butt holes. That unfinished texure really made a rough job of it.



Have fun, I sure did;) !
 
Smoker said:
Is it worth tire gelling the treads ?



A) Its slippery, and



B) It wears off pretty quick.





Just wondered why you did it.
Click to expand...



if you have a show car, or your working for the best look for a photo shoot, you will clean and dress the treads. It is just part of getting everything as clean as you can. I mean it is like any other part of a car, It will get dirty in no time if you drive it....



Notice no snow in my treads, it didnt just fall out ;)



1046ssnsnow-med.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top