Wheel Cleaning

I

InfamousDX

New member
Well on my new 03 Silver WRX sedan, the brake dust just won't stop. I find myself cleaning the wheels every week. I usually use some Eagle One or Black Magic wheel cleaner and then on top of that after rinsing, I scrub with a wheel brush using a mix of car wash concentrate I bought right from Autopia. Then I just rinse and dry off. My question is, Is there any way that I can have it so the wheels don't have to be constantly cleaned due to brake dust, etc? Besides changing the pads. Do you guys use protectant on your wheels? Thanks a lot, from a detailing n00b.
 
You can try applying a sealant on your wheels. Take your wheels off and give them a thorough cleaning. Then apply a coat or multiple coats of a sealant, like Zaino, Klasse or BF just to name a few. This won't eliminate your brake dust problem, but will make them easier to clean. I can usually rinse off my rims and get about 80% of the brake dust off. I just use a brush and some car wash soap to clean the rest.



As a side note, If you put on a sealant, don't use a wheel cleaner, it'll most likely strip the sealant. Some car wash soap and a brush should be sufficient.



Also, do a search for this topic, it's been talked about extensively.
 
Yep! tkr128 said it in a nutshell. Also, don't apply a wax to your wheels; that'll just make them suck up the brake dust.
 
After sealing your wheels look for a wheel protectant. The one I always recommend and still use may not even be on the market. It's made by Rain-X and it's called Rain-X Wheel protectant.



Basically it's a layer of petrolium distillates that you spray on your wheels, when they're clean. (best to be applied over a sealent covered wheel). The dust builds over time and all you need is car wash soap and a hand sponge to remove the dust.



But then you have to stop the normal wheel cleaners because they just remove all your sealent and it take to long to reseal every week.



If you can't find the Rain-x stuff, do a search for wheel protectant (Sonus might be as effective) and maybe Mothers or Meguiars makes a similar product.



I don't really get why this isn't a staple product for people that have issues with removing brake dust. I know I do, and this has made so much better, especially on my PIA painted wheels.
 
I use wheel wax followed by collinite insulator wax. It works great and I don't have to scrub to get the brake dust off...just wipe it with the mit. You don't want to use a regular wax though as it will melt off. As far as sealants I've heard good things about using zaino on the wheels. But I just use what I stated above. Also you could look into aftermarket brake pads like all-ceramic...I just stick with the stock pads myself since its not that big of a deal to clean it if you have something protecting it.
 
With a good coat (or a few) of synthetic on MY WRX's wheels, I can get by with a diluted wheel cleaner (when a regular car wash won't cut it) without stripping all the protection.
 
I have used NuFinish on my wheels. For a cheap product, is works. I agree with the concept of putting Poly instead of regular wax on them.I think it holds up better to the harsh environment of heat , brake dust, and road film.
 
I finally got the camera out so I thought I would post how easy it is to clean my wheels treated with wheel wax/collinite insulator wax.



I took a terry towel and just wiped in two spots to show. This is 2 weeks of brake dust. Usually I use a little Poorboy's Spray and Wipe to keep from any scratching.



cleanwheel1.jpg




This is from 4 wheels...the towel had no stains or dark spots before I started. Also I used no pressure at all and no scrubbing



cleanwheel2.jpg




Finished...



cleanwheel3.jpg
 
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