Wheel Protection: Poorboys, Opti-Seal, other?

S

SF Space Grey

New member
Hi everyone,



I have an '09 bmw with factory clear-coated 5-spoke wheels. As with all bmws, I get a lot of dust from the stock pads. After weekly/monthly ONR washes, I've been using poorboy's wheel sealant. It's hard to tell, but I trust it's doing its job. I'm thinking of switching to opti-seal for its much easier application. Any reason to stick with poorboys or use a different product altogether? One potential advantage of poorboys is that it seems to do a good job of cleaning any final brake dust I missed, but that's not a huge deal. Thoughts?



By the way, I've heard people rave about the great effect that opti-coat can have on wheels. I'll think about that option, but assuming I don't want to pay someone to fully clean and opti-coat my wheels, I want to make sure I'm doing my best to protect the clear coat against premature failure between washes. Am I right that having a pro fully clean and opti-coat my wheels would run me roughly $200-300? I think it would require taking the wheels off to clean and treat the barrels.
 
I use DG 105 on my wheels since it is a very durable sealant. I cut a foam pad in half horizontally and glued it to a paint mixing stick--this allows me to also treat the barrels without removing the wheels. So wheel cleaning is very easy--just use regular car wash mix -- no need for wheel cleaner.
 
As you've noticed, PB's wheel sealant is an excellent cleaner. Its not that great of a sealant at all, but it makes wheels look great which is why I continue to use it. Optiseal is going to end up sealing in that dust that you miss. The mentioned DG105 is good, but DG501 is even better on wheels.
 
Dan said:
As you've noticed, PB's wheel sealant is an excellent cleaner. Its not that great of a sealant at all, but it makes wheels look great which is why I continue to use it. Optiseal is going to end up sealing in that dust that you miss. The mentioned DG105 is good, but DG501 is even better on wheels.
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Thanks for the advice guys. If I spend a little extra time making sure the wheels are fully clean first, will opti-seal do a good enough job enhancing gloss and protecting for a month or so of driving? I'm really tempted by the ease of application and don't want to have too many products in the arsenal.



The DG products do sound good though. Dan, if DG is a good cleaner and a durable sealant, why keep using PB? Does PB really make the wheels look noticeably better than DG?
 
I have used opti-seal on wheels before, it didn't seem to last very long though. I am a big fan of DG105 as mentioned above. FK1000 is also a good choice because of it's higher temp resistance.
 
SF Space Grey said:
Thanks for the advice guys. If I spend a little extra time making sure the wheels are fully clean first, will opti-seal do a good enough job enhancing gloss and protecting for a month or so of driving? I'm really tempted by the ease of application and don't want to have too many products in the arsenal.



The DG products do sound good though. Dan, if DG is a good cleaner and a durable sealant, why keep using PB? Does PB really make the wheels look noticeably better than DG?
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The question is will you spend more time prepping your wheels for Optiseal than you would using the PB Wheel sealant?



As to why keep using the PB stuff? Good question, I like the smell? Seriously, I'm not sure I'd buy the stuff again. It is easy to use but DG501 is better in every which way except smell.
 
SF Space Grey- Eh, I'd just clean 'em up well and OptiCoat them yourself. If you want to make it easy just do the faces, you'll still be ahead compared to using a conventional LSP.



I OptiCoated the 12-year-old wheels on my beater Crown Vic, and it's not like the previous owner kept them all that nice (by a long shot!). Opticoating doesn't *have* to be much more involved than using any other (conventional) LSP; just clean them up as best you can, strip off any oils/whatever to achieve a "bare" surface, and apply the product.
 
FK1000P has always been a good choice for me in this sort of application but for the same reasons I found it works well as an LSP on the rest of the vehicle. ….its durability and ability to shed contamination with relative ease. The only issue (for me) is that it can be a bit of a bear on wheels with more intricate surfaces, nooks & crannies, etc. On a basic, large 5 spoke like my Challenger, it’s a piece of cake to apply/remove. ….on wheels like Enkei RPF1’s that were on my last car, I find it’s more difficult to remove the product completely. This is where Opti-Seal became a better option for me in those cases. After a thorough cleaning I use my airbrush and spray the product on. …..doesn’t get much easier IMO. Even if the longevity isn’t there, it doesn’t take much of my time to shoot the wheels every now and again. Beyond application however, I still prefer the performance characteristics of the FK.



Having said that, ever since I bought my syringe of Opti-Coat, I have been using the product on more applications (even some types of trim). The next chance I get to really spend more time to remove the wheels off of my car and clean the backsides of the spokes, I will be applying OC to them. It’s currently on the majority of the wife’s car and has been working quite well.
 
Is switching to a ceramic brake pad an option? They should be available by now for an '09 BMW. That alone would make a huge difference.
 
I probably will end up going with either (or both) ceramic pads or opti-coat eventually. Either way, just to protect my wheels from wear, I'll probably take the advice to use DG501, say, every three months or so, unless anyone thinks it's too aggressive for regular use on wheels in good shape.



Is there any chance 501 or 105 can withstand some light brushing with a daytona brush during an ONR wash?
 
SF Space Grey said:
I probably will end up going with either (or both) ceramic pads or opti-coat eventually. Either way, just to protect my wheels from wear, I'll probably take the advice to use DG501, say, every three months or so, unless anyone thinks it's too aggressive for regular use on wheels in good shape.



Is there any chance 501 or 105 can withstand some light brushing with a daytona brush during an ONR wash?
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ONR is supposed to be quite mild as far as removing any LSP's and IIRC it actually can add to gloss and add some slickness. DG products are some of the most durable out there and especially for the money they are excellent IMO. I wouldn't worry about it removing any product. OC will help any brake dust blast off with some pressure, but there is always brown royal or some other type of wheel cleaner that will help as well. A customer who's CTS I did a while back ordered some (he tracks his car a lot and has very aggressive brake pads) bought some and mixes it 50/50 and I have yet to see any brake dust on his wheels since I detailed the car. He does keep it very clean though.
 
I get 4-5 months out of DG105 on my wheels when just doing regular or ONR washes. Dirt and brake dust come off easily, but if you use an APC or wheel cleaner you'll most likely have to redo the 105.
 
SF Space Grey said:
Is there any chance 501 or 105 can withstand some light brushing with a daytona brush during an ONR wash?
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Light brushing should be no issue with either.
 
Are regular users of ONR using it with brushes to clean wheels?



I do, for the initial "get the worst" passes, but the way ONR makes dirt stick to the wash medium means that I have to work work work to clean the brushes in-between swipes.



I find that the denser the brush (lots of bristles, less space between them) the better when using ONR. The Daytona/EZ would *not* be my choice for this, but that's just me.



Ya know...I still haven't figured out why cleaning my wheels with ONR makes subsequent cleanings harder (as compared with conventional washing) :confused: :nixweiss I even follow up with something like FK425, which helps a bit, but no matter what the next cleaning is a PIA compared to if I had just cleaned them the "regular" way. Seems to be even worse with the tires than it is with the wheels too.
 
I feel your pain. I used to have the dirtiest wheels possible (BMW M Roadster) - now I have the cleanest. OptiCoat the wheels and switch to low dust pads. It really changes everything around. I can't imagine paying someone to OC your wheels - its very easy, unless your rich or something. I haven't found any wheel sealants that last very long.
 
Accumulator said:
Are regular users of ONR using it with brushes to clean wheels?



I do, for the initial "get the worst" passes, but the way ONR makes dirt stick to the wash medium means that I have to work work work to clean the brushes in-between swipes.



I find that the denser the brush (lots of bristles, less space between them) the better when using ONR. The Daytona/EZ would *not* be my choice for this, but that's just me.



Ya know...I still haven't figured out why cleaning my wheels with ONR makes subsequent cleanings harder (as compared with conventional washing) :confused: :nixweiss I even follow up with something like FK425, which helps a bit, but no matter what the next cleaning is a PIA compared to if I had just cleaned them the "regular" way. Seems to be even worse with the tires than it is with the wheels too.
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I don't worry too much about cleaning off the brush between passes. I figure if the brake dust won't come off swishing the brush around in the rinse bucket, it probably won't transfer back onto my wheels either. And I only use the brush to get most of the dust off. After that I follow up with a big sponge that holds a lot of water to get the rest and provide some rinsing action. Once the wheels are mostly dry, I usually go over them with a dedicated dry MF mitt to get rid of any water spots, smudges, etc. I wonder if your method ends up leaving some film on the wheels that absorbs brake dust, or if ONR is reacting with your wheel LSP to soften it a little, such that brake dust bonds more over the following days? Are you using Collinite on the wheels? Didn't you say you've seen weird reactions with 845 and ONR?
 
Ok I'm going to apply DG501 to my wheels. Can someone who's done this before give me some tips on application? I'll clean the wheels first with ONR, then diluted OPC, then rinse and dry them. Should I apply the 501 with a foam or microfiber applicator? How much should I use per wheel--nickel sized? Do I need to work in the polish to get the cleaning benefits?



Thanks again!
 
SF Space Grey said:
... I wonder if your method ends up leaving some film on the wheels that absorbs brake dust,...
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Nope, I get 'em *dry* and have tried several leaves-stuff-behind QDs during/after the drying as well as leaving them "bare" :think:



... [or if]..if ONR is reacting with your wheel LSP to soften it a little, such that brake dust bonds more over the following days? Are you using Collinite on the wheels? Didn't you say you've seen weird reactions with 845 and ONR?
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The LSPs in question were FK1000P, KSG, and even OptiCoat. Plus bare/un-LSPed wheels. The wheels were clearcoat paint, clear powdercoat, and plastic wheelcovers and they all behave the same. Ditto for the numerous different brands/types of tires.



Heh heh, as you can see, I've really tried to isolate all the variables!



But yeah...my (v2.0) ONR is murder on Collinite, both 845 and 476S. But I quit using those on wheels back when I discovered FK1000P. I've also quit doing the heavily layered KSG in favor of OptiCoat.



Hey, I *do* appreciate that you tried to get to the bottom of this! I figure my experience here can't be the norm or else everybody'd be complaining about the same thing. At first, I blamed the water...tried my DI first, and then even tried distilled...no joy though :nixweiss
 
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