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An EASY and EFFECTIVE way to clean and seal wheels

34K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  glen e 
#1 · (Edited)
For those that have read my detail process, you realize my mission is to find products/procedures that are fast, complete but still very effective and durable.. I don’t have time to spend all day cleaning my car, I’d rather be driving or doing another project. Wheels are particularly a PIA to clean/maintain, as they have so many nooks and crannies where dirt can get, and it takes time to clean them out. Especially with the my Forgeline or the Z06 wheels , which are quite complex. So here’s my procedure I recently did. It uses two new products; one, a cleaner that attacks brake dust, even the dust you can’t see, and a next gen spray on/hose off silica ( think glass) sealant , that is formulated to spread with water. So forget all those hours of waxing on something like REJEX or NXT, and then having to go back and buff it out of the nooks and crannies. Lotta bending over, which I don’t like.

For this review, I'll leave the wheel on the car, those of you with OCD will want to remove the wheel. Mine come off every fall , for a total clean.

So my wheel before starting looks like this - pretty clean right? This is just to outline the procedure, imagine a dirty wheel if you want....LOL


So first we’ll wet the wheel and spray on the "Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus". The neat feature of this, like other anti-iron cleaners, is when it finds dirt and brake dust, it shows you by turning red/purple. This product is certified safe for all types and finishes of wheels. It is Ph neutral. Now we let it dwell for a few minutes, and then use a super soft boars brush to agitate the surface. I use a bendable Daytona speedmaster brush for the barrels. (no, the cleaner is not staining the brake rotors in this pic)



now we just rinse with a hose. At this point I will also clean the tire, in a conventional manner, using the Blackfire Tire Cleaner. Then while it’s still wet, apply the Hydro2 "water sealant" with just spraying …4-5 quick spritzes gets it…The spray is diluted 3:1, so a small bottle lasts at least a year if you use it monthly. I have been told it can streak if done with bright direct overhead sunlight on the wheel, but I have not experienced that yet. Hydro2 is from the mfr of Cquartz, CarPro. NOTE: not to be used with the Z06-7 Carbon Ceramic brakes



Now the unique part. Now hit it again with the hose, AS HARD AS YOU CAN GET THE HOSE STREAM…THE HARDER THE BLAST THE BETTER! Some even use a pressure washer on it.



The surface will slightly foam for a nanosec, and the sealant will spread to all the nooks and crannies of the wheel, not leaving any product on the tires. Remember above: a few people have mentioned that it streaks a bit if you are in direct overhead hot sunlight.… Better to do this in the shade , or just not direct noon sunlight.



Now in keeping with my "fast and easy" mission parameter, I use a cordless leaf blower to dry. The water flies off with the blower, due to the super hydrophobic behavior of the sealant. You can hit it with a weave towel after, but you really wont need to.



done for another month, brake dust now comes off well with just a hose blast.



Time start to finish per wheel about 6 minutes....

Hope you like this, there are many great products, this is just One EASY WAY to do it.

Products and tools:



Brushes - A soft Boars hair brush & a Daytona Speedmaster
one waffle weave towel for drying (optional)
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus
CarPro Hydro2 sealant

Blackfire Gel Tire Cleaner
Cordless leaf blower


Note: I just use this for the wheels, as I like other stuff for the paint, but many use it for everything, Here’s a youtube vid from Corey at Car Pro:



UPDATE: two new products that work just as well are TAC WATER GLASS and GYEON WET COAT
 
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#6 ·
Thanks Glen great information as usual. Perfect timing for me as I just ordered my jack pucks and will be taking the wheels off to clean as I am in the snowy and cold NE, which gives me something to do until early March.
 
#7 ·
Thanks Glen - another very useful thread.

To make this thread complete, for the OE wheels that you Plasti Dipped (the wheels you've used on cross-country trips), what recommendations/products have you used for cleaning and preserving the Plasti Dip?
 
#8 · (Edited)
Pretty simple, i just wash with a rinseless and wipe down with Armour all extreme tire shine....works well. I did a search of the detailing sites and that's what people were using on the plastidip. PD makes their own detailer/topper but I did not find it to work as well as the tire shine. Spray the applicator, not the wheel.
 
#11 ·
For those that have read my detail process, you realize my mission is to find products/procedures that are fast, complete but still very effective and durable.. I don’t have time to spend all day cleaning my car, I’d rather be driving or doing another project. Wheels are particularly a PIA to clean/maintain, as they have so many nooks and crannies where dirt can get, and it takes time to clean them out. Especially with the my Forgeline or the Z06 wheels , which are quite complex. So here’s my procedure I recently did. It uses two new products; one, a cleaner that attacks brake dust, even the dust you can’t see, and a next gen spray on/hose off silica ( think glass) sealant , that is formulated to spread with water. So forget all those hours of waxing on something like REJEX or NXT, and then having to go back and buff it out of the nooks and crannies. Lotta bending over, which I don’t like.

For this review, I'll leave the wheel on the car, those of you with OCD will want to remove the wheel. Mine come off every fall , for a total clean.

So my wheel before starting looks like this - pretty clean right? This is just to outline the procedure, imagine a dirty wheel if you want....LOL


So first we’ll wet the wheel and spray on the "Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus". The neat feature of this, like other anti-iron cleaners, is when it finds dirt and brake dust, it shows you by turning red/purple. This product is certified safe for all types and finishes of wheels. It is Ph neutral. Now we let it dwell for a few minutes, and then use a super soft boars brush to agitate the surface. I use a bendable Daytona speedmaster brush for the barrels. (no, the cleaner is not staining the brake rotors in this pic)



now we just rinse with a hose. At this point I will also clean the tire, in a conventional manner, using the Blackfire Tire Cleaner. Then while it’s still wet, apply the Hydro2 "water sealant" with just spraying …4-5 quick spritzes gets it…The spray is diluted 3:1, so a small bottle lasts at least a year if you use it monthly. I have been told it can streak if done with bright direct overhead sunlight on the wheel, but I have not experienced that yet. Hydro2 is from the mfr of Cquartz, CarPro. NOTE: not to be used with the Z06-7 Carbon Ceramic brakes



Now the unique part. Now hit it again with the hose, AS HARD AS YOU CAN GET THE HOSE STREAM…THE HARDER THE BLAST THE BETTER! Some even use a pressure washer on it.



The surface will slightly foam for a nanosec, and the sealant will spread to all the nooks and crannies of the wheel, not leaving any product on the tires. Remember above: a few people have mentioned that it streaks a bit if you are in direct overhead hot sunlight.… Better to do this in the shade , or just not direct noon sunlight.



Now in keeping with my "fast and easy" mission parameter, I use a cordless leaf blower to dry. The water flies off with the blower, due to the super hydrophobic behavior of the sealant. You can hit it with a weave towel after, but you really wont need to.



done for another month, brake dust now comes off well with just a hose blast.



Time start to finish per wheel about 6 minutes....

Hope you like this, there are many great products, this is just One EASY WAY to do it.

Products and tools:



Brushes - A soft Boars hair brush & a Daytona Speedmaster
one waffle weave towel for drying (optional)
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus
CarPro Hydro2 sealant

Blackfire Gel Tire Cleaner
Cordless leaf blower


Note: I just use this for the wheels, as I like other stuff for the paint, but many use it for everything, Here’s a youtube vid from Corey at Car Pro:

Glen- Any product suggestion for wheels with carbon ceramic brakes?
 
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