What is everyone's go-to wheel cleaner??

[RKS]

After just one week, my polished wheels look like the upgraded satin graphite! Maybe I should just clearcoat them and run with it?

 

[minn19]

Sonax and good selection of wheel woolies

SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect 500 mL

SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - Safe on all wheels, including aluminum and alloys! SONAX Wheel Cleaner safely and effectively eliminates the most stubborn dirt such as brake dust, oil and rubber residue. Color-change foam lets you know ...

www.autogeek.net

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www.autogeek.net

 

[rdollie]

After just one week, my polished wheels look like the upgraded satin graphite! Maybe I should just clearcoat them and run with it?

They'll look just as dirty, and MAYBE will be easier to clean. May depend on how your drive, but I don't think there is a clear coat that could take the heat from my spirited / track drives (most clear coats fall apart around 200F.) I don't think the ceramic coating on my wheels did anything or lasted either!

 

[RKS]

They'll look just as dirty, and MAYBE will be easier to clean. May depend on how your drive, but I don't think there is a clear coat that could take the heat from my spirited / track drives (most clear coats fall apart around 200F.) I don't think the ceramic coating on my wheels did anything or lasted either!

I was being facetious but I've never seem that much brake dust within a few days of driving.

 

[CBH]

There are threads here with info about ceramic pads.

I swapped ceramic pads on a BMW I had years ago and the difference was astounding. I mean dust just disappeared.

 

[Neveready]

I had opticoat professionally installed on my cayman wheels when I first got it, about 10 years ago. Back then I never did the maintenance on the opticoat, I would use wheel cleaners rather than car soap and a brush. This really beats on the coating. About 2 years into having the coating put on I bought hawk dtc 60 pads which are ferro carbon and highly corrosive when wet. I did about a dozen track days. I thought the coating had worn off because at some point it seemed difficult to clean, dirt would get trapped in the corners but just a few spots would have brake dust trapped in the corners.

FF a few years and I bought a set of forged wheels and never coated them with ceramic. I put the dtc60 pads back on to go to the track and it rained on the way home. It pretty much ruined the wheels, and I can’t get off any of the brake dust unless I scrape it or use oven cleaner.

As far as the blackwing wheels are concerned, there’s a thread somewhere discussing how people believe their bronze tech wheels are fading in color just within the last few years.

Moral of the story, be careful what pads you use and ceramic coat the wheels if you go with aftermarket pads. Also be careful with what wheel cleaners you use which can strip the top coat.

I wish I had used this stuff, it works pretty well and makes cleaning them much easier. It’s essentially a temporary coating that you use after each wash. The dust sticks to the coating and you wash it off with soap and water.

Outlast™ Brake Dust Repellent | Armor All US

Use Armor All® Outlast™ Brake Dust Repellent to repel brake dust, road grime and dirt by forming a protective barrier on wheels and rims.

www.armorall.com

 

[rdollie]

There are threads here with info about ceramic pads.

I swapped ceramic pads on a BMW I had years ago and the difference was astounding. I mean dust just disappeared.

Did the same with Akebono ceramic pads on a Volvo and it helped but the harder pads meany longer stopping distances in my case.

 

[Neveready]

Did the same with Akebono ceramic pads on a Volvo and it helped but the harder pads meany longer stopping distances in my case.

That’s true, ceramic pads produce little to no dust, fantastic when it comes to that aspect. They also don’t squeal like a semi metallic pad. Ceramic pads also transfer more heat away from the pad and into your calipers and rotors so depending on how aggressive you are on the brakes you will add more wear to other components. The big issue is that you’re sacrificing stopping power. You will lose feet in stopping but more importantly they’ll glaze over after repetitive heaving braking.

So if you don’t track your car and you’re not that aggressive on the brakes then you’ll be fine. It’s the assumption that Lexus switched over to ceramic pads for this very reason.

The only way you can have your cake and eat it too is if you went with the $9k optional Carbon Ceramic Brakes. Zero dust, zero fade, super consistent under repeat heavy braking.

 

[Grainofsand]

Sonax and good selection of wheel woolies

SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect 500 mL

SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect - Safe on all wheels, including aluminum and alloys! SONAX Wheel Cleaner safely and effectively eliminates the most stubborn dirt such as brake dust, oil and rubber residue. Color-change foam lets you know ...

www.autogeek.net

Search Results

www.autogeek.net

I never liked sonax. They're just not good. I just use soap and water and brush.

 

[Jack Tors]

A good wheel cleaner makes a big difference over soap and water when it comes to removing brake and metallic matter from your wheels. Spray on - let it do its work, scrub with a wheel brush or two, rinse off.

These tend to be ph balanced or somewhat alkaline and are similar to the iron remover sprays. I've used adams wheel cleaner and P&S brake buster wheel cleaner with success, I'm sure others work as well.

 

[MookdocOE]

There are threads here with info about ceramic pads.

I swapped ceramic pads on a BMW I had years ago and the difference was astounding. I mean dust just disappeared.

Yes, these Steel Brakes and pads are selected especially for tracking/Heat/Stopping Distance etc. 100% guaranteed they are super aggressive with massive dust release. CCB brakes are very cool with trace dust accumulation and SUPER EXPENSIVE.

I am cheap so that's a no go for CCB's for me! Now, I just paddle down from 90mph to stop signs totally saving my pads! LOL........

 

[Sully]

What are folks with CCBs using beside soap/water?

 

[MatthewAMEL]

What are folks with CCBs using beside soap/water?

Nothing but soap and water needed. Even after a track day.

Takes me longer to clean out the bits of melted tire in the barrel than clean the wheel.

 

[showmeyourboost]

P&S Brake buster and dilute 1:5 with water

 

[Neveready]

What are folks with CCBs using beside soap/water?

I had CCBs on my 22. I washed the wheels with regular car soap and a brush when I first bought it. Every other wash after that I used the foam cannon and pressure washer which was more than sufficient to get the dust off. Even the barrels stayed clean.

 

[jbawden]

Diablo wheel gel here, but agree with others simple car wash soap is fine. I good collection of wheel brushes help reach the calipers and the inside of the rim as well. Not to turn this into a detailing thread, but I picked up some handheld pump sprayers and use it to apply bug remover, wheel gel, drying aid, etc.

 

[Neveready]

good collection of wheel brushes

That is my biggest hangup. What brushes fit in between the barrel and the rotors with tech bronze wheels? Anyone…?

 

[jbawden]

This kit from chemical guys should work on all wheels.

Wheel Woolies Wheel Brushes | Chemical Guys

Wheel Woolies are the top choice of professional detailers for a gentle, effective clean on wheels and tires, making tough grime removal easy and safe.

www.chemicalguys.com

 

[rj45]

I’ve been using P&S Brake Buster, lately (diluted at 1:1). It certainly cleans well, but I’m more appreciative of its anti-corrosive properties which noticeably reduces the amount of rust that forms on the rotors after cleaning. When using other wheel cleaners, I’d have to quickly dry them with the leaf blower to avoid rust formation, and even then I’d usually get at least some.

 

[Z51L9889]

I tried Sonax and wasn't a huge fan. I used Adam's green wheel cleaner for many years with good results but it would sometimes struggle with really dirty wheels. I recently have been using Chemical Guys Citrus Sticky Wheel Gel. It clings to the wheel and really suds up nicely when you agitate it with a wheel brush. It's done a fabulous job the 5-6 times I've used it so far.