Stock wheels sealed w/ Z-2 Pro, and I'm so slow

Astral · 03-26-06, 09:25

Ok, this is click, but not much brag...

I finally put the summer shoes back on my 8, which are the stockers. They only had 6K miles on them before I took them off for the winter. However, the wheels had lots of tar and stuff on the inside, probably due to all the under-construction highway driving I've done when I got the car (I couldn't easily avoid it, Masspike in the greater Boston here is key to getting around fast).

I spent WAY too much time prepping the stock wheels for the reinstall. I cleaned the stock wheels (which had only about 6K miles on them) and put on 3 layers of Zaino Z-2 Pro on them, with Z-6 in between (and Z-8 to finish it off). (it's only 2 layers of Z2 on the inside)

To show you how slow I am, for each wheel, it took me:

20 minutes to hose down and spray ungodly amounts of wheel cleaner, agitate with brush, rinse clean, wash with car soap (Z-7) and a cotton towel, rinse and dry. This got lots and lots of crap off.
1 hr to wipe down inside of each wheel with Meg's Deep Paint Cleaner, trying to get all the stuck-on tar off and to clean off the middle of the grooves on the inside (towel I used went black), claybar the wheel's face (w/ occasional paint cleaner treatment on a spot or two). I tried claying the inside (non-clearcoated, but painted surfaces), but the claybar kept going black after a few swipes. The inside of the back of the spokes was not cleaned--I just totally ran out of patience there.
15 minutes to apply initial layer of Z-6 and apply 1st layer of Z-2 Pro to inside, back of spokes and face.
10 minutes to remove the sealant w/ a microfiber towel (ExcelDetail Blue), apply a spritz of Z-6, then apply 2nd layer of Z-2 Pro to face only
15 minutes to remove 2nd layer, then apply a spritz of Z-6 to inside & face, and put the 3rd layer of Z-2 Pro on the face (and 2nd on the inside and back of spokes)
10 minutes additional waiting time total per wheel to let the Z-2 Pro stay on longer (for about 50-60 mins total on each wheel)
15 minutes to carefully remove the 3rd layer and apply a final spritz of Z-8 (I was quite tired and even slower here)

So that's close to 10 hours to prep & clean my summer wheels. Yes, I'm slow, the cleaning did take forever and I could've let the Z-2 Pro haze only for 35-45 minutes to speed things up...

Anyways, the result is a pretty damn gorgeous looking wheel that photos couldn't quite capture, but here are my feeble attempts anyways (click for full size):

(ouch, rock chips :/)

A little crude, but the air compressor shows the reflections:

Another crappy-o closeup:

Summer stock wheel vs winter wheel comparo:

It was all cloudy today, but I reckon that the wheels will look even nicer in the sun. If I snap any better photos, I'll update this post.

revautousa · 03-26-06, 10:52

Nice, hopefully it was worth it in the time it takes to maintain them.

gtbaka · 03-26-06, 11:10

Man there is nothing wrong with going slow as long as you end up the results. Accumulator says it best in his sig:

"I love the process that gives me the results that I desire. "

The wheels look great. So does the Rotary. I love that color.

Astral · 03-27-06, 04:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by revautousa

Nice, hopefully it was worth it in the time it takes to maintain them.

Yeah. I did the same thing to my winter wheels (except only 1 coat of Z-2 on the inside) and they have been really easy to wash all winter. Only in the last month or so have I seen some yellowing/staining in the corners that regular car soap didn't take out. So that means that I had great protection since November 20th or so until about early March, through our salty New England winter. When I rinse my winters off, a whole lot of stuff comes right off and then contact w/ a mitt and car soap gets the rest off.

Anyways, you're right, I think the reduced maintenance time should save me 10 hours over the course of the summer.

Astral · 03-27-06, 05:58

I took some photos this morning, after a bunch of driving, so some dirt on the wheels already, but see that flake pop:

Check the reflection on the top spoke:

More flakey goodness, and check that reflection and light coming off the wheel lock:

It's kinda strange how all the dirt is bunched up in the corners there.. couldn't stick to the wheels??

Dunno, maybe this is not so great, but, for some reason, I am really happy with how these came out. (IT's probably because I spent so much darn time on them)

I am debating what type of tire shine to apply... Rub in 303 Aerospace, Eagle One Tire Wet or NXT Insane Shine? (I'm really bad at spraying things evenly though...)

White95Max · 03-27-06, 06:12

So don't spray it on. Spray the product on an applicator, facing AWAY from the wheel/car, and then apply it to the tires via the applicator pad.

Astral · 03-27-06, 06:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

So don't spray it on. Spray the product on an applicator, facing AWAY from the wheel/car, and then apply it to the tires via the applicator pad.

Yeah, I'll try that. I will buy a clean tire shine applicator. Which one of those products do you think I should apply? Will the NXT Insane Shine still shine insanely even when applied via pad? (stupid question, I know..)

natebood · 03-27-06, 06:28

I used Insane Shine this past weeked, but I buffed it off. Not too glossy IMO.

2000firebird · 03-27-06, 06:45

Don't worry man its hard work... I'm slow too.. I brought out my stored wheels today (stocks are on the car for winter) I washed them with a microfiber, hand dryed them, put some metal polish around the lips, and gave it two layers of wheel sealant. Here and there it took me about 5 hours!

White95Max · 03-27-06, 07:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astral

Yeah, I'll try that. I will buy a clean tire shine applicator. Which one of those products do you think I should apply? Will the NXT Insane Shine still shine insanely even when applied via pad? (stupid question, I know..)

The shine of the product is going to come from 3 things:
1) the ingredients of the product
2) how thick you apply it
3) whether or not you buff it off afterward

You can apply it with a foam pad and it will look the same, aside from the absence of product on your wheels and fenders.

JohnZ3MC · 03-27-06, 07:48

White95max mentions applying tire product with a foam applicator and he's right on with good info.
You can make your own foam pad easily too. Get some scrap foam, about 3 inches thick and cut out some brick rectangles, 6 inches long and about 3/4 the width of your sidewalls. Spray your tire shine onto the foam and apply it.
It goes onto the rubber only, not the wheel and your hands stay clean.
Toss it when it wears out but it'll last a long time.
(This technique works very well on my low profile coupe tires.)
Your wheels look spectacular by the way.
-John C.