Wheel test: Klasse twins vs. Rain-X Wheel Protectant

Chuckmotor · 04-21-02, 06:36

I decided I would put my $2.50 Rain-X Wheel Protectant (which is supposadly discontinued, but I found many bottles of it at Roses) to the test against the $40+ Klasse twins on the wheels. After a thorough cleaning and drying, I sprayed a thin coat of Rain-X Wheel Protectant on the passenger side wheels, and I buffed up the driver's side wheels with AIO and then SG. My goal was to see which side had less brake dust build up and which was easier to clean. With my BMW brakes, brake dust builds up quickly, and I have to wipe them down every day to stay ahead of the game. Anyway, hear are my results:
Scale of 1-10
1 being your wheel is better left untouched
10 being if Jesus made car care products

Ease of use: Rain-X: 10 Can't get any easier than spray and go
Klasse: 4 Rub, buff, apply, wait, buff...

Initial shine: Rain-X: 4 No difference than before it was applied
Klasse: 9 Wheels were dazzling and shiny

Brake dust build up: Rain-X: 6 It wasn't magic, but it noticably works
Klasse: 5 The Klasse side had a slightly heavier coat of brake dust at the end of the day

Ease of cleaning: Rain-X: 9 A damp sponge wiped it all off, no problem
Klasse: 6 Some spots needed rubbing and pressure, and overall, the wheels did not look as nice as the other side

Price: Rain-X: 10 $2.50? I'm glad I bought more than one!
Klasse: 4 A little bit does go a long way, but still, $40 does not justify it's performance... at least on wheels

Overall
Rain-X Wheel Protectant: 7.8
Klasse AIO and SG: 5.6

Conclusions: Both are much better than nothing, but I would give the edge to Rain-X because of it's ease of use and great performance, not to mention the rock bottom price. And since all each wheel needs is a thin spray of the stuff, the bottle goes a long way. My test did not include durability, which I would bet Klasse would win, but since all Rain-X needs is a squeeze of the trigger, I have no problem applying it after each wash. I love Klasse, and it has done great things for both my car paint and my wheels, but for the price, Rain-X is unbeatable. I hope you can find Rain-X Wheel Protectant! It deserves to be in any Autopian's collection.

YoSteve · 04-21-02, 06:38

Excellent review, but.........

Chuck, both are better than each separate! Start with Klasse (3 coats) and then spray with the Rain-X wheel protectant. Then after every wash and dry continue with the Rain-x wheel stuff. You'll get super easy wheel washings every time.

Thumbs up on both products (at least for clearcoated/painted wheels like mine).

Chuckmotor · 04-21-02, 06:43

Actually, I did that the first weekend I bought the Rain-X. I agree with you, it works great, but I wanted to do a test of them seperately to show their own respective abilities.

YoSteve · 04-21-02, 06:45

Rain-x kinda cheats because you get to reapply every week and its thicker. It's sorta a temporary layer that washes free (washing the dirt away with the layer)

Klasse would do good if you did reapply every week.

But if I had to choose between the two, I would certainly choose Rain-x wheel stuff because reapplying SG every week, would be a hassle.

One thing if you let you brake dust sit for 3 weeks (longest I've waited, but wheels were Klassed) it still comes off with ease.

RH · 04-21-02, 07:57

Sure, go ahead, review discontinued products that the rest of us cant find and make us jealous...

Red Wolf · 04-22-02, 03:59

$2.50 for the rainX.
I live in canada and the local canadian tire has lots of it,but the price is around $12+tax

JM19 · 04-22-02, 08:00

Interesting to hear the Rain-X got the nod over Klasse. I've applied Klasse to my wheels before and had great results. The Rain-X sounds interesting in that a spray form would be easier on the more intricate designs of today's clear-coated wheels. Wish I could give it a try, but sadly it is no longer available.