Wheel Cleaner for White Painted Wheels?

[jdonnell]

I love IronX but I hear it is too harsh for painted wheels, and it`ll take wax off. My wheels are all white (see pic). Any recommendations on what wheel cleaners out there would work best?

[Old Pirate]

P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner! (http://http://www.autopia-carcare.com/p21-105g.html)

[jdonnell]

Thank you on the P21S. Any others?

[Orinda Auto Detail]

Black Fire APC. Then you might want to put something like Opti Coat on them, or DP`s new wheel coating. I know coated wheels come clean with soap and water.

[radarryan]

I`m a bit of a wheel cleaner junkie... I try and try and try in the seemingly endless search for the "perfect" wheel cleaner. The wheel cleaner must be safe on all wheels (even though my wheels are clear coated aluminum), it must be safe (both for the wheel, as in my first point and, most importantly, to me) and must be an effective cleaner.

So far, out of all the ones I`ve tried, the following are my favorites (I will go into more detail on the ones that are currently in my cabinet after):

SONAX Full Effect Wheel Cleaner

1Z CoulorTec Wheel Cleaner

P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner

Griot`s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner

Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Cleaner

Now, one by one, starting with the one that started the iron-dissolving "revolution", SONAX Full Effect. Most are put off by the smell from one of the active ingredients, but to me, it`s not that big of a deal. SOANX does a good job of dissolving the brake dust and "plumbing up" as I like to say - that is, turning purple as it comes into contact with iron particles (brake dust). When agitated it turns into a film, which is then washed away when rinsed.There are plenty of videos on YouTube of application, dwell, rinse with pressure washer that produced phenomenal results. Most of the time, however, you will need agitation. A solid choice - one that I currently have over 5 liters, so let that be talking with my money.

1Z ColourTec is the "new king", if you will. Many think that this is a better cleaner than SONAX, mainly because it foams up when agitated. It is at a better price-point when bought in bulk, than the SONAX. I currently have a half-full bottle of the 1Z and am unsure if I am going to buy a bulk container - mostly because I have so much SONAX and there is one chemical in the wheel cleaner that I need to do more research on (albeit it is a very small concentration).

Griot`s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner comes in 35oz, rather than the "normal" 16.9 oz (500mL), which makes it very attractive due to the price. It also changes colors, but is probably the weakest of the color-changing wheel cleaners. It is a good wheel cleaner but needs agitation to be effective. Even though it is the cheapest and still effective, I probably will not be purchasing it again.

P21S Gel is pretty much as safe as you can get. End of story. It is a detergent based cleaner, but that is about the extent that I know of it because the distributor has an agreement that stipulates that they cannot release the MSDS. They don`t need to, by law, because it contains nothing harmful or that requires any special care in case of ingestion, fire, etc. It is pretty much a super effective soap. The gel formula clings onto the wheel very well. It can also be left to dwell for up to 2 hours. I have found that for light cleanings, it can be sprayed on, dwell, and spray off with a regular hose - no pressure washer needed. It is also the most expensive of the bunch, but P21S likes to say they are still cheap, compared to a new set of aluminum alloy wheels! I have a bottle and probably always will...

Chemical Guys Diablo is sort of like the P21S. It is completely safe for all wheels, biodegrade, and dilatable. It is what I use for my maintenance washes, however my wheels are Opti-Coated, so really I could get away with soap and water - I just prefer a dedicated wheel cleaner. I have bought two bottles thus far and probably will buy a gallon when I need more. It is a great smelling, great foaming, solid maintenance wheel cleaner. The smell along (bubblegum) is almost enough to justify the cost!

Now, the one that I haven`t mentioned because I`ve never used it is Scholl Concepts Rim7 Rim Cleaning Gel (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/rim7-cleaning-gel.html). I have heard very good things about it - other than the price and the inability, at least as of right now, to buy in bulk (which really makes everything a lot more economical when it comes to everything, but especially wheel cleaners). When I run out of everything (iron-dissolving), I will probably pick up a bottle to try.

Honestly, my best advice would be to go out and pick up a bottle of each one that interests you. Base your decisions on reviews across the forums - that`s pretty much how I do it. After I get it I like to form my own opinions and then share it via a review on the forums - to hopefully help someone else out when they`re in the position that I was in.

It may seem crazy to you to pay $20 for half a liter for a wheel cleaner. Nothing wrong with that - just adjust your search to less expensive or wheel cleaners that you can dilute! For me, I`m just a crazy enthusiast so I don`t have to worry about a bottom line like a professional, so I can try some of the more expensive per ounce wheel cleaners and the like.

I hope this helps. Happy detailing and please share you decisions and results!

[jdonnell]

Thanks for taking the time to include all that valuable information. Very descriptive. I like to try new things so next Autopia sale I`ll pick up a few of the one`s you listed. I had seen a comparison too on the 1Z and it seemed like a solid pick. Thanks again!

[Todd@RUPES]

I`m a bit of a wheel cleaner junkie... I try and try and try in the seemingly endless search for the "perfect" wheel cleaner. The wheel cleaner must be safe on all wheels (even though my wheels are clear coated aluminum), it must be safe (both for the wheel, as in my first point and, most importantly, to me) and must be an effective cleaner.

So far, out of all the ones I`ve tried, the following are my favorites (I will go into more detail on the ones that are currently in my cabinet after):

SONAX Full Effect Wheel Cleaner

1Z CoulorTec Wheel Cleaner

P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner

Griot`s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner

Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Cleaner

Now, one by one, starting with the one that started the iron-dissolving "revolution", SONAX Full Effect. Most are put off by the smell from one of the active ingredients, but to me, it`s not that big of a deal. SOANX does a good job of dissolving the brake dust and "plumbing up" as I like to say - that is, turning purple as it comes into contact with iron particles (brake dust). When agitated it turns into a film, which is then washed away when rinsed.There are plenty of videos on YouTube of application, dwell, rinse with pressure washer that produced phenomenal results. Most of the time, however, you will need agitation. A solid choice - one that I currently have over 5 liters, so let that be talking with my money.

1Z ColourTec is the "new king", if you will. Many think that this is a better cleaner than SONAX, mainly because it foams up when agitated. It is at a better price-point when bought in bulk, than the SONAX. I currently have a half-full bottle of the 1Z and am unsure if I am going to buy a bulk container - mostly because I have so much SONAX and there is one chemical in the wheel cleaner that I need to do more research on (albeit it is a very small concentration).

Griot`s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner comes in 35oz, rather than the "normal" 16.9 oz (500mL), which makes it very attractive due to the price. It also changes colors, but is probably the weakest of the color-changing wheel cleaners. It is a good wheel cleaner but needs agitation to be effective. Even though it is the cheapest and still effective, I probably will not be purchasing it again.

P21S Gel is pretty much as safe as you can get. End of story. It is a detergent based cleaner, but that is about the extent that I know of it because the distributor has an agreement that stipulates that they cannot release the MSDS. They don`t need to, by law, because it contains nothing harmful or that requires any special care in case of ingestion, fire, etc. It is pretty much a super effective soap. The gel formula clings onto the wheel very well. It can also be left to dwell for up to 2 hours. I have found that for light cleanings, it can be sprayed on, dwell, and spray off with a regular hose - no pressure washer needed. It is also the most expensive of the bunch, but P21S likes to say they are still cheap, compared to a new set of aluminum alloy wheels! I have a bottle and probably always will...

Chemical Guys Diablo is sort of like the P21S. It is completely safe for all wheels, biodegrade, and dilatable. It is what I use for my maintenance washes, however my wheels are Opti-Coated, so really I could get away with soap and water - I just prefer a dedicated wheel cleaner. I have bought two bottles thus far and probably will buy a gallon when I need more. It is a great smelling, great foaming, solid maintenance wheel cleaner. The smell along (bubblegum) is almost enough to justify the cost!

Now, the one that I haven`t mentioned because I`ve never used it is Scholl Concepts Rim7 Rim Cleaning Gel (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/rim7-cleaning-gel.html). I have heard very good things about it - other than the price and the inability, at least as of right now, to buy in bulk (which really makes everything a lot more economical when it comes to everything, but especially wheel cleaners). When I run out of everything (iron-dissolving), I will probably pick up a bottle to try.

Honestly, my best advice would be to go out and pick up a bottle of each one that interests you. Base your decisions on reviews across the forums - that`s pretty much how I do it. After I get it I like to form my own opinions and then share it via a review on the forums - to hopefully help someone else out when they`re in the position that I was in.

It may seem crazy to you to pay $20 for half a liter for a wheel cleaner. Nothing wrong with that - just adjust your search to less expensive or wheel cleaners that you can dilute! For me, I`m just a crazy enthusiast so I don`t have to worry about a bottom line like a professional, so I can try some of the more expensive per ounce wheel cleaners and the like.

I hope this helps. Happy detailing and please share you decisions and results!

Amazing post, thanks!

[Todd@RUPES]

I love IronX but I hear it is too harsh for painted wheels, and it`ll take wax off. My wheels are all white (see pic). Any recommendations on what wheel cleaners out there would work best?

IRONX is safe for paint (no problem). Any wheel cleaner is going to remove wax.

[Pockets]

IRONX is safe for paint (no problem). Any wheel cleaner is going to remove wax.

What he said .... Spray and Rinse is fine for coated rims but it will remove, or significantly decrease, whatever protection you have on it

There is two options for rim care ... either protect and clean with a diluted APC or Car Wash Soap or use some sort of wheel cleaner (wheel acid) and don`t worry about the protection step.