Wheel cleaning help

[Unabomber]

I am currently buying/researching products for my new car. I should take delivery next week or the week after.



First off, let me say this site is GREAT! The search feature really works and I think I have done a good job so far with products that are good, fairly inexpensive, and meet my needs. The advice I have received second hand has been terrific and I thank all autopia members! :)



I am looking for some wheel cleaning advice. My wheels are clear coated aluminum. Since this will be a new car, I won`t have any worries about dents or dings. I plan on immediately polymer waxing the rims, but want to know what to use for eventual cleaning. I may be obsessing here, so feel free to let me know if I am.



I have a bottle of Castrol Wheel Cleaner on hand. Excellent acid based cleaner for sure, but I am thinking it may be too harsh for new rims. I have heard good things about Blackfire, but my cheap skate thought process is this.....if a high pH cleaner is good, why not just use something similar like straight ammonia? Choking fumes aside, it should do the same thing. Anyway, I plan on pitching the Castrol or using it on my wife`s car ( :D ). Anyone have any thoughts or opinions of what to use. BTW, I could care less about tire shine so that shouldn`t be part of the cleaning equation.

[Ben Carufel]

Don`t use anything.



If you coat them with a good coat of Klasse AIO and a few good good good coats of Klasse SG you can use a wash mitt and car soap on them with ease.



This is what I do on my customer`s cars. My wheels are so trashed that I don`t really care, but I bought new ones last night so I`ll do this to the new ones as well.



Just use an old wash mitt (get a new one first -- duh! :)) or buy the cheapest one you can find...that`s 100% cotton. With polished aluminum you might still be careful not to swirl them -- they are clearcoated, right?



Soap and water doesn`t hurt :).

[Ben Carufel]

Oops, just noticed you specified that they were clearcoated -- it`s definitely worth taking the same precautions as you would with your paint to avoid swirls, but like I said...car soap and water...and a DIFFERENT wash mitt than what you use on your paint...



What kind of car, by the way? :)

[Unabomber]

http://members.cox.net/rschunck/scooby.jpg



2004 Subaru WRX Sport Wagon



Thanks for the opinion. It is what I assumed after lots of research. Right now I only have one mitt, but will pick up another one. I got the $5 Walmart specials, but hey, they are sheepskin. If anyone else has any advice, I am all ears. Thanks for your reply!

[Ben Carufel]

Very nice. I`ve heard that a software upgrade for the turbo mapping on those can bump the boost and still somewhat-safely give you an extra 40+hp :)...



EDIT: Or is the WRX a turbo still? I remember the WRX STi was..but there`s way too many variations for me now :)...

[tkr128]

Yes, just use an old wash mitt and car wash soap. A wheel cleaner will typically remove any type of sealant you might have on the rim, so using a wheel cleaner defeats the purpose of "waxing" your rims.



Post pictures of your new car when you get it!

[Lowejackson]

If you want to get your wheels perfect, I would wash, clay and then protect.



Steven

[Accumulator]

Unabomber- Welcome to Autopia! Fellow WRX wagon owner here. Just clay/AIO/SG and wash them like the rest of the car as the others have said. tke128 brings up a good point- once you let `em get so dirty that you have to use wheel cleaner (and you will, at least eventually) you`ll have to re-wax/seal/whatever. To be honest, I quit using SG on mine and just use wheel cleaner and AIO (but my WRX isn`t pampered by any means).



Which wheels? The 5-spokes or the BBS-style or aftermarket? Whichever, it`s sorta tough to clean the front ones behind the spokes.

[TortoiseAWD]

Originally posted by Ben Carufel

Very nice. I`ve heard that a software upgrade for the turbo mapping on those can bump the boost and still somewhat-safely give you an extra 40+hp :)...



EDIT: Or is the WRX a turbo still? I remember the WRX STi was..but there`s way too many variations for me now :)... Yeah, ECU reflashes and other more user-involved tuning setups (piggybacks, standalones) seem to be the key to getting power out of the WRX. I plan on getting an ECU reflash from COBB Tuning sometime this month. With the exhaust mods I have (pretty much an entire turbo-back, with the exception of the stock mid-pipe), 40 hp or more over stock should be possible. Drivability is supposed to be improved as well, as boost comes on earlier than stock, yielding a torque curve that rises quickly and remains flat to redline. The fueling and timing maps are also adjusted to handle the increased boost and provide more power through more agressive timing and air/fuel ratios. At the same time, all of the stock ECU`s adaptability and protection measures are maintained (closed loop knock feedback, etc.).



I can`t wait.



Oh, the WRX is still a 2.0 liter turbocharged motor. The USDM STi is getting a 2.5 liter turbo motor (and 70 more hp, more torque, variable timing, Brembo brakes, and other goodies).



Tort

[Ben Carufel]

Originally posted by TortoiseAWD

Yeah, ECU reflashes and other more user-involved tuning setups (piggybacks, standalones) seem to be the key to getting power out of the WRX. I plan on getting an ECU reflash from COBB Tuning sometime this month. With the exhaust mods I have (pretty much an entire turbo-back, with the exception of the stock mid-pipe), 40 hp or more over stock should be possible. Drivability is supposed to be improved as well, as boost comes on earlier than stock, yielding a torque curve that rises quickly and remains flat to redline. The fueling and timing maps are also adjusted to handle the increased boost and provide more power through more agressive timing and air/fuel ratios. At the same time, all of the stock ECU`s adaptability and protection measures are maintained (closed loop knock feedback, etc.).



I can`t wait.



Oh, the WRX is still a 2.0 liter turbocharged motor. The USDM STi is getting a 2.5 liter turbo motor (and 70 more hp, more torque, variable timing, Brembo brakes, and other goodies).



Whew, gotta love the tunability and exponential gains of FI. Especially turbos -- superchargers are just so linear.



I`m actually just getting ready to turbo my 325i. One of the guys on my regular BMW messageboard just finished his, and is looking at 350+ hp at 11 psi after tuning. For what it`s worth the 1989 325i came with 168 hp stock...