Looking for products to protect my wheels

[Accumulator]

acuRAS82- Yeah, that`s exactly how I`d expect it to go. When I coat/LSP mine, I usually use something like a Polish or at least an AIO (if LSPing), but the Wheel Cleaner would be great if they didn`t need that.

[DetailZeus]

Try it with the Shampoo Mix and you might find you don`t need the Wheel Cleaner (or, you might find that I`m all off-base!). No need to mix it up when it`s in the spray bottle Well...you do have to mix *that* up now and then.

Remind the strength of the shampoo mix these days? How many oz/gal?

[DetailZeus]

I`m utterly astounded that so many people need to use Wheel Cleaners *with coatings*! My "problematic German cars" don`t need Wheel Cleaners and I just do their wheels with conventional LSPs. Ditto for recoating wheels annually.

Heh heh, this thread`s almost enough to convince me to *not* coat wheels any more!

I`ve always wondered how well it would work just to use a dedicated wheel cleaner all year on an unprotected wheel. I figure that`s really what they`re designed for and how the average consumer uses them. Yeah maybe a bit pricey but so are these coatings.

I will say if I`m gonna go through the effort of pulling & cleaning the wheel then yeah, I`m gonna put something on there.

I`ve just been using flavor-of-the week spray sealants on the wheel faces every few washes. They clean up just fine sprayed with some poorboy`s APC at 1:15 and washed with a bucket of soapy water. Probably don`t even need the APC but it`s already there for the tires and wells. The barrels are getting kinda dingy but they`re unprotected and getting in there is pretty awkward.

[Accumulator]

I`ve always wondered how well it would work just to use a dedicated wheel cleaner all year on an unprotected wheel. I figure that`s really what they`re designed for and how the average consumer uses them. Yeah maybe a bit pricey but so are these coatings...

I did that for ages (decades) and it worked just fine as long as the brake dust/etc. wasn`t left on too long between cleanings and the wheels did *not* have a compromised finish.

I`m still doing it this way on the Tahoe`s winter wheels.

I will say if I`m gonna go through the effort of pulling & cleaning the wheel then yeah, I`m gonna put something on there.

Eh, I do that anyhow whether I`m LSP/Coating them or not, even though (the `93 Audi`s BBS wheels excepted) I clean the back sides meticulously at every wash. There`s just no way I can keep everything in those areas the way I want them without pulling the wheels now and then, at least annually (even on cars that aren`t driven in the winter). E.g., there`s always some area of the calipers I can`t get to with the wheels on.

I`ve just been using flavor-of-the week spray sealants on the wheel faces every few washes. They clean up just fine sprayed with some poorboy`s APC at 1:15 and washed with a bucket of soapy water. Probably don`t even need the APC but it`s already there for the tires and wells. The barrels are getting kinda dingy but they`re unprotected and getting in there is pretty awkward.

Surprised you need the APC for the wells...I simply don`t use it that way on my vehicles as the shampoo mix works fine for everything except the tires (and I usually use a Rubber Cleaner on those). Even winter-dirty undercarriages...I just never need an APC.

Yeah, doing some barrels *is* awkward! Having the vehicle jacked up (both sides if it has a LSD) makes it a whole lot easier, and even on the `93 I can then access the barrels from the back side/underneath (simply can`t access the back of the spokes without dismounting them though ). Once they`re polished smooth and well-LSPed/coated it`s very easy to keep them nice and clean and I find that I only need to do a truly Autopian job on most wheels annually.

Eh, I`m gonna do the calipers anyhow...often do the wheels/tires/brakes in-between washes so they`re never too bad.

If you`re OK with the barrels getting/being dirty then that`s OK! Don`t let the Curse of Autopia prod you into doing stuff you don`t care about or want to do

Remind the strength of the shampoo mix these days? How many oz/gal?

About 3.5oz. each of Griot`s Car Wash and 3D Pink Car Soap + enough water to make a gallon of concentrate (about 121oz.).

Sometimes I just mix up my wheel/wells/etc. shampoo by eye,especially when using up old shampoos. I`m currently on my final gallon of M62...no idea what the actual strength I`m using is, don`t think it really matters all that much. I aim for a guesstimated ~1.75oz. in my roughly 32oz. spray bottle.

[DetailZeus]

Surprised you need the APC for the wells...I simply don`t use it that way on my vehicles as the shampoo mix works fine for everything except the tires (and I usually use a Rubber Cleaner on those). Even winter-dirty undercarriages...I just never need an APC.

Interesting I guess I just figured everyone used an APC on wells (and tires that aren`t coated) and never thought otherwise. There`s no dressing so I`m not worried about longevity. I`m pretty sure my fender brush is doing the real cleaning work anyway (it`s noticeable when I miss a spot). It`s not a very strong mix anyways, maybe I`ll save a few cents and see if there`s is any difference without.

If you`re OK with the barrels getting/being dirty then that`s OK! Don`t let the Curse of Autopia prod you into doing stuff you don`t care about or want to do

Naw I`m a stickler for barrels. Maybe they don`t need to be perfect (for now) but I`m gonna get what I can with a wheel woolie. It how I separate myself from the masses

About 3.5oz. each of Griot`s Car Wash and 3D Pink Car Soap + enough water to make a gallon of concentrate (about 121oz.).

Got it, thanks!

[Accumulator]

DetailZeus- If you do one really thorough cleanup of the wells/etc. it can help you get by with just the shampoo; the better you do `em the easier they are to keep nice. Even just using a SprayWax for your Drying Aid can make a diff with how they`ll clean up next time. I was surprised what a diff just a quickie polishing made; it smoothed the surface enough that it doesn`t retain dirt the way it used to (works great in doorjambs too, where the paintjob is often of so-so quality).

Those WheelWoolies really surprised me, in a good way. I still have to get in there with a little mitt/etc. but I need to do that for the back of the spokes anyhow. Their BHB for wheels (also to my pleasant surprise...well, I guess it was "pleasant"..) is *MUCH* better than my other ones too. Somebody here had compared BHBs for Wheels and I tried the WW ones based on his take...he was absolutely correct.

When I use my Foamgun Concentrate for this, I`m usually using up some leftover so I can mix up a fresh/full gallon. Otherwise I do the by-eye mix with my old stuff. Eventually I plan to try some cheap-but-OK shampoo for this, maybe Meguiar`s HyperWash. Gotta admit that 7oz/ of GG/3D is kinda pricey for wheelwells and undercarriages! But it gets things clean without *completely* stripping whatever LSP I have on there the way an APC would.

[DetailZeus]

DetailZeus- If you do one really thorough cleanup of the wells/etc. it can help you get by with just the shampoo; the better you do `em the easier they are to keep nice. Even just using a SprayWax for your Drying Aid can make a diff with how they`ll clean up next time. I was surprised what a diff just a quickie polishing made; it smoothed the surface enough that it doesn`t retain dirt the way it used to (works great in doorjambs too, where the paintjob is often of so-so quality).

Never even crossed my mind to spraywax wheel wells, nice suggestion. I`ve got plenty of spray lsp stuff sitting around, i`ll give it a shot. You use 845 on your plastics IIRC? What kind of durability do you see? Not planning on buying some, just curious.

[Accumulator]

Never even crossed my mind to spraywax wheel wells, nice suggestion. I`ve got plenty of spray lsp stuff sitting around, i`ll give it a shot.

It`s great that such stuff works fine on both plastics and paint..no need to be careful about it, just do what`s reasonable and see if you think it was worth it (and if the answer is "no" then ignore all my talk about it ).

You use 845 on your plastics IIRC? What kind of durability do you see? Not planning on buying some, just curious.

Eh, the areas I use it on now don`t take much abuse so it lasts almost indefinitely, can`t really give you a decent answer. I`m trying to remember how long it lasted on the plastic/rubber of "regular use cars" but it`s been so many years I just don`t remember It definitely lasts longer than Exterior Rubber & Vinyl Dressings (which I call "the slime approach ), but not as long as trim sealants like Ultima TTG+ or multiple (i.e., at least 4 minimum) layers of KSG.


On another recent thread Dr. Oldz commented on it`s impressive durability, and I suspect that most people would think it`s very durable..I`m just spoiled.

[wannafbody]

I used Wipe New wheel coating on a set of wheels. Seemed pretty durable. The only issue is that the lip of a couple wheels has gone cloudy looking. I`m not sure if it`s the coating degrading or the clearcoat degrading.