Hi Autopians!

New poster here, but veeery long time lurker. Not sure why I haven`t contributed any sooner, but here I am. Normally I post on the sister forum. I know there are some absolute detailing legends on this forum from whom I`ve learned a TON.

Anyways, I`d like to discuss some wheel (and tire) cleaners!

I normally use Meguiar`s D143 Non-Acid wheel and tire cleaner, diluted 1:2 , but I`ve been discovering that for really caked on wheels it just takes too much scrubbing. So I`m looking for something that can fill a similar role. Concentrated cleaners are ideal as I use a lot of product so buying a non-diluteable iron-decon type product at 60-80+ a gallon is just out of the question for wheel use. The non-acid products are preferable as they can be used on tires as well, but I also am thinking about trying an acid based product.

Replacements I`ve been eyeing:

P&S Chemtrol Knock Off Concentrated Wheel Cleaner, about $26/gal
This product comes in at a pH of 11 in concentrated form. This appears to use same type of chemicals present in D143 and also Brake Buster. This product is interesting because it uses a lower pH than D143 (stated as 12.5-13.5) but it has dilution ratios of 1:8 to 1:20. This makes me wonder the effectiveness of the product, especially since Brake Buster seems to be a similar formulation but at much lower dilutions.

Superior Products Dark Fury, ~$22/gal
The product formerly known as RAGE. This one comes in with a pH of a whopping 14 in concentrated form. Claimed dilutions are between 1:4 and 1:10. Superior also claims this product makes for a very effective traffic film remover, but I generally leave wheel cleaners to wheel cleaner duty and have separate products for that. I`m guessing the higher solution pH would make it more effective at tire cleaning and removing blooming.

Adam`s Wheel and Tire Cleaner, ~$32/gal
This one is a bit more expensive, but I tried once before from a mystery bucket and got good results. However, that was undiluted. I`ve seen people claim (in the wild west of F.B.) that this product works just as good if not better than D143 at the same dilutions. It`s SDS shows a pH of 13.5 in concentrate form, so it clearly seems to have the ability to take a dilution. I`m curious how effective it really could be under dilutions of 1:2 to 1:4.

On the acid side of things:

3D Super Wheel Cleaner, ~$65/gal
This product has a high buy in but dilutions of 1:8 to 1:13. Initially I thought this was going to be a similar type of product as the previous products, a high alkaline cleaner. But looking up the SDS, it is in fact a unique acid-based cleaner. In concentrate form it has a pH of 5, which doesn`t really seem that acidic at all. Vinegar and lemon juice have a pH around 2, for instance. But I looked more into the composition of it, and it is about 35% Urea and 45% hydrochloric acid. A little googling told me this is a compound called Urea Hydrochloride, and is commonly used as a tile, grout, shower and toilet cleaner. It supposedly has tremendous abilities of dissolving metallic salts and particles while being relatively safe to use with no odor or inhalation dangers. Traditional wheel acids are dangerous to handle without full PPE, so this became interesting to me. However, I don`t believe it would be an effective tire cleaner and I would need a separate product. I would possibly continue using D143 or one of the above mentioned products along side it.

Meguiar`s D140 Wheel Brightener, ~$20/gal
The OG that I have still never used. D143 already makes my lungs feel like death, even when used in a foamer, so it makes me a little apprehensive of this product. However it`s effectiveness is well known. Meguiar`s recommends a dilution of 1:4 for this one and the pH is 4.5 in concentrate.

Superior Products Wire Wheel Cleaner, ~$16/gal
There are lots of warnings on this product page to not touch it, so again makes me a little apprehensive to go with a full blown wheel acid such as this. The pH is stated as being between 0 and 1 so very acidic, very volatile compound. Stated dilutions are 1:3 for this one. I`m sure it cleans like an absolute son-of-a-gun but I also don`t want to be caught unprepared for the type of damage the acidity of this one can do to both myself and to wheels. But it`s certainly cost-effective.



So looking at the above, the P&S seems to be the most economical, but will it really be the most effective? Has anyone tried any of these products and have a comparison of how they perform compared to D143?

I`m curious about trying some wheel acids to cut through the horrible brake dust on some cars. Just this weekend I spent at least an hour on just the wheels of a high mileage Accord I was detailing. That car is what made me come around to this discussion and the consideration of some more effective but equally (or at least somewhat reasonable) cost effective products.

Thanks for reading! And glad to be here!

-Colin