The Guz
Mike
I put this together to show the water behavior of some of the wheel coatings I have on hand. It was really based on my own curiosity. Hopefully it helps others understand the water behavior of some that are commonly used, but also to start a discussion of other user experiences.
From my experience, not all wheel coatings are created equal. Some perform better than others in the long term.
The test panel was prepped with 303 Step 2 polish and prep wiped with American Global Stripper.
I have used Gyeon Rim and Pinnacle Black Label Wheel Coating as well but I gave those away to other Autopian forum members. With that said here are the candidates.
Products:
Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armour
CarPro DLUX
22ple VM1
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat
Often the following questions come up, What is the best wheel coating? What wheel coating should I get? Etc., etc..
Most of the time it is going to come down to other user experiences as each individual has a different experience with essentially any coating.
Before I continue, I will say that one doesn’t need a wheel specific coating for a daily driver or even a garage/show car. Go ahead and use the same coating that is used on the paint. In most cases this works just fine and in some cases a paint coating outperforms a dedicated wheel coating.
The benefit of a wheel coating is that they are rated for higher temperatures. With that said for a daily driver one will not approach those high temperatures thus my comment about just using the same paint coating on the wheels as on the paint. For those that do some sort of track driving, then a wheel coating makes sense as the wheels and calipers see higher temperatures and in general more abuse.
Characteristics of each coating.
GTechniq C5:
Resistant to temperatures up to 570 degrees F
A single application lasts up to 1 year
Repels dirt and break dust from wheels
Can be used on painted wheels, chrome, clear coated aluminum and stainless steel items (wheels, bumpers, engine parts, etc)
CarPro DLUX:
Resistant to temperature up to 800 degrees F
Lasts up to 2 years
Can be used on Plastic Trim, Rubber Trim, Headlights, Fog lights, Tail Lights, Wheels (painted, chrome, matte/satin, clear coated aluminum,etc), Metal Trim, Exhaust tips, Plastic Wheel Wells
No time frame between layers for wheels. Probably similar to their paint coatings of 45-60 minutes.
22ple VM1:
Resistant to temperature up to 700 degrees F
Lasts up to 3-5 years
Will protect against road grime and brake dust build up
Can be used on Wheels (painted, chrome, matte/satin, clear coated aluminum, etc), exhaust tips, metal trim and more
Recommended 2-3 layers, Applied 4-6 hours apart
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating:
Patent Pending UV tracing Technology
9H, 6+ years protection
Can be used on painted, powder coated, matte/satin, clear coated and anodized wheel surfaces
Will hold up against brake dust, road salt, higher heat elements and more.
1-2 hours between layers
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat:
Protects wheels, calipers against brake dust and dirt
Lasts up to 1-2 years
Recommend 2 layers, 1-2 hours between coats
Beading shots of each products
GTechinq C5
CarPro DLUX
22ple VM1
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat
Beading doesn’t mean a whole lot when it comes to wheels. Nor does slickness. Both will be a byproduct of changing the surface tension. We often use beading as a sign that the product is still on the surface.
Based on beading the ranking would be
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. CarPro DLUX
3. 22ple VM1
4. GTechnic C5/Drexler Ceramic
Adams clearly has the tightest water beading. CarPro DLUX has the similar water beading to their paint coatings.
Based on slickness the ranking would be
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. Drexler
3. 22ple VM1
4. CarPro DLUX
5. Gtechniq C5
22ple and Drexler are very close in terms of slickness. Drexler gets the edge for second place.
Ease of application
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. Gtechniq C5
3. Drexler
4. 22ple VM1
5. CarPro DLUX
We are splitting hairs here with the top 4. I could easily swap these out for one another. I rated 22ple lower due to it needing 4-6 hours between layers even with its generous 3-5 minute flash time window. DLUX is the tackiest one to wipe off and thus is at the bottom even though it is almost wipe on wipe off.
Adams takes the top spot for being able to visually see where the product has been applied to using the UV light.
Interesting enough C5 was the slickest upon removal, similar to Crystal Serum Light and Exo yet it was the least slickest once it cured.
Based on sheeting the ranking would be
1. Gtechniq C5
2. Drexler
3. 22ple VM1
4. CarPro DLUX
5. Adams UV Wheel
You are probably asking why did I rank them in this order. Well I ranked them in this order based on how much water was left behind on the surface and whether or not the coating tended to bead or sheet as soon as the water hit the coated surface.
If one is looking for a sheeting type coating then C5 would be the clear winner. It left the least amount of water on the surface being more hydrophilic.
22ple VM1 is in the middle. Not quite hydrophilic like GTechniq C5 and not as hydrophobic as Adams and CarPro.
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat is similar to Gtechniq C5 in its application, water beading and sheeting. Similar to the Drexler Ceramic Base Coat in their paint coating which resembles Crystal Serum Light in application and water behavior
Based on price
1. CarPro DLUX – 30ml for $39.99 equates to $1.33/ml
2. Drexler Ceramic – 20ml for $28.90 equates to $1.45/ml
3. Adams UV Wheel – 50ml for $80 equates to $1.6/ml
4. Gtechniq C5 – 30ml for $49.99 equates to $1.67/ml
5. 22ple VM1 - 30ml for $109.99 equates to $3.67/ml
DLUX gets the top spot on overall price per ml. It is also the most versatile coating as it can be used on wheels, plastics, trim, metal rubber, etc.
22ple VM1 has the highest cost per ml. Their products are generally priced higher than other brands and in most cases the average user is turned off by the price. But from my experience, 22ple VM1 has the overall best performance (durability, self cleaning) between my experience with C5 and DLUX. This could always change if I find another wheel coating that rivals 22ple. So for me the performance offsets the cost.
Based on durability. I can not comment on the overall performance of Adams or Drexler. My experience with those products are pending as they are new to me. I will provide feedback after a year of testing them.
1. 22ple VM1 - After 12 months its hydrophobic properties are still present. Still the best self cleaning up to this time frame. Two layers applied.
2. CarPro DLUX - After about 12 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied
3. Gtechniq C5 - After about 10-11 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied
4. Gyeon Rim - After about 8-9 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied.
For those interested in seeing the slickness and water behavior then feel free to watch the videos.
From my experience, not all wheel coatings are created equal. Some perform better than others in the long term.
The test panel was prepped with 303 Step 2 polish and prep wiped with American Global Stripper.
I have used Gyeon Rim and Pinnacle Black Label Wheel Coating as well but I gave those away to other Autopian forum members. With that said here are the candidates.
Products:
Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armour
CarPro DLUX
22ple VM1
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat
Often the following questions come up, What is the best wheel coating? What wheel coating should I get? Etc., etc..
Most of the time it is going to come down to other user experiences as each individual has a different experience with essentially any coating.
Before I continue, I will say that one doesn’t need a wheel specific coating for a daily driver or even a garage/show car. Go ahead and use the same coating that is used on the paint. In most cases this works just fine and in some cases a paint coating outperforms a dedicated wheel coating.
The benefit of a wheel coating is that they are rated for higher temperatures. With that said for a daily driver one will not approach those high temperatures thus my comment about just using the same paint coating on the wheels as on the paint. For those that do some sort of track driving, then a wheel coating makes sense as the wheels and calipers see higher temperatures and in general more abuse.
Characteristics of each coating.
GTechniq C5:
Resistant to temperatures up to 570 degrees F
A single application lasts up to 1 year
Repels dirt and break dust from wheels
Can be used on painted wheels, chrome, clear coated aluminum and stainless steel items (wheels, bumpers, engine parts, etc)
CarPro DLUX:
Resistant to temperature up to 800 degrees F
Lasts up to 2 years
Can be used on Plastic Trim, Rubber Trim, Headlights, Fog lights, Tail Lights, Wheels (painted, chrome, matte/satin, clear coated aluminum,etc), Metal Trim, Exhaust tips, Plastic Wheel Wells
No time frame between layers for wheels. Probably similar to their paint coatings of 45-60 minutes.
22ple VM1:
Resistant to temperature up to 700 degrees F
Lasts up to 3-5 years
Will protect against road grime and brake dust build up
Can be used on Wheels (painted, chrome, matte/satin, clear coated aluminum, etc), exhaust tips, metal trim and more
Recommended 2-3 layers, Applied 4-6 hours apart
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating:
Patent Pending UV tracing Technology
9H, 6+ years protection
Can be used on painted, powder coated, matte/satin, clear coated and anodized wheel surfaces
Will hold up against brake dust, road salt, higher heat elements and more.
1-2 hours between layers
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat:
Protects wheels, calipers against brake dust and dirt
Lasts up to 1-2 years
Recommend 2 layers, 1-2 hours between coats
Beading shots of each products
GTechinq C5
CarPro DLUX
22ple VM1
Adams UV Ceramic Wheel Coating
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat
Beading doesn’t mean a whole lot when it comes to wheels. Nor does slickness. Both will be a byproduct of changing the surface tension. We often use beading as a sign that the product is still on the surface.
Based on beading the ranking would be
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. CarPro DLUX
3. 22ple VM1
4. GTechnic C5/Drexler Ceramic
Adams clearly has the tightest water beading. CarPro DLUX has the similar water beading to their paint coatings.
Based on slickness the ranking would be
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. Drexler
3. 22ple VM1
4. CarPro DLUX
5. Gtechniq C5
22ple and Drexler are very close in terms of slickness. Drexler gets the edge for second place.
Ease of application
1. Adams UV Wheel
2. Gtechniq C5
3. Drexler
4. 22ple VM1
5. CarPro DLUX
We are splitting hairs here with the top 4. I could easily swap these out for one another. I rated 22ple lower due to it needing 4-6 hours between layers even with its generous 3-5 minute flash time window. DLUX is the tackiest one to wipe off and thus is at the bottom even though it is almost wipe on wipe off.
Adams takes the top spot for being able to visually see where the product has been applied to using the UV light.
Interesting enough C5 was the slickest upon removal, similar to Crystal Serum Light and Exo yet it was the least slickest once it cured.
Based on sheeting the ranking would be
1. Gtechniq C5
2. Drexler
3. 22ple VM1
4. CarPro DLUX
5. Adams UV Wheel
You are probably asking why did I rank them in this order. Well I ranked them in this order based on how much water was left behind on the surface and whether or not the coating tended to bead or sheet as soon as the water hit the coated surface.
If one is looking for a sheeting type coating then C5 would be the clear winner. It left the least amount of water on the surface being more hydrophilic.
22ple VM1 is in the middle. Not quite hydrophilic like GTechniq C5 and not as hydrophobic as Adams and CarPro.
Drexler Ceramic Wheel Coat is similar to Gtechniq C5 in its application, water beading and sheeting. Similar to the Drexler Ceramic Base Coat in their paint coating which resembles Crystal Serum Light in application and water behavior
Based on price
1. CarPro DLUX – 30ml for $39.99 equates to $1.33/ml
2. Drexler Ceramic – 20ml for $28.90 equates to $1.45/ml
3. Adams UV Wheel – 50ml for $80 equates to $1.6/ml
4. Gtechniq C5 – 30ml for $49.99 equates to $1.67/ml
5. 22ple VM1 - 30ml for $109.99 equates to $3.67/ml
DLUX gets the top spot on overall price per ml. It is also the most versatile coating as it can be used on wheels, plastics, trim, metal rubber, etc.
22ple VM1 has the highest cost per ml. Their products are generally priced higher than other brands and in most cases the average user is turned off by the price. But from my experience, 22ple VM1 has the overall best performance (durability, self cleaning) between my experience with C5 and DLUX. This could always change if I find another wheel coating that rivals 22ple. So for me the performance offsets the cost.
Based on durability. I can not comment on the overall performance of Adams or Drexler. My experience with those products are pending as they are new to me. I will provide feedback after a year of testing them.
1. 22ple VM1 - After 12 months its hydrophobic properties are still present. Still the best self cleaning up to this time frame. Two layers applied.
2. CarPro DLUX - After about 12 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied
3. Gtechniq C5 - After about 10-11 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied
4. Gyeon Rim - After about 8-9 months it lost its hydrophobic properties and turned to sheeting. Self cleaning degraded. One layer applied.
For those interested in seeing the slickness and water behavior then feel free to watch the videos.
