Carnauba on wheels?

Don't bother. The melting point of carnauba is so low you'd melt the wax off in a matter of hours during regular driving. Just stick with the SG.
 
Most stick with a sealer like you've done with SG because wax won't hold up to the heat a wheel is subjected to.



I've got some of the new Poorboy's wheel sealant but it's too soon to tell how it holds up vs SG, but it does look (and smell) good.
 
SHICKS said:
I have a question about wax on wheels.

Over the past few weeks, I have put many layers of SG on my BMW's summer wheels while they are off the car. They look fantastic, but I am wondering if I should put S100 on top of the SG on the wheels?



Pro's/Con's

Any opinions?



Thanks,

Steve
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There really are more con's than pro's and it all revolves (pun intended) around the melting point of wax vs the temperature a wheel attains



Melting Point (Fracture/evaporation temperatures): Polymers 350oF, Silicone oil 350oF, Mineral oils 200oF, Synthetic blends (Carnauba wax / polymers) 200oF, Carnauba wax 180oF, and Beeâ€â„¢s wax 130oF, in actual practice the high temperatures frequently encountered by vehicles from the radiation causes wax compounds to melt, for example, a painted surfaces exposed to ambient temperatures of 85oF in direct sunlight, will obtain a temperature of 195 degrees or more. It should be noted that there is a range of temperatures at which melting begins and that the 'melting point' is the end point of that range



A polymer sealant has better durability and a higher temperatuer tolerance

JonM
 
Thanks for the great info everyone! Well to be honest I did one spoke with S100. It was hard to tell on such a small area if it enhanced the shine.



Is there a threshold of deminishing return of protection and shine with many layers of SG. I could add a new layer every couple days until April. I have been putting some SG on and not removing for a couple days at a time. How many layes are too many?



Thanks,

Steve



TOGWT said:
There really are more con's than pro's and it all revolves (pun intended) around the melting point of wax vs the temperature a wheel attains



Melting Point (Fracture/evaporation temperatures): Polymers 350oF, Silicone oil 350oF, Mineral oils 200oF, Synthetic blends (Carnauba wax / polymers) 200oF, Carnauba wax 180oF, and Beeâ€â„¢s wax 130oF, in actual practice the high temperatures frequently encountered by vehicles from the radiation causes wax compounds to melt, for example, a painted surfaces exposed to ambient temperatures of 85oF in direct sunlight, will obtain a temperature of 195 degrees or more. It should be noted that there is a range of temperatures at which melting begins and that the 'melting point' is the end point of that range



A polymer sealant has better durability and a higher temperatuer tolerance

JonM
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Hey Steve,



I have been using carnauba wax on painted wheels for many years now and have never seen any signs of the wax not holding up due to extreme heat. Of course, anything is possible.



Also, I would highly recommend waxing your wheels more often, like every few weeks, rather than adding additional layers at any one time.
 
You should definitely use carnauba wax on wheels. It is a great way to protect the finish. On my polished, clearcoated wheels, I use my clearcoat polish product, and top it off with a carnauba wax like meguiars or mothers. It maintains the finish a lot longer than with just polishing the wheels.



I've Never had issues of a carnauba "melting" in a hot climate. Of course it also depends on how long the car is exposed to high temperatures, but in my experience I have had nothing but excellent protection from carnauba products throughout the year.
 
I use AIO on my wheels, I dont even use SG because the AIO alone does the job for many months,all I have to do is wash them and BLAM, they look perfect... also the more subdued look is what I personally like.
 
Ive used Klasse AIO on all my chrome and it does a great job. Recently tho I tested some Menzerna FMJ on my chrome wheels and bumpers and it also did a great job
 
I would not recommend most carnaubas because as others have said it will melt off the wheels in no time. One exception is Collinite Insulator Wax. This wax was made to coat power lines and holds up well to high temps. I have been using this on my wheels for a while now and it holds up better than my Klasse SG did.
 
lbls1 said:
You should definitely use carnauba wax on wheels. It is a great way to protect the finish. On my polished, clearcoated wheels, I use my clearcoat polish product, and top it off with a carnauba wax like meguiars or mothers. It maintains the finish a lot longer than with just polishing the wheels.



I've Never had issues of a carnauba "melting" in a hot climate. Of course it also depends on how long the car is exposed to high temperatures, but in my experience I have had nothing but excellent protection from carnauba products throughout the year.
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:xyxthumbs same here, sometimes I use mothers cleaner wax and top off with mothers step 3. I also find it easy to wash off dirt and grime!!
 
SHICKS said:
Is there a threshold of deminishing return of protection and shine with many layers of SG. I could add a new layer every couple days until April. I have been putting some SG on and not removing for a couple days at a time. How many layes are too many?
Click to expand...



The best thing about not using wax over the SG in this case is that you can keep adding SG.



I used to use Collinite 476S on my wheels, but now I use sealants (usually KSG) exclusively. The Collinite always needed redone after a few months and I got tired of pulling the wheels off that frequently.



Besides the greater durability, I've come to believe that SG suffers clay better than wax and it seems like there's always a lot of contamination on wheels that needs to be clayed away.



As long as you clay gently, you can keep adding SG for a very long time if it needs "refreshed". As long as you wash with car shampoo you won't strip the SG anyhow so enough layers might last you all year. Since you really have to take them off the car to do them right, this is one case where it really pays to *not* have to redo them all the time.



I wouldn't bother with more than six coats to start. I use four coats and that lasts at least until I next rotate them. It'll usually last until I mount the snows (including how it holds up on the back side). Definitely lasts all winter on the winter wheels and they clean up easily come spring.



Get the four-six layers on there and then do the clay/add a layer from time to time and you should be fine. Clean them frequently and clay them as needed. But if you want to put *more* layers on than that, I don't see any downside, they won't "yellow" or anything like that as long as you're applying to a clean surface.
 
Thanks, that is what I wanted to know.



I am kind of using them as my Klasse science experiment. I have put thick layers and thin layers. Left it on for days and for minutes.



Conclusion so far. Thick with days between = pain in the A$$. I just use some QD and a MF cloth with some but little effort and I am fine.



Steve



Accumulator said:
The best thing about not using wax over the SG in this case is that you can keep adding SG.



I used to use Collinite 476S on my wheels, but now I use sealants (usually KSG) exclusively. The Collinite always needed redone after a few months and I got tired of pulling the wheels off that frequently.



Besides the greater durability, I've come to believe that SG suffers clay better than wax and it seems like there's always a lot of contamination on wheels that needs to be clayed away.



As long as you clay gently, you can keep adding SG for a very long time if it needs "refreshed". As long as you wash with car shampoo you won't strip the SG anyhow so enough layers might last you all year. Since you really have to take them off the car to do them right, this is one case where it really pays to *not* have to redo them all the time.



I wouldn't bother with more than six coats to start. I use four coats and that lasts at least until I next rotate them. It'll usually last until I mount the snows (including how it holds up on the back side). Definitely lasts all winter on the winter wheels and they clean up easily come spring.



Get the four-six layers on there and then do the clay/add a layer from time to time and you should be fine. Clean them frequently and clay them as needed. But if you want to put *more* layers on than that, I don't see any downside, they won't "yellow" or anything like that as long as you're applying to a clean surface.
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I have had #16x2 on my current wheels for several months now, and they still repel water very well. I haven't noticed any signs that the wax has "melted" off.
 
termigator said:
Any thoughts on Wheel Wax sold by Tire Rack? Am most curious.:)
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I had two jars and both seperated with about 75% of the product still left:down for shelf life. It worked well though. It's a cleaner wax and does a great job of cleaning the wheels. Very easy to use and its durability wasn't bad but not near as good as the Collinite Insulator Wax I'm using now. Wheel Wax left the surface very slick and made clean up a breeze but so do most sealants.



It's not a bad product at all other than the shelf life but you can get the same results with the products you already use on your paint.
 
SHICKS said:
I have put thick layers and thin layers. Left it on for days and for minutes.



Conclusion so far. Thick with days between = pain in the A$$. I just use some QD and a MF cloth with some but little effort and I am fine.
Click to expand...



Funny- I did the same experiments and I found that if I let it set up for a few days, even thick coats came off easily :nixweiss Guess it could well be a matter of how one defines "easily" ;)



Anyhow, I can't see any advantage to thick applications as you end up wiping off almost all that you apply anyhow. Not very much actually bonds to the surface.



Try fogging the surface with your breath before you wipe it off. Seems just as effective as a QD with less chance of compromising the SG.
 
Every spring I give the wheels a coat of AIO and SG. It usually lasts until the next spring. By that time though, some brake dust does start to stick though. I clean teh wheels with Griots wheel cleaner.
 
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