Strongest Wheel Cleaner?

Please read up on products containg Ammonium Bifluoride or Hydrogen Fluoride before using them. This stuff is not to be taken lightly upon. I posted a thread couple of months back trying to raise the attention to the health risks: http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/82849-careful-wheel-cleaners.html





toyotaguy said:
i use the megs wheel brightener....i am not huffing the stuff, so I really dont see a health risk....cant be worse than breathing orange county or LA county air.....
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Well, you don't need to inhale Wheel Brightener for it to be toxic, it will easily absorb through your skin... And if you use the product in a misting sprayer, you will inadvertently inhale some of it, unless you wear a suitable mask.



I don't see why we need dangerous chemicals like this, when there are so many safe alternatives. Even if a safe alternative might require a minimal amount of agitation, isn't our health worth the effort?
 
I use PB spray and rinse wheel cleaner. Yes it is an acid and I this topic on health issues comes up every 2 to 3 months. Until the next topic the strays for the topic.
 
I seal my wheels with KSG and use car soap and water or diluted Griot's most of the time.



For really bad wheels, I like P21S Gel a lot, but I don't use it often.
 
S100 said:
The S100 Total Cycle Cleaner concept is simple. Spray on, touch the really tough stains with a sponge, hose off and dry. No more bucket of suds and getting down on “all fours�! It comes in both aerosol and liquid form and in a range of sizes all the way up to a 5 Liter (1.32 gallon) canister. If you haven’t tried it, join the revolution and the tens of thousands of bikers who have discovered how to cut their cleaning time and increase their riding time!
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P/N 12005L
 
brwill2005 said:
Although not exactly spray and rinse, I would recommend Top of the Line's Wheel Wash. Pretty strong stuff that may require some agitation with heavy built up brake dust. It does not contain any of the very dangerous acids...
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It says on the label "non-acid", so is it a detergent-based product, or a caustic, do you know?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
It says on the label "non-acid", so is it a detergent-based product, or a caustic, do you know?
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By "non-acid" they mean it does not contain HF or ABF. I tested it once with a pH strip and it definitely had an acid pH. I cut it 50/50 with water. Supposedly it increases the strength, however, I think it is about the same strength.
 
mburnickas said:
I use PB spray and rinse wheel cleaner. Yes it is an acid and I this topic on health issues comes up every 2 to 3 months. Until the next topic the strays for the topic.
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It's a citric acid with a Ph of 4 I believe. Take care in using products like that! Most of the time you just need a relatively good dwell time and elbow grease for bad wheels.
 
I like Bardahl Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner for problem wheels. Spray on, leave for 30 seconds, then work it in and rinse it off. Its one of the best I've used, but I wouldn't use it on all wheels.
 
SilvaBimma said:
It's a citric acid with a Ph of 4 I believe. Take care in using products like that! Most of the time you just need a relatively good dwell time and elbow grease for bad wheels.
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I let it sit about 1 minute max, comes right off. I did wheels not cleaned in 3 years. They looked brand new without any effort (no scrubing etc).



But from reading here it his an alkaline, with sodium hydroxide as the primary base and has some Hydrofluoric Acid. Also Ammonium bifluoride (NH4HF2) is the active component I think, from reading.





A member on this forum said it best "These chemicals are only potentially dangerous. What is dangerous is ignorance about how to properly use products that contain these chemicals."
 
i dont use any wheel cleaners at all...and with great results too!



painted/cleared/chrome wheels i use a medium duty clay and regular wash water/suds....



polished aluminum i wash w/ some all purpose cleaner and then do alight polish on them at the end....



only thing i can suggest to stay away from is any sort of acids.....not only will these eventually destroy the wheel but will splash up and destroy your paint also...
 
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