AutopiaTech
Moderator
One of my favorite aspects of car care is wheel and tire detailing. I see a ton of shiny cars on the road but more often than not, their shiny paint is accompanied by filthy wheels and brown tires. Having your wheels and tires look as good as your paint is a no brainer to me. I probably spend more time dressing a tire than most people spend washing their car. So when a new product line arrives at the Autopia store I usually grab the wheel and tire care products first.
That brings us to Chemical Guys, the newest addition to the ever-growing Autopia-CarCare.com. Chemical Guys manufactures a complete line of car care products for every square inch of your vehicle, inside and out. While their products have the reputation to impress, a few in particular are known to exceed expectations. With my interest in wheel cleaning and the Chemical Guys isle only eight feet from my office, I grabbed as many products as my two arms could hold and headed outside.
Wheels get dirty, quick. It's something that plagues all car care enthusiasts and haunts those who own a BMW or an Audi. Wheel cleaning can be a nuisance if you don't have the good stuff to do it the right way. Chemical Guys has the good stuff for wheel and tire care and I'm going to show you what those products are and what they're all about.
The wheels you see pictured above haven't been cleaned in weeks. Instead of having four different wheel cleaners to choose from, Chemical Guys provides all your wheel cleaning needs in one product - Diablo Wheel Cleaner Gel. This particular wheel cleaner is safe on all wheel finishes and is only available in a concentrated formula that you can dilute depending on your cleaning requirements. The formula also utilizes a very unique suspension technology that allows the wheel cleaner to cling to the surface longer so it can lift brake dust, dirt and contamination with minimal agitation.
Chemical Guys recommends diluting Diablo Wheel Cleaner Gel anywhere from 1:6 for light duty cleaning or 1:3 for the tough stuff. I diluted it 1:3 because the wheels I would be cleaning were pretty nasty, especially the wheel barrels. I used a 36 Ounce Detail Bottle (coming soon to Autopia!) as my spray bottle of choice. I really like this spray bottle because it features a heavy-duty PVC construction and is labeled in ounces and millimeters. The side of the 36 Ounce Detail Bottle also features dilution ratios so mixing your chemicals at various dilutions requires no calculations.
I started off by rinsing the wheel with the Industrial High Flow Fireman's Nozzle to remove any loose debris.
After that I sprayed an ample amount of the cleaner onto every square inch of the wheel.
Diablo Wheel Cleaner Gel clings to the wheel's surface allowing maximum dwell time so you don't have to scrub like a mad man.
After letting the wheel cleaner dwell for about three minutes, I cleaned the wheel barrel first. For that I used a Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush. This is the wheel brush that quickly gained the reputation of being the best of the best because it cleans where no other brush before it has ventured. With its reinforced flexible stem and thousands of non-abrasive nylon bristles you can safely clean virtually any part of any wheel.
To give the the face of the wheel a good thorough cleaning I used the Montana Boar's Hair Original Wheel Brush. Use this brush once, and I guarantee you will toss out all your synthetic brushes. It features natural boar's hair bristles that are feathered at the end to not only provide safe, but effective cleaning.
To ensure no area big or small was overlooked, I used the 1-Inch Road Natural Detail Brush for the lug nut holes and all the other nooks and crannies. Like the Montana Boar's Hair Original Wheel Brush, this brush also utilizes natural boar's hair bristles with feathered tips that make for safe, effective cleaning.
After I finished pampering the face of the wheel with the Montana Boar's Hair Original Wheel Brush, I gave the tires a good scrubbing with the Short Handle Green Tire Brush. This brush features stiff, chemical resistant nylon bristles and a heavy-duty plastic handle. This brush can handle any abuse you can throw at it and it's even available in a long handle version that's perfect for cleaning wheel wells.
After giving the wheels a thorough rinsing with the Industrial High Flow Fireman's Nozzle I dried them using a Black All Purpose & Wheel Detailing Towel.
That's as clean and that wheel barrel is going to get!
To protect the wheels and to make future cleaning effortless, I applied a thin coat of Chemical Guys Wheel Guard with a Wolfgang Finger Pocket. Wheel Guard is much more than any regular wax or sealant. It was designed specifically for wheels and not only does it protect the finish, but it also enhances the appearance.
Wheel Guard goes on very thin and for best results, let it dry to a haze before removing it.
While Wheel Guard was drying to a haze I grabbed a shot of my rinse bucket. Diablo Wheel Cleaner Gel paired with an assortment of essential wheel detailing brushes made short work all that brake dust and road grime.
After about ten minutes, Wheel Guard was ready to be removed. Again I used a Black All Purpose & Wheel Detailing Towel. Wheel Guard buffed off without a struggle and left behind a super slick finish.
Now that the wheels were cleaned and protected, it was time to dress the tires. For that I used Chemical Guys V.R.P. Dressing. V.R.P. dressing is designed to protect and enhance the appearance of all plastic, rubber and vinyl surfaces inside and out. It features a thick gel formula that goes on very thin and even.
I applied a thin coat of V.R.P. with a foam tire applicator.
