Wheel Wells

E

eddie926

New member
How do you guys clean/dress wheel wells on cars where there isn't much clearance? I lowered my Camry, and there's a lot less room to work now, but you can still see and need to clean/dress the wells. I'm afraid to just spray away with a dressing now, because I can't put the sprayer in past the tires and I'm afraid of getting stuff on the tire treads and making them slick.



Just wondering if anyone has any special techniques or tools for getting into tight wells :)
 
Well the easiest thing would be to remove the wheels, but that could take some time. The next best thing to do is to turn the wheels to the left and right. That should allow you the clearence to clean the wheel wells. With the dressing, just spray it to the applicator and apply instead of spraying the dressing all over the place.
 
howareb said:
Well the easiest thing would be to remove the wheels, but that could take some time. The next best thing to do is to turn the wheels to the left and right.
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What about the rear wheel wells? Is remove your only option for really tight clearances?
 
jaobrien6 said:
What about the rear wheel wells? Is remove your only option for really tight clearances?
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Nobody is going to look back there. Just Kidding :)



Unfortunately, like everyone else has said, the jack is your only friend for the rear. If you want to style in a low rider, this is the cost. :(



Maybe you can try to use a thin paint pad, but that will take sometime also. It looks like a time for creative invention. Maybe you can use some tire foam with a straw (similarly to what is on a can of WD-40). Maybe that will allow you to direct the foam into the rear areas. How much clearance are we talking about?
 
howareb;1111124 How much clearance are we talking about?[/QUOTE said:
About 2 fingers between the tire and the lip of the wheel well both front and back. Not slammed, but way too tight to get in there with any kind of brush, etc. It's dropped about 1-1/4 inches from stock.



Last time I did a conventional wash, I sprayed some Simple Green in the wells, let it dwell for a bit, then hosed it out. That seemed to do a pretty good job with the cleaning, but was unable to get in to do any kind of dressing.



Obviously, with that little clearance it's a lot harder to actually see the wells too, but still would like to have them looking nice upon close inspection.
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Do you mask the tire tread in some way, like by throwing a towel over the tire or something, or do you just spray away and allow the dressing to get on the tread?



I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about creating a dangerous situation where I get a slick dressing on my treads, or does it wear off the treads so fast that it's not a concern?



Also, is there any concern with getting wheel well/tire dressings on suspension components?
 
eddie926 said:
Do you mask the tire tread in some way, like by throwing a towel over the tire or something, or do you just spray away and allow the dressing to get on the tread?



I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about creating a dangerous situation where I get a slick dressing on my treads, or does it wear off the treads so fast that it's not a concern?



Also, is there any concern with getting wheel well/tire dressings on suspension components?
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I do not mask the tires personally. If you feel you must, it would be OK, but it may interfere with your access to the wheel wells. Almost any product that gets on the tire tread is going to wear/sling off pretty fast.
 
As long as the vehicle's still wet, you can spray water based dressing in your wheel wells and not worry about getting a mist of dressing on your finished work.
 
eddie926 said:
Do you mask the tire tread in some way, like by throwing a towel over the tire or something, or do you just spray away and allow the dressing to get on the tread?



I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about creating a dangerous situation where I get a slick dressing on my treads, or does it wear off the treads so fast that it's not a concern?



Also, is there any concern with getting wheel well/tire dressings on suspension components?
Click to expand...



I'd like to know the answer to these questions as well.



howareb said:
I do not mask the tires personally. If you feel you must, it would be OK, but it may interfere with your access to the wheel wells. Almost any product that gets on the tire tread is going to wear/sling off pretty fast.
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:think2 Just another reason to burn out from the drive to the stop sign down the road!



"No officer, I was actually driving in a responsible manner. See I just detailed my undercarriage and was removing the excess from the tread of my tires, so's not to lose control further down the street and cause a wreck." :lol
 
eddie926 said:
Do you mask the tire tread in some way, like by throwing a towel over the tire or something, or do you just spray away and allow the dressing to get on the tread?



I'm wondering if I need to be concerned about creating a dangerous situation where I get a slick dressing on my treads, or does it wear off the treads so fast that it's not a concern?



Also, is there any concern with getting wheel well/tire dressings on suspension components?
Click to expand...



i dress the tires & wells first, so by the time i'm done qd'ing it's pretty much dried up. i'll use the leaf blower (especially in the colder temps) to blow any remaining dressing out of the wells, and also out of the side of the tire tread as well (also dries quicker). doing this i get minimal sling if any at all...
 
BigAl3 said:
i dress the tires & wells first, so by the time i'm done qd'ing it's pretty much dried up. i'll use the leaf blower (especially in the colder temps) to blow any remaining dressing out of the wells, and also out of the side of the tire tread as well (also dries quicker). doing this i get minimal sling if any at all...
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Uhm, why not apply the stuff so there isn't any extra to be a problem? I think I'm gonna try one of the tire shine sprays - LOL - never really treated the wells before. I just applied some Megs Endurance after an ONR wash, etc. I'm thinking a spray on would be much better/easier. Think I'll give Stoners a shot if I can get it.
 
To clean my wheel wells, I use the left over water from my wheels and brush. I then dress them with AA tire foam and comes out to a nice black shine.
 
abbeysdad said:
Uhm, why not apply the stuff so there isn't any extra to be a problem?
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i use tire foam (most of the time) and spread it around evenly, but just to make sure there isn't any sling, i use the leaf blower to dry it up quicker and blow any water/dressing that may linger. i've been doing it for a while and it's worked pretty well for me...
 
I have a bunch of Megs hot shine tire foam that I use on my durango where the wheel wells is all you see lol. Then I wipe it down so its not so greasy looking.



Tire dressing on the tread is dangerous unless your in a burn out contest, It should wear off after a few miles. I did for me.
 
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