Wheels/Rims - Cleaning & Care

[Ricey]

Just looking for recommendations for a wheel cleaner on my stock aluminum rims. The New England salt/grime has really got into the pitted areas on the rim and I need something heavy duty to clean them. Thanks. Ricey

[Ohio Tundra]

I also need some sort of good wheel cleaner. I have alot of brake dust on the front rims. Someone out there has to have a recomendation.

[CJ]

Most decent motorcycle shops carry S100 wheel cleaner. You spray it on a cold wheel, wait 'till it gells, then lightly wipe and rinse.

CJ

[twowheeler]

Good old-fashioned car wash soap and a sponge does fine for me. I usually clean the wheels last so as not to contaminate the bucket o' suds with dirt/brake dust when washing the rest of the truck. I also use a sponge separate from the wash mit.

[Breathing Borla]

Can anyone recommend a good wheel polish. Just detailed my truck and this is the only thing left.

BTW, it was 53 and sunny yesterday, truck looked perfect after the detail.
Today it is 23 and snowing, truck is dirty as hell

[Andy]

I wish I could give you a great recommendation, but all I do is spray my tires with Wesley's Bleach White, then spray a bit on the wheels. I wait a few minutes for the cleaner to work, then brush the tires, sponge the wheels, and rinse. Never had anything on my wheels that I couldn't get off with that combo. They come out looking shiney as ever!

BTW, my wife and I could be moving to Highland Park in the not too distant future...I don't want to leave the SoCal weather though!!!

Andy

[xatsales]

Mothers has an aluminum wheel wax/polish. It works great and helps keep the brake dust from settling on your wheels. Kinda pricey but worth it.

[nhparrot]

This is what I do for my Tires and Wheels.

The tires and wheels are washed with Dawn and scrubbed with a soft bristle brush to remove all loose dirt. I then spray down the wheels with Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner , the tires with Wesltey's Bleche-Wite and scrub them clean with a soft bristle brush. I dry the wheels and tires with a soft lint free cotton cloth. Wheels are polished with MOTHERS Mag & Aluminum Polish and the tires are dressed with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Protectant Gel.

[Breathing Borla]

Originally posted by Andy
I wish I could give you a great recommendation, but all I do is spray my tires with Wesley's Bleach White, then spray a bit on the wheels. I wait a few minutes for the cleaner to work, then brush the tires, sponge the wheels, and rinse. Never had anything on my wheels that I couldn't get off with that combo. They come out looking shiney as ever!

BTW, my wife and I could be moving to Highland Park in the not too distant future...I don't want to leave the SoCal weather though!!!

Andy

It looks like mothers wheel polish it is. thanks guys

BTW, highland park, IL is a very nice area. That not to far from where I'm at (under a hour).

[ChuckFundra]

One big tip that I use is that after you get the wheels clean then you should wax them a couple of times both inside and out.

When I first got '02 with 4Runner wheels I removed the wheels and cleaned them with good old soap and water and perhaps a paint polish to get off the baked in stuff.

When I wash the truck I get the wheels good and clean with the soap and water and use a spray on wax that is intended to be used when you dry off the surfaces. This is from Meguires, Mothers and Eagle1 and also works great on the body paint to always have it look like it is newly waxed.

[nhparrot]

This is what I do for my Tires and Wheels

The tires and wheels are washed with Dawn and scrubbed with a soft bristle brush to remove all loose dirt. I then spray down the wheels with Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner , the tires with Wesltey's Bleche-Wite and scrub them clean with a soft bristle brush. I dry the wheels and tires with a soft lint free cotton cloth. Wheels are polished with MOTHERS Mag & Aluminum Polish and the tires are dressed with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Protectant Gel.

[tck4x4]

Does anyone know of a good cleaner for Toyota Alloy Wheels? I'm looking for something that won't harm the coating, but yet is more aggressive than the lemon joy I am using now.
Thanks,

[nhparrot]

After winter leaves here my initial cleanup is to wash with Dawn and scrub with a soft bristle brush to remove all loose dirt. I then spray down the wheels with Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner, them clean with a soft bristle brush. I dry the wheels with a soft lint free cotton cloth. Wheels are polished with MOTHERS Mag & Aluminum Polish.

During the summer, I then just use car wash in place of the Dawn.

[akauth]

I wash my wheels every three weeks or less, but I've found that Meguiars works pretty well on the front rims (use the one that's safe on polished aluminum as that's that's safe on just about anything). Klasse makes a great cleaner too, but it's pricier and hard to find.

Get it wet, let it soak, then spray the cleaner on and let it soak for a few minutes. Don't apply cleaner (ever) to hot rims. Warm maybe, but never hot rims. Let them cool for a while if you've just finished driving somewhere.

Scrub with a soft bristle brush or a cotton pad or towel. I use a brush because it gets in the crevices better. I use a brush that's soft enough to use on clear coat because the grease rinses out of it easier. If there is some dirt left, I'll get that with a wet towel.

Wax the rims after they are clean and they're easier to clean the next time.


alan

[akauth]

Originally posted by nhparrot
This is what I do for my Tires and Wheels

The tires and wheels are washed with Dawn and scrubbed with a soft bristle brush to remove all loose dirt. I then spray down the wheels with Eagle One A2Z Wheel Cleaner , the tires with Wesltey's Bleche-Wite and scrub them clean with a soft bristle brush. I dry the wheels and tires with a soft lint free cotton cloth. Wheels are polished with MOTHERS Mag & Aluminum Polish and the tires are dressed with Meguiar's Endurance Tire Protectant Gel.

I want to add:

DON'T get Bleche-Wite on uncoated aluminum or magnesium rims. That stuff works great on whitewall and blackwall tires. But be careful with it on rims that might be subject to fast oxidation due to chemicals.

Whatever you do, do not let it set for a long time on rims it might do damage on!!

I've found McGuiar's wheel cleaner (the milder version) to work great on cleaning tires and you don't have to worry about rim or paint damage.

Bleche-Wite does clean great though. It's amazing.....

Alan