Anyone know of a good cleaning product that takes the dirt of rims pretty easy? I've bought some stuff, but with it, you still need to scrub them down - I'm looking for something that when you spray it on, you can see the dirt start to drip down, and then scrub down the tough spots.

thanks!

 

I've always gone with Mothers, and turtle for a complete detail finish.

 

Funny you should ask. Im in the midst of writing up a tutorial for wheel cleaning as we speak. No matter what you use, your going to need to perform some manual work. Most wheel cleaning products will perform very well, some better then others. Especially if you have all the right periferals to assist you.
And most are safe for all wheels also. Absolutely stay away from any wheel cleaning product containg acids, which if left unattended for even a short period of time, can cause damage. Leave those for the pro's!
Some of the products I use for wheel cleaning include (pictured) Surf City Beyond Steel All Wheel Cleaner, Duragloss All Wheel Cleaner, Optimum Power Clean, and Four Star Wheel Cleaner Gel.
Heres a sampling of what it took to clean up some wheels last weekend on a Porsche.

 

The other tip I would suggest, is to put a coat of wax on them. It will help keep the dust from forming as fast

 

Great advice, sorry I missed it! I usually hit mine with Optimum ID & GE when wiping them down......

 

great write-up thank you!

 

synthetic car wax- a few coats, after the wheels are clean- will cut WAY down on the brake dust adhesion, and make clean up easier and less frequent wipedowns.
Makes sense to have shiny wheels to match the shiny car!

Personally- on my car- I take the wheels off to clean and wax them fully, but I am usually in checking brakes or bleeding them for a fun run/track day- so the wheels come off anyway.
Any excuse to use some power tools is a good thing IMO !

 

i guess my wheels just dont get that dirty...i wash atleast once a week and i use one bucket and sponge for just the wheels, tires and wheel wells....the dirt just comes off easy enough for me to not need a wheel cleaner....

 

I've been doing mine when I rotate them. Clean up the insides real well and a couple of quick coats of wax - inside and out. The insides clean up MUCH quicker since I first read 01tl4tl's suggestion to do this.

 

I do the same. When I rotate them, that's when I take my time - wash them thoroughly and a couple coats of wax. On the outside, mine get washed 1-2 times each week, followed by a quick coat of wax. This frequently probably isn't necessary, but it becomes therapy sometimes.

What kind of tire brush is everyone using? I can't seem to find one where I can apply enough elbow grease on the tire without skinning my knuckles on the bottom.

 

I have been reading though the thread concerning rim care and have a few basic questions. (Im new to all of this)

What type of brush/rag is easiest to clean the rims?

What is the best type of wax to use to cut down on brake dust adhesion?

Thanks for your help

 

This is the brush that I use for my tires. Unfortunately it's discontinued but it's by far my favorite tire brush.

The brushes I use to clean my rims are the Swissvax Wheel Brush, boar's hair brush, EZ Detail Brush, and spoke wheel brush.

You can pretty much use any wax and/or sealant on your wheels. Durability will not be great considering there is a lot of fluctuation in wheel temperatures when driving the vehicle.