Are dedicated wheel sealants worth the time/money

I used DP Paint coating on my painted wheels and they're holding up equally. I figured that "heat stamina" would be the difference but so far, I don't see one.
 
G-technics Wheel Armor is clearly worth every penny, it has helped to keep polishing and upkeep of my uncoated wheels to a bare (pun) minimum.
 
98LowRanger said:
You mix this 1:3 and spray it on correct? Sorry if that is an obvious question. Before you apply this do you do anything special prep wise to the wheels besides the obvious thorough cleaning, Iron-x, and drying?
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I normally clean, Iron X, clay bar at beginning of season. Spray on Hydr02 while wet, rinse with pressure wash.
 
I'm going to try out the Black Label Diamond Surface Coating... I'll let you know how it works out
 
My wheels are a PITA to seal/wax/coat so using anything except a spray-on is not worth it to me. If I hadn't just Opti-Coated my wheels, I would use Hydro2.
 
HateSwirls said:
My cars are both coated, I didn't coat them to make it easier but to see how long it will last.

I use Meguiar's Hyper Dressing, easy on and last a week or until you wash it again.

Coatings are nice but nothing looks better than that just dressed tire.

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You use Meguiar's Hyper Dressing as a Wheel coating? I don't think I am following you on this one...
 
Calendyr said:
You use Meguiar's Hyper Dressing as a Wheel coating? I don't think I am following you on this one...
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He refers to freshly dressed tires so I'm thinking he got confused and thought it was about tire coatings like Tuff Shine
 
i want to add to my last post about coatings and mention that the main reason brake dust sticks to wheels is heat and the binding agent(s) that the friction material uses to create a brake pad. when the pad contacts the rotor, the friction material disperses and the adhesive, along with whatever ingredients are in the pad as well as iron rotor debris, all chaotically kick around and land on the wheel. the stuff that sticks the most are the pieces that have adhesive with them. then, they bake onto the surface, further adhering themselves so you have to clean them off later. if you don't clean them off, they will eventually embed themselves into the wheel finish.

this is one reason (aside from friction differences) why low dust/no dust pads are what they are - they generally have less dust, yes, but it's mainly a different color dust, because the friction material and adhesive are less offensive or detectable than pads that don't make that claim. the dust is still there, it's just less and not black.

coating technology is the best at providing an actual permanent slick barrier between the wheel surface and this garbage ("dust"). anything else will just be marginal at truly allowing a hard, cured and appreciative surface where this crap releases easily whilst protecting the substrate (wheel surface). it's too thin/soft/weak to be worth the time imo. i am not sure i see the benefit of continually applying something temporary that won't work as well when you could just do something permanent and be done with it.
 
This is a interesting topic and provided a couple products to consider. My wife's GLK 350 is BRUTAL for brake dust. Now I know all the Mercedes on the road have two tone wheels. Black in the front and silver in the back. Thought it was a standard feature ha ha ha. Actually, it pretty much is. I'll clean the wheels to perfection. She can go to the store. Come back and they are dusty again.

I notice this seems to be a issue with Mercedes.


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Cleanfreeek said:
This is a interesting topic and provided a couple products to consider. My wife's GLK 350 is BRUTAL for brake dust. Now I know all the Mercedes on the road have two tone wheels. Black in the front and silver in the back. Thought it was a standard feature ha ha ha. Actually, it pretty much is. I'll clean the wheels to perfection. She can go to the store. Come back and they are dusty again.

I notice this seems to be a issue with Mercedes.


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This topic has gone farther than I hoped. Great discussion and things to consider.

I think what you're encountering with the wife's Mercedes is common to many German cars due to the brake pad material. I had a BMW that was the same way. I couldn't go more than a week before my wheels were seriously dirty. I kept on top of them pretty well in the warm months and did my best during the winter to keep them clean. In the end I still ended up with pitting in the finish. Oddly enough, my VW has little to no dust. They either use a different product from their fellow German auto makers, or I'm not driving the car hard enough. :D
 
One of the products I am trying now is Surf City Garage Dimond Edge Wheel Wax. My Focus ST produces lots of brake dust and while the dust still sticks just as bad, it cleans up very easy. I still use brushes, it isn't a spray off or even a spray on wheel cleaner and spray off, but I don't have to scrub like I did last year when they didn't have anything on them.
 
Desertnate said:
I think what you're encountering with the wife's Mercedes is common to many German cars due to the brake pad material. I had a BMW that was the same way. I couldn't go more than a week before my wheels were seriously dirty. I kept on top of them pretty well in the warm months and did my best during the winter to keep them clean. In the end I still ended up with pitting in the finish.
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My car is a copy-cat to the Germans and had horrible black dust just as you describe. The front pads just wore out and I replaced the factory pads with Akebono Pro-Acts...what a difference! The fronts now have less dust than the back, if you can believe that.
 
I've been using the the same sealant for my wheels and paint lately.
FK 1000P.
 
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