Best clear coated wheel cleaner?

F

fightnews

New member
Joined
Jul 23, 2016
Messages
3,328
Reaction score
0
Usually use miguiars hot rims but looking to step it up to something I can get by the gallon?

I had to use super clean over the weekend, It's great for cutting brake dust but I wasn't sure if using it for clear coat rims was frowned upon?
 
Another Vote for McKee's 37 Foaming Wheel Cleaner Gel. It is pH-Balanced non-acidic, Yet a very strong effective cleaner.

On the initial spray, the cleaner comes out blue, when it comes into contact with iron/dirt it turns into a red/brown color. this suspends the dirt/grime to make for extremely easy clean up. Very little agitation is needed.

It is a thicker formula so little product is needed.

4131.JPG


694.JPG


775.JPG


5102.JPG


970.JPG


884.JPG


After that you can spray on some McKee's 37 Hydro Blue to coat them to help protect them.

(Before Hydro Blue)
1361.JPG


(After Hydro Blue)
1741.JPG


McKee's 37 Hydro Blue

This will make cleaning maintenance alot easier for future washes.
 
For effectiveness and safety, I'd suggest any of the SONAX wheel cleaners.

One thing I know about SONAX and that is they make their products to be safe above all.

When I deal with someone that is concerned about a wheel cleaner staining their wheel I recommend SONAX Full Effect Wheel Cleaner so I don't have to worry about them screwing something up.


SONAX Wheel Cleaner, all wheel cleaner, chrome wheel cleaner, aluminum wheel cleaner, full effect wheel cleaner


I would say the P21S and the McKee's are also very safe options.


After watching my friend Tom McDonald at Meguiar's deal with "wheel problems" caused by customers that don't read labels for years, I'm a huge fan of recommending products that even the lowest common denominator in this world would have to work at it to screw it up.


:)
 
I've been using Wolfgang Uber Wheel Cleaner and I like it. Doesn't smell good but cleans pretty well and claims to be safe on any type of wheel.
 
I'm using Griots Wheel Cleaner, the regular strength green one.

Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner

I like that it is approved for use by a couple of big name wheel makers as that gives me a *little* more peace of mind it won't damage my wheels. Despite being their regular strength product and not the "heavy duty" gel product, it has cleaned up some pretty filthy wheels for me. This is the first wheel cleaner that I have not only bought in bulk, but actually ordered a second bulk refill.
 
All good choices thank you guys.

Is it a bad thing to use superclean or whatever APC on clear coat rims? I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or an indifferent thing?
 
For iron removing cleaners, McKee's seems to be the best priced. Griot's Heavy Duty is close. For non-iron removing D-143 looks like the cheapest, but I've read it doesn't work as well as most. Duragloss wheel cleaner is very affordable by the gallon and works well. The sonax wheel cleaners are excellent in my experience. Griot's worked well for me also.

For very light cleaning I'll wipe down with an MF towel and whatever rinseless I'm using. For more brake dust I'll use the DG with a wheel woolie. When I want iron removal I'll with one of the others. Give me a good balance between good looking wheels and cost.

Pinnacle Advanced Wheel Cleaner Concentrate also looks good price wise since it's diluted 3:1. Haven't used it yet.
 
If your looking for a gallon the green Griot's wheel cleaner is awesome, no doubt about it, safe and effective but like seen in the other pics here, the Speed Master brush is a MUST! Mike suggested Sonax and speaking of them, get their wheel shield, stuff is SOLID!!
 
I'd recommend Sonax Wheel Cleaner Full Effect. Been very happy with how it works. Does a great job at getting the barrel of your rims clean.
 
Head&Shoulders Shampoo. It will keep the dandruff away! LOL But not too far from the truth.

No, seriously, try staying away from any strong-harsh cleaners, be careful with even cut APC's, some can be damaging. Maybe not once, but a couple-few times you be noticing things aren't looking too good, and it probably wasn't caused by dirt or dust.
 
I love Griots heavy duty wheel cleaner because it's cheap. I plan on buying m37 foaming wheel cleaner gel and comparing since it's slightly less expensive. I really like how well griot's heavy duty wheel cleaner clings and suds up really well.
 
Klasse Act said:
If your looking for a gallon the green Griot's wheel cleaner is awesome, no doubt about it, safe and effective but like seen in the other pics here, the Speed Master brush is a MUST! Mike suggested Sonax and speaking of them, get their wheel shield, stuff is SOLID!!
Click to expand...

The Speed Master brush as completely changed the way I clean wheels. I've always used brushes of some sort, but I can now go so much faster and it reaches all areas inside the wheel so much easier. With all the benefits, I don't even mind the splatter it creates.

MarkD51 said:
Head&Shoulders Shampoo. It will keep the dandruff away! LOL But not too far from the truth.

No, seriously, try staying away from any strong-harsh cleaners, be careful with even cut APC's, some can be damaging. Maybe not once, but a couple-few times you be noticing things aren't looking too good, and it probably wasn't caused by dirt or dust.
Click to expand...

Harsh wheel cleaners scare me for just the reasons you mention. That was one of the reasons I like the regular green Griot's wheel cleaner. It's not as strong as many wheel cleaners, but still cleans better than some of milder cleaners like P21Ss products...and cheaper too!
 
I've been using meguirs apc at 4:1 for like 5 years now and have never noticed an issue. I also put some car wash soap in my brush bucket for extra sudsing. I usually keep an actual wheel cleaner on hand for heavier grime but I am now considering using a wheel cleaner in place of the apc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I guess I have a different take than many of you: I tend to believe wheel cleaners are probably better than APC since they've been specifically designed to clean wheels. While APCs seem harmless, I don't really know what happens with brake pads and other components. I also assume wheel cleaners are specifically designed to get rid of wheel grime, so I only use them as needed. I'd say 5/6 times I'm using rinseless. My wheel all have coatings or Sonax Rim Shield on them, so this makes a difference. I can usually get 80% of stuff removed with a hose.

I use iron remover maybe 3-4x per year. One gallon of DG cleaner and a smaller bottle of Griot's have lasted months for me - likely will go for a year. This is keeping up with 3 cars an occasionally doing some help with friends. or neighbors. I will likely try the Pinnacle concentrated stuff next.

No doubt Speedmaster brushes clean well. But you have to be willing to get splattered with nasty wheel chemicals and grime. I use Wheel Woolies far more often.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top