Is there a wheel coating that is worth it?

Belo

Belo

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We all know that certain wheel styles, cars and pads just lend themselves to dust, dirt and grime. And if you're like me, you notice your rims get dirty first and it probably drives you nuts. I have been using hydro blue and have noticed some added longevity to my wheels, and I like that it's super easy and simple to apply.

I've noticed several manufacturers offer "coatings" for wheels. At the price of >$40, are any worth the money and time vs a spray on si02 which I already own? And by "worth it", I mean are you seeing noticeable added protection and the ability to go longer between washes?
 
I have not used any of the dedicated wheel coatings, but I have used "normal" wheel coatings on my wheels.

A little over two years ago, I applied CQuartz (the non-UK version) to my summer wheels. I noticed the wheels stayed cleaner, but they were also easier to wash. I still used a wheel cleaner to break down the brake dust, but I used far less and most of the grime often was rinsed off before I even started to wash them. Now that I'm entering the third summer since application, I am noticing a significant drop in performance, but that is expected after all this time.

For the purposes of doing wheels, I found the 10mL sample bottle sold by CarPro was the perfect size. Sadly, it doesn't look like you can buy it here.
 
I have Mckee's 37 wheel coat on my three cars (that actually use rims, my other has steel).

Although it does not make the brake dust on them magically disappear (one of them is a VW, real soft pads on the German variety), I have noticed that wipeoff with my WW is real easy, and seems to clean up easier than my previous regimen.

Eric
 
GYEON Q2 Rim is awesome. Been on my car since Dec 2017and going strong.

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Coating my wheels and tires is *THE* biggest time saver for me when washing a car. Hit with pressure washer/foam, quick wipedown with wash mitt and whatever is left in wash bucket after wash and good to go. Total time expended on cleaning wheels is less than 5 minutes.

Coated wheels and tires when car was new, about 24 months, 40K NE Ohio miles ago. Still doing 'OK' but it's about time to re-do them.
 
I noticed significant improvement - meaning wheels get less dirty - after going from Hydro Blue to CarPro Dlux. I think it's worth it money wise. But depending on wheel design (lots of spokes) it can be a pain in the butt to prep/apply.
 
BSoares said:
I noticed significant improvement - meaning wheels get less dirty - after going from Hydro Blue to CarPro Dlux. I think it's worth it money wise. But depending on wheel design (lots of spokes) it can be a pain in the butt to prep/apply.
Click to expand...

i notice on my silverado that nothing sticks. big easy rims to clean and they also don't get dirty. On my g8 in my avatar i have lots of spokes and they get dirty quicker and are harder to clean because of the design. this is the issue i face haha.
 
Belo said:
i notice on my silverado that nothing sticks. big easy rims to clean and they also don't get dirty. On my g8 in my avatar i have lots of spokes and they get dirty quicker and are harder to clean because of the design. this is the issue i face haha.
Click to expand...

In that case the high amount of work for the initial prep/application might be worth it as washing will become easier. My wheels aren't hard to clean but I like the coating as it keeps them clean longer.
 
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Re: Is there a wheel coating that is worth it?
I have Mckee's 37 wheel coat on my three cars (that actually use rims, my other has steel).



Explain??
 
looks like black label has the best reviews and is of course also the most expensive haha.

They recommend to use BL cleansing polish. Is a good wash with megs hot rims and some eraser that I already own ok instead?
 
My .02 cents to this is I just use a combo of Sonax wheel shield and 303 Touchless sealant on the wheels, the latter also on the paint, ofcoarse. I feel it's just so much easier and quicker to do it this way, clean/protect as you go every 4-6 weeks, easy

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In July 2018 I applied Carpro DLUX to my F150 wheels and only use an APC to clean them rather than a wheel cleaner.

They stay cleaner between washes and are easy to wash the dust off. Used the rest of my kit to do my other sedan a few months later.

Key to doing a coating is like Mike Phillips says, all in the prep work. Plan for about an hour per wheel if you remove them and do complete process. I do use Reload every few months on wheels as way to keep coatings a bump in protection.
 
Thomkirby said:
In July 2018 I applied Carpro DLUX to my F150 wheels and only use an APC to clean them rather than a wheel cleaner. They stay cleaner between washes and are easy to wash the dust off. Used the rest of my kit to do my other sedan a few months later. Key to doing a coating is like Mike Phillips says, all in the prep work. Plan for about an hour per wheel if you remove them and do complete process. I do use Reload every few months on wheels as way to keep coatings a bump in protection.
Click to expand...

i'm just looking to do "what shows" so I hope that wouldn't mean an hour per wheel. If that's the prep time, I might stick with hydro blue.
 
Belo said:
i'm just looking to do "what shows" so I hope that wouldn't mean an hour per wheel. If that's the prep time, I might stick with hydro blue.
Click to expand...

If you define as "what shows" as both the outward facing portion of the wheel and the barrels I would highly encourage you to take the wheels off. It will make every step of the process much easier.

Even if you don't count for the time to jack up the vehicle and dismount the wheel you are probably still looking at investing some time to properly coat and prep the wheels. When I coated mine the wheels were brand new so I simply cleaned them, performed a prep wipe and then coated them. If your wheels have been in use for a while you'll probably want to prep them no differently than a traditional paint coating with a good wash, clay, and prep spray wipe down. Many a iron remover step in there somewhere as well. The time will vary based on the condition and size of the the wheels.
 
I kind of got away from wheel coatings after trying hydro blue on them. Easy and the hydro blue gets everywhere on the wheel surfaces. Months of protection for very little effort.
 
Belo said:
We all know that certain wheel styles, cars and pads just lend themselves to dust, dirt and grime. And if you're like me, you notice your rims get dirty first and it probably drives you nuts. I have been using hydro blue and have noticed some added longevity to my wheels, and I like that it's super easy and simple to apply.

I've noticed several manufacturers offer "coatings" for wheels. At the price of >$40, are any worth the money and time vs a spray on si02 which I already own? And by "worth it", I mean are you seeing noticeable added protection and the ability to go longer between washes?
Click to expand...

BudgetPlan1 said:
Coating my wheels and tires is *THE* biggest time saver for me when washing a car. Hit with pressure washer/foam, quick wipedown with wash mitt and whatever is left in wash bucket after wash and good to go. Total time expended on cleaning wheels is less than 5 minutes.

Coated wheels and tires when car was new, about 24 months, 40K NE Ohio miles ago. Still doing 'OK' but it's about time to re-do them.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you here.

BSoares said:
I noticed significant improvement - meaning wheels get less dirty - after going from Hydro Blue to CarPro Dlux. I think it's worth it money wise. But depending on wheel design (lots of spokes) it can be a pain in the butt to prep/apply.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on this. I noticed that these spray on type products hold on to dirt more than a wheel that has a dedicated wheel coating.

Belo said:
i notice on my silverado that nothing sticks. big easy rims to clean and they also don't get dirty. On my g8 in my avatar i have lots of spokes and they get dirty quicker and are harder to clean because of the design. this is the issue i face haha.
Click to expand...

Belo said:
looks like black label has the best reviews and is of course also the most expensive haha.

They recommend to use BL cleansing polish. Is a good wash with megs hot rims and some eraser that I already own ok instead?
Click to expand...

Although it is an easy coating to use, there are better options that perform better.

Coatingsarecrack said:
Mike ordered c5. Do you have article on how to prep wheels for coating?


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Click to expand...

If the wheels are new then a simple prep wipe is all that is needed. If they have been used for some time then more prep is needed (ie wash, decon, clay, polish, prep wipe, coat).

Belo said:
i'm just looking to do "what shows" so I hope that wouldn't mean an hour per wheel. If that's the prep time, I might stick with hydro blue.
Click to expand...

I guess you are just meaning the face of the wheel. You would have to strip off the hydro blue to get the most performance of a dedicated wheel coating.
 
I applied OptiCoat 2.0 to my wheels back in 2015. Still easy to clean. Don't bead as well as before. I have used Carpro Hydrofoam as a second cleaning about a half dozen times and add a little protection in the last 2 years.
 
So to prep wheels that have been worn. I get all other steps... how would one polish if nano not owned? Can you do by hand?

Thanks in advanced


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