Looking for a safe but effective wheel cleaner

J

JChastain

New member
Mar 16, 2017
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I need one that's safe for powdercoat and all the other finishes. Needs to be effective also of course. Thanks for the feedback
 
Effective in what sense? If you're looking to remove etched-in, baked-on brake dust, probably nothing short of an acid is going to work. If you have moderate "dirt", then one of the iron-eating or caustic cleaners should do the trick. And if the wheels are well maintained, then a detergent-type mild cleaner should be fine.
 
Is there any specific brand that's best? I meant effective as in it actually works. But I don't want it to compromise the wheels finish either...
 
Again, rather than brand, I think you need to think in categories...of which I can think of 4:

1. Acid
2. Caustic
3. Iron Eating
4. Detergent

Acids are the most effective at dissolving contaminants, and are usually safe for wheel finishes (except bare, depending) if rinsed properly.
Caustics can be good, sometimes can be harsh on finishes.
Iron eating is pretty effective on brake dust, but it depends, and they smell terrible. I sometimes thing the cool color-change makes people think these work better than they do.
Detergent is very mild and safe and not very effective except with agitation and on well maintained wheels.

If you want some brand names, here you go, and I expect a whole bunch of conflicting feedback shortly:

Acid: AFAIK, there are no acid wheel cleaners sold here that have an acid package I would consider safe for you to use in your driveway. Oh, except maybe the McKee's Foaming Wheel Cleaner Gel which may have salicylic acid in it.

Caustic: Mothers Foaming Wheel and Tire Cleaner comes to mind

Iron-eating: I haven't tried all of them, but one I like is Griot's Heavy Duty

Detergent: The classic P21S liquid or gel, and Griot's Wheel Cleaner
 
I thought powder coat was supposed to be tough as nails? What's the big deal? Just take your typical high alkaline wheel cleaner and go at it.

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Joe@NextLevelDetail said:
McKee's 37 Foaming Wheel Cleaner Gel - Non acidic, and pH balanced. very strong effective wheel cleaner yet still safe
Click to expand...

The (very long) store blurb that you linked to doesn't say anywhere that this product is non-acid or pH balanced, and neither does the page at the McKee's site. Realizing that you work for the company, can we consider your statement above an official position? Or is this something that Nick needs to clarify? I'm simply asking because if that's the case it's usually mentioned on the product page. As a comparison, the Wolfgang Uber wheel cleaner states "Wolfgang Über Wheel Cleaner is non-acid and pH neutral"; since I presume Nick wrote the copy for both it would seem he would have included that statement for the M37 product as well.
 
The best I have used so far has been Sonax WC+. It was only needed the 1st time on some very neglected rims, after that most any will work fine.
 
If a wheel(s) has been heavily neglected (never washed in many months) and has caked on dirt/grime then I can see the use of a specific wheel cleaner.

But for a maintained wheel (washed regularly) why wouldn't a gentle car soap or rinseless/waterless wash be sufficient enough? I stopped wasting money on wheel cleaners because I can get my wheels perfectly cleaned with the aforementioned products.
 
Personal experience with Sonax (very good) and Chemical Guys Diablo Gel (good). They are different. Both are neutral pH (non-acid). I get the impression that Sonax is great for stains and metal particles with light brushing required while Diablo is very good for general cleaning with a more vigorous brushing but it seems to have more detergent/soap in it go clean dust, dirt, mud, etc.
 
The best wheel and tire cleaner I have found. Dilute per instructions.

Flash Brown Royal Non-Acid Wheel & Tire Cleaner
 
Yes. Our matte products are safe for every matte finish from super flat to satin to pearlescent. The product cleans without adding any shine or changing the finish of the surface in any way
 
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