Looking for wheel coating tips for a first timer

[LSwut]

I have 3 sets of wheels and 2 sets of calipers to coat and would love some advice on how to approach this. I’m a complete newb to coatings.

The first set will be on a Mercedes sprinter work van with stock pads that is a daily driver. I’ve already spent about 2 hours cleaning and claying with sonax wheel cleaner and their fallout cleaner. I still have a little work to get all the baked on spots off. These thing get nasty after just a couple of days.

The others are the stock wheels and red brembo calipers on a Jeep SRT8 and aftermarket wheels and calipers on a Trailblazer SS which are both rarely driven.

The wheels on the TBSS are True Forged 3pcs with bare polished aluminum centers and chrome lips. Calipers are black SSBC. I’ve hand polished them with optimum metal and topped with Wolfgang metal sealant. I’ll lightly polish them again but I’m not sure of the best way to prep for the coating.

I was thinking about purchasing 2 of the new IGL wheel kits but was unsure of ease of use and if it’d be enough to do all 3 jobs.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks guys. I’ll be sure to update with my results.

 

[LSwut]

Since we all love pics here’s a shot of the TBSS wheels and I know my Nitto letters needs some cleaning

 

[Justin at Final Inspection]

IGL wheel all the way. 2 coats and done. I typically spray it
doing 1 layer with my 4oz hvlp gun. But it uses much more product but gets better coverage.

If your hand applying 2 kits should be more than enough for 3 sets wheels.

Do a thorough cleaning, dry and then hit them with the supplied IGL Precoat and start applying. Normally if hand applying I will apply to the whole wheel then level. Once first layer is done you have a 2hr cure before applying the second layer.

 

[The Guz]

I have not used that IGL wheel coating so I can not comment on how it is to use or its overall performance. You could get it and provide feedback to us.

I will leave you my thoughts on some of the wheel coatings I have used and hope it helps in making a decision.

I have used GTechniq C5 and as a stand alone it does well. Not super hydrophobic but more of a sheeting type water behavior. I have added GTechniq Exo as a topper and that adds that aggressive water behavior. Maintained with C2v3 every so often and it works well. Both easy to apply and can be used on the calipers as well.

CarPro DLUX works well. On it's own it seems to do well over the course of a year. It does feel a bit tacky upon removal but other than that it performs well. Can be used on calipers.

Gyeon Rim also works well. User friendly with overall good performance. Will get you about a year maybe a little more. Here is a good write up on how to use it. Can be used on calipers.

How To: Protect Your Wheels with GYEON quartz Q2 Rim

PBL wheel coating did ok. May not be the most durable but it is the easiest to use out of the ones I mentioned.

For prep I tend to clean, lightly polish the wheel and then prep wipe it prior to coating it.

Coatings don't tend to last long on uncoated metal. The metal will still oxidize but at a slower rate. For those areas you could just keep doing what you are doing with OPT metal and WG metal sealant to polish and protect. If you chose to coat the chrome then you will have to use a polish that leaves nothing behind instead of OPT metal as it has a sealant in it. A paint polish will work fine.

 

[SWETM]

For those wheels on the DD I would go with as suggested above. On the uncoated wheels an option is Polish Angel Supersport Wheel Coating. The benefit from that is the looks and mostly you can coat right over the opt metall polish. And still get 4-6 months of solid protection from it. The application is super easy as with all PA products. Spray on a mf towel and wipe it on thin. Then buff off the remaining residue lightly with another mf towel. The ease of use and the somewhat good longevity and the non prep work needed. It could be an option to do the other wheels too. And a little goes a long way as useally with this product. Another option to the DD is the spray on rinse off coating products. Like Gyeon Wet Coat or Carpro Hydro2 light or McKees 37 Hydro Blue. The longevity on wheels is 2-3 months and very easy prep and application.

Polish Angel Supersport Wheel Coating

 

[LSwut]

Thanks for all the varied input guys. I decided to take advantage of the flash sale on Friday and went and ordered 2 IGL wheel kits along with some McKees foaming wheel cleaner to try out.

I’m thinking I may just keep layering the aftermarket wheels with WG metal sealant for now. I could see them being a little difficult to coat with all the rivets. Maybe hydro blue Sio2 would be another option. I definitely want do the calipers so I may just coat the barrels while I have the wheels off.

I was also wondering what the best applicator would be for the calipers and the SRT wheels. I could see the included foam block and suede cloths working well on the Sprinter wheels since they are nice and flat but the SRT wheels are a lot more intricate. I have quite and few microfiber applicators and foam finger pockets I could use. I’d assume the black foam would be better than green. I also like the trick of wrapping the suede over your finger tip with an elastic shown in the link posted above.