Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
Review: Speed Master Wheel Cleaning Brushes by Mike Phillips
First - for those of you that already know the value of quality tools to make washing your wheels and tires fast and easy, here's the links....
On Autogeek.com
Speed Master Wheel Brush
Speed Master Jr. Wheel Brush
Speed Master 3 Piece Wheel Detail Kit
Speed Master Tire Scrub Brush
BLACKFIRE Tire & Wheel Cleaner NEW FORMULA!
Wheel Woolies Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush
Autogeek Knee N’ Back Pad
The order of steps when washing your car
For most of us, we wash our car more often than any other maintenance task as it relates to our car. We wax it once or twice a year but some of us wash our car once a month, a couple times a month even once a week! That's a lot of washing!
When it comes to washing your car, in my opinion as well as my own practice, what I share in my how-to book and teach in my classes is that you start at the bottom, wheels and tires and then after washing the wheels and tires you move to the top, usually the roof and then wash from the top to the bottom. I point this out because the other popular order that people use is to START at the top of the car, usually the roof, and then work your way down and around the car ending up with washing the wheels and tires.
The reason I wash wheels and tires first is because it can help you to prevent water spots on the paint, glass and trim or wasted steps and thus wasted time. You see, if you start at the top and work your way down, you either have water drying on the car leaving behind spots while you wash the wheels and tires. OR - after washing the car you dry it and then wash the wheel and tires. Because you end up getting the body panels around the wheels and tires wet when washing the wheels and tires, you now repeat steps by re-drying the panels around the wheels and tires and thus wasting both energy and time.
The order in which you wash your car and wheels and tires is RELATIVE - it really doesn't matter to the car which order it gets clean. So in my experience and opinion, it makes better sense to start with the wheels and tires and then after you finish washing and rinsing all 4 wheels and tires, THEN wash the car body starting at the top and working your way down and around.
How long does it take you to wash one wheel and one tire?
I keep my cars wheels and tires clean. This includes the sidewall of the tires, the face of the wheel, behind the spokes of the wheel and the wheel barrel. For some, this may be extreme, for others this is normal. And for the very OCD, you guys actually remove the wheels and tires using hydraulic jacks and jack stands so you can thoroughly wash the back of the wheels and tires. (that's a little to insane for my needs).
Now the wheels and tires on both our cars are regularly thoroughly clean, so when I go to wash my wheels and tires, they don't have the kind of built-up baked-on brake dust and road grime like some the cars some of you reading this own.
Knowing this, that the wheels and tires on my cars are regularly cleaned, EVEN SO, when I time myself from start to finish to wash one wheel and one tire including in this order,
The above takes me a minimum of 15 minutes.
Multiple the above by 4 for the 4 sets of wheels and tires on the average vehicle and you have 4 x 15 = ONE HOUR to simply wash your wheels and tires.
Now if you're starting out with neglected wheels, that is wheels that are NOTregularly and thoroughly washed, then it's going to take you L-O-N-G-E-R.
Now let me tie this in with why you don't want to start at the top of your car washing the roof and working your way down and then ending with washing the wheels and tires. The reason why is if you wash your car and don't dry off the water, this means the water will be standing on the body panels, glass and trim for ONE HOUR (while you wash the wheels and tires), and chances are really good that some of this water is going to dry and leave water spots. Now you have to remove the water spots and this can and normally is very time consuming.
So if you don't normally start with wheels and tires give it a try. You'll find it doesn't make the washing process any longer and makes good practical sense.
Now lets take a look at some of the Speed Master tools that will make washing your wheel and tires faster and effectively.
First - for those of you that already know the value of quality tools to make washing your wheels and tires fast and easy, here's the links....
On Autogeek.com
Speed Master Wheel Brush
Speed Master Jr. Wheel Brush
Speed Master 3 Piece Wheel Detail Kit
Speed Master Tire Scrub Brush
BLACKFIRE Tire & Wheel Cleaner NEW FORMULA!
Wheel Woolies Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush
Autogeek Knee N’ Back Pad
The order of steps when washing your car
For most of us, we wash our car more often than any other maintenance task as it relates to our car. We wax it once or twice a year but some of us wash our car once a month, a couple times a month even once a week! That's a lot of washing!
When it comes to washing your car, in my opinion as well as my own practice, what I share in my how-to book and teach in my classes is that you start at the bottom, wheels and tires and then after washing the wheels and tires you move to the top, usually the roof and then wash from the top to the bottom. I point this out because the other popular order that people use is to START at the top of the car, usually the roof, and then work your way down and around the car ending up with washing the wheels and tires.
The reason I wash wheels and tires first is because it can help you to prevent water spots on the paint, glass and trim or wasted steps and thus wasted time. You see, if you start at the top and work your way down, you either have water drying on the car leaving behind spots while you wash the wheels and tires. OR - after washing the car you dry it and then wash the wheel and tires. Because you end up getting the body panels around the wheels and tires wet when washing the wheels and tires, you now repeat steps by re-drying the panels around the wheels and tires and thus wasting both energy and time.
The order in which you wash your car and wheels and tires is RELATIVE - it really doesn't matter to the car which order it gets clean. So in my experience and opinion, it makes better sense to start with the wheels and tires and then after you finish washing and rinsing all 4 wheels and tires, THEN wash the car body starting at the top and working your way down and around.
How long does it take you to wash one wheel and one tire?
I keep my cars wheels and tires clean. This includes the sidewall of the tires, the face of the wheel, behind the spokes of the wheel and the wheel barrel. For some, this may be extreme, for others this is normal. And for the very OCD, you guys actually remove the wheels and tires using hydraulic jacks and jack stands so you can thoroughly wash the back of the wheels and tires. (that's a little to insane for my needs).
Now the wheels and tires on both our cars are regularly thoroughly clean, so when I go to wash my wheels and tires, they don't have the kind of built-up baked-on brake dust and road grime like some the cars some of you reading this own.
Knowing this, that the wheels and tires on my cars are regularly cleaned, EVEN SO, when I time myself from start to finish to wash one wheel and one tire including in this order,
- Washing inside barrel of the wheel.
- Washing the backside of the spokes.
- Washing the face of the wheel
- Washing the lug nut barrels
- Scrubbing the tire sidewall usually 2 times, something 3 times
The above takes me a minimum of 15 minutes.
Multiple the above by 4 for the 4 sets of wheels and tires on the average vehicle and you have 4 x 15 = ONE HOUR to simply wash your wheels and tires.
Now if you're starting out with neglected wheels, that is wheels that are NOTregularly and thoroughly washed, then it's going to take you L-O-N-G-E-R.
Now let me tie this in with why you don't want to start at the top of your car washing the roof and working your way down and then ending with washing the wheels and tires. The reason why is if you wash your car and don't dry off the water, this means the water will be standing on the body panels, glass and trim for ONE HOUR (while you wash the wheels and tires), and chances are really good that some of this water is going to dry and leave water spots. Now you have to remove the water spots and this can and normally is very time consuming.
So if you don't normally start with wheels and tires give it a try. You'll find it doesn't make the washing process any longer and makes good practical sense.
Now lets take a look at some of the Speed Master tools that will make washing your wheel and tires faster and effectively.
