Wheel Cleaner - Looking for Recommendation

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LaFawnduh

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As it seems I'm never satisfied, I'm approaching the end of my CG Diablo gel, looking for recommendations on a new wheel cleaner to try.

What I want is something that:
1.) is strong enough to cut through Brembo dust (nastiest muck on the planet)
2.) requires very minimal agitation - preferably something that will eat off the stuff so my pressure washer can take off 99% of the mess
3.) is non-acidic and safe for black chrome (so no wheel brightener)
4.) doesn't cost an arm and a leg (love the polish angel mint cleaner but it's $60 for a 1/4 gallon!)
5.) preferably something that will also bleed out iron deposits without killing the coating I have on my rims (PBL wheel)
6.) this is for my personal vehicle so don't need anything in commercial quantities

Been thinking of trying the WG 3.0 and McKees but always willing to try others. Things I've already used: BF wheel, CG Diablo, Sonax, Meguiars (hot rims, D-14301, D140), P21s and CG Citrus APC.

Thanks in advance for your ideas.
 
I vote Sonax for this. Does all your requirements. Especially the no agitation.

You said you've tried it already. Did you not like it?
 
How about a high concentration mix of car wash soap and water in a pre-mixed bottle? Let dwell and then agitate with your dedicated wheel wash media. Dirt cheap. Maybe you can mix in a little bit of iron x for bleed theatre.

When I used to clean my vehicles with a water hose and bucket (I've since gone exclusively to RW'ing) I would only wash my wheels with the same car shampoo used to wash the paint. I NEVER encountered a time where it was insufficient in cleaning off brake dust/road grime. Even when maintenance washing intervals would be a month apart!

The only time dedicated wheel cleaners did any cleaning, was when they cleaned my pockets empty of cash. :)
 
I used to use Meguiars Hot rims until I tried the Kenotek Wheel cleaner ultra fallout remover. Great product and works as advertised.

It is pricier than Megs or other wheel cleaners but you get 1L of product with a great spray.

Give it a shot and you will like it (PBMGs sister site carries Kenotek goods and most of Kenotekh products are pretty good)
 
Marc08EX said:
I vote Sonax for this. Does all your requirements. Especially the no agitation.

You said you've tried it already. Did you not like it?
Click to expand...

Smelled dreadful, worked decent but felt like it took a long time to get there. And I have a bad habit: I always believe something bigger and better is out there to perform magic. I'm too susceptible to marketing - PBMA loves me

BudgetPlan1 said:
WG Uber Wheel Cleaner.
Click to expand...

Thanks - been thinking of giving it a try.

evo77 said:
How about a high concentration mix of car wash soap and water in a pre-mixed bottle? Let dwell and then agitate with your dedicated wheel wash media. Dirt cheap. Maybe you can mix in a little bit of iron x for bleed theatre.

When I used to clean my vehicles with a water hose and bucket (I've since gone exclusively to RW'ing) I would only wash my wheels with the same car shampoo used to wash the paint. I NEVER encountered a time where it was insufficient in cleaning off brake dust/road grime. Even when maintenance washing intervals would be a month apart!

The only time dedicated wheel cleaners did any cleaning, was when they cleaned my pockets empty of cash. :)
Click to expand...

Brembo brake dust is a whole other animal. Before owning these I never used a wheel cleaner. It's a beast... Wheels are black every weekend when I wash.

ArnoldLayne said:
I used to use Meguiars Hot rims until I tried the Kenotek Wheel cleaner ultra fallout remover. Great product and works as advertised.

It is pricier than Megs or other wheel cleaners but you get 1L of product with a great spray.

Give it a shot and you will like it (PBMGs sister site carries Kenotek goods and most of Kenotekh products are pretty good)
Click to expand...

I'll take a look - might have to buy a couple type and do a compare.
 
I have used GG HD wheel cleaner with great success in the past. Also the new Meg's Mirror Bright wheel cleaner is also awesome. These 2 are color changing and completely safe to use on those wheels finish. I bet the WGU wheel cleaner is awesome, I just know it is and I will be buying and stocking up over this winter without a doubt, gotta plan ahead and maximize the best deals when they come up!
 
+1 for the griots HD. Works quite well and doesn't break the bank. I use it almost exclusively unless the wheels are REALLY bad. Then they get either 3D BDX or wheel brightener depending on the surface
 
Uhh....you really shouldn`t need a heavy wheel cleaner if your wheels are coated. They should easily come clean with soap and water. Iron Removal would be on occasion. How long ago did you apply the coating?
 
LaFawnduh said:
As it seems I'm never satisfied...
What I want is something that:
1.) is strong enough to cut through Brembo dust (nastiest muck on the planet)
2.) requires very minimal agitation - preferably something that will eat off the stuff so my pressure washer can take off 99% of the mess
3.) is non-acidic and safe for black chrome (so no wheel brightener)
4.) doesn't cost an arm and a leg (love the polish angel mint cleaner but it's $60 for a 1/4 gallon!)
5.) preferably something that will also bleed out iron deposits without killing the coating I have on my rims (PBL wheel)
6.) this is for my personal vehicle so don't need anything in commercial quantities
Click to expand...
Good Luck! in your quest for such a product.

However:
I'm afraid that the consequences caused
by the use of wheel-cleaners, (ones that
are so formulated in order to meet all your
above criteria), would be too overwhelmingly
severe for me to ever consider using them
anywhere near any of my vehicles.



Bob
 
I vote for SONAX or Optimum Power Clean for best bang for the buck. I barely get any use of SONAX or WG Uber though since Optima Power Clean (1:3) does the job most of the time though.
 
I have 2 cars with Brembos and have been able to use soapy water, an apc, or an orange oil degreaser in the past. They all require agitation or some work with a dedicated mitt as does GG HD. One set of wheels is polished clear coat and the other are powdercoated, but were painted before. Once you clean them well recoat the wheels. A good coating or even the armorall spray on wheel protector helps reduce build up and eases cleaning. Brembo pads just dust bad. I only use soapy water after coating, but I'm not on Brembo pads anymore either.

What are your brembo's on? I'd suggest switching pads as soon as practical if you can't handle the dust. Thats the best fix.
 
Btw, have you tried the Gyeon Iron? That product looks amazing from the videos I've seen and it has raving reviews from detailing buffs in UK & Australia (where Gyeon products have been available longer than here).

I was amazed by how efficiently it works and dissolves brake dust and I just went ahead and added one to my cart today to give it a shot.

If it works as well as I saw on the youtube videos, it will be my go to wheel cleaner. Though for now the Kenotek product is pretty good.

I gotta stop spending $$ on this stuff and I am not sure if I am gonna be able to use all the stuff I've bought since the start of the year :) I keep product hopping to try something better like changing underwear LOL
 
I've got a gallon of WG wheel cleaner. I don't think I'll need to use it. Anybody know how long the shelf life is on these types of products?
 
Get yourself some Brown Royal and you'll never look back. If that brake dust is as bad as you say it is it'll serve you justice.
 
I second the Brown Royal. The best wheel and tire cleaner I have used.
 
Another vote forSonax wheel cleaner... Works best if you have a wheel brush, doesn't even have to be an expensive brush, I bought some rim brush from amazon for like $5 & I'm still using it until this day. Sonax is expensive though, so I usually just use automotive soap & my rim brush, works almost the same.
 
3D BDX is amazing for chemical decon. It's not mentioned nearly enough, IMO.
 
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