Wheel Cleaner that won't strip wax?

E

Emile

New member
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
1,715
Reaction score
0
Hey,

Does anybody have any tire and rim cleaner recommendations from Autogeek that won't strip wax for those of us who wax our wheels?

Thanks,
Emile
 
Any wheel cleaner will remove wax. Use car soap and water but with waxes they need to be reapplied fairly often.
 
don't use wax on wheels, seal them with synthetic sealant, then just use soap and water to clean them, it should be pretty easy. Reseal wheels as needed - every 4-6 weeks.
 
I was under the impression she was using a wheel specific wax. If not using a wheel specific wax then you should use a sealant as supercharged said but you should still use your normal wash soap for longer durability.
 
I use AW every 2-3 washes and just use ONR to clean.
 
I use warm water and car wash soap. This is usually more than sufficient if the wheels are in good shape. I track my car and run BBS wheels and race-spec brake pads - and this process has worked well for me for years.

As for waxing, I use the DP Wheel Wax on all of my sets of wheels (track, daily driver and winter). It helps protect the wheels from all sorts of nasty stuff.
 
Rsurfer said:
I use AW every 2-3 washes and just use ONR to clean.
Click to expand...
:iagree:


IMHO, if a mild cleaner like ONR, or regular wash soap can't take off the brake dust fairly easy, you might want to clean your wheels more often. ONR does a good job and is really gentle on the sealants.
 
I just apply a coat of Zaino Z-AIO to the wheels about every month. It cleans the wheels thoroughly, provides a nice shine, and makes it easier to clean the wheels during regular car washes.

My problem is really with the tires. I drive off-road for work several times a week and my tires get filthy. I spray down the entire wheel with my foam gun and then I use my wheel brush on the rim and the tire brush on the tire and then rinse everything off but I still see plenty of left-over dirt on my tire side-walls.
 
I use ONR to wash my wheels. I try not to use anything more powerful then just regular car soap unless I have to. With my wheels waxed ONR and a MF mitt is all I need. I use either Meguiars NXT tire cleaner or APC on the tires, scrub with ONR and a brush, use an old bath towel and dry
 
I would try a apc like meguirs and try to only get it on the tires. Im not sure how much effect it would have on a sealant but if you monitor the beading on the wheel you should be able to reseal your wheels when they need it.
 
Emile said:
I just apply a coat of Zaino Z-AIO to the wheels about every month. It cleans the wheels thoroughly, provides a nice shine, and makes it easier to clean the wheels during regular car washes.

My problem is really with the tires. I drive off-road for work several times a week and my tires get filthy. I spray down the entire wheel with my foam gun and then I use my wheel brush on the rim and the tire brush on the tire and then rinse everything off but I still see plenty of left-over dirt on my tire side-walls.
Click to expand...

ZAIO + mother's powerball mini is AWSOME!:cheers:

Try using EO A2Z tire cleaner, spray on, let dwell and lightly agitate. It works really well.
 
Last edited:
Soap & water (from the foam cannon) and then brushing with my tire and wheel brushes doesn't get the dirt out sometimes as I drive off-road severael times a week for work. This evening I took off my right front wheel and sprayed it with Eagle One All Wheel Cleaner and then rinsed off. Then I sprayed the wheel down with my foam gun using Dawn dish soap and cleaned up the inside and the outside of the wheel with my brushes. Then I dried up the wheel and brought it inside and polished the whole thing with Mothers PowerMetal Aluminum and a PowerBall.

I don't think I'm going to apply the Z-AIO or any wax/polish to my wheels anymore and just bust out the wheel cleaner when soap and water just doesn't do the trick. I'm going to repeat the same process above for the other three wheels but I'm not going to clean the insides of my wheels ever again. I also clayed the right front wheel when I had it off (the side that sticks out) and that was the gayest waste of time also.
 
ONR and a wheel brush works for me, but then again I don't drive off-road.
 
If you keep them waxed or sealed, then you shouldn't need a wheel cleaner for regular washes. Soap and water should be more than enough.
 
Emile said:
Soap & water (from the foam cannon) and then brushing with my tire and wheel brushes doesn't get the dirt out sometimes as I drive off-road severael times a week for work. This evening I took off my right front wheel and sprayed it with Eagle One All Wheel Cleaner and then rinsed off. Then I sprayed the wheel down with my foam gun using Dawn dish soap and cleaned up the inside and the outside of the wheel with my brushes. Then I dried up the wheel and brought it inside and polished the whole thing with Mothers PowerMetal Aluminum and a PowerBall.

I don't think I'm going to apply the Z-AIO or any wax/polish to my wheels anymore and just bust out the wheel cleaner when soap and water just doesn't do the trick. I'm going to repeat the same process above for the other three wheels but I'm not going to clean the insides of my wheels ever again. I also clayed the right front wheel when I had it off (the side that sticks out) and that was the gayest waste of time also.
Click to expand...


If the process of applying ZAIO seems like too much work for the amount of time it stays on, try using a WOWA product like Opti-seal on the wheels. Much easier and faster to apply and leaves a good amount of protection to help clean next time.
 
I use Rejex on my wheels and I'm quite happy with it. Regular Carnuba wax will evaporate as soon as your wheels start heating up, which is very quickly so only use synthetic sealants. If the wheels are filthy and crusty, you'll need to use a dedicated wheels cleaner like P21S or ## Citrus Wheel (I prefer). If they are in good shape, just use car wash soap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top