Brake Dust on Rims..

[SSFury]

Had a question for you guys. I have black painted rims, and the brake dust latches onto it pretty thick, giving wheels a dirty, dull finish. Every weekened when I was the car, I have to wash the rims.

This isnt such a big deal, but the brake dust just ruins my mf towels, and I'm using up my rags. I have tried spray on rim cleaner, but to be honest, I dont like the idea of spraying those nasty chemicals on my rims, cause I dont want the cleaner to damage them.

My question, has anyone ever tried say.. baby wipes on their rims? Pull one out, wipe down rims.. when wipe gets dirty, throw it away, get a new one. Their moist, so it shouldn't scratch the paint, and the dampness, in theory.. seems like it should be a good cleaner for brake dust. When done wiping them down, just spray rim with hose.. then buff clean rim with mf towel without ruining it...

Thats what I have in mind, I'm a little hesitant to go to the store , but the wipes, and just try it.. if for some reason it scratches/mars my rims, it'll be a sad night in my house. So, I was just wondering if anyone else had ever tried this before? Just curious.

[midnighter]

I pre-rinse the wheels, apply car soap with a mitt, rinse, then dry. Wipes always scratch my wheels.

[CamaroDreams07]

Well...you should be washing the wheels every time you wash the car anyway.. For the wheels I use Adam's All-Purpose cleaner (diluted) or Adam's Green Wheel Cleaner along with a soft boars hair brush. This is the proper way to wash wheels. When I'm washing the car, I first spray down the wheels, tires, and wheel wells, then hit the wheel wells and tires with APC and scrub with this brush, then rinse, then spray Green Wheel Cleaner on the wheels and agitate with this brush.

Either that, or have a separate wash mitt for your wheels and do the wheels last, after you have finished washing the car. What you don't want to do is dip the wheel wash mitt into your bucket before washing the paint.

[hypurone]

ArmorAll makes a protectant product for this. If you do a search for it you should find a few threads where guys have used it with great results.

Another option, tho a tad more expensive, is to do what I did and change the pads to Hawk Ceramics! It cuts down on 98% of the dust...

[jtzako]

I use the armorall wheel protector spray. Once I wash and completely dry the wheels I spray that on liberally. It keeps stuff from sticking to the wheels and it ends up taking considerably longer for them to get dirty looking.

[FrankT]

After you get your wheels clean, wax them. Apply a good quality paste wax to them and the brake dust washes off a lot easier.

[SSFury]

Good tips all. Thanks.

[gofast908z]

If you're wheels are painted and clearcoated (likely), then you are right to worry about chemicals. But don't be afraid of proper ones. Since the wheels are likely cleared, you need to treat them as you would the paint on the car. So they need to be waxed or sealed (sealant is easier here) on a REGULAR basis. So, to avoid stripping the very protection you need to apply, you need a SAFE pH balanced wheel cleaner.

-P21S wheel gel
-Gloss-It wheel gel
-Sonax full effect

Any of these will do the job without damaging the wheels or striping protection from the wax or sealant used to protect the wheels.

[garcmol]

Sonax & Daytona speed brush.

[Gene Culley]

As another mentioned, the Hawk Performance Ceramic pads will clear this up. If you're interested in the Hawk pads, let me know as I would be happy to help.

[O44DOG]

Brake dust is a problem. This is the only vehicle I've had that I don't downshift on a regular basis. I have never had a vehicle with brakes the are as good as the SS, so I like using them.

[Rafsanjani]

Originally Posted by Gene Culley

As another mentioned, the Hawk Performance Ceramic pads will clear this up. If you're interested in the Hawk pads, let me know as I would be happy to help.

I have them specifically for my summer wheels that are painted white. Worth every penny. Then of course you will still need to clean them as recommended above but not nearly as often.

[ballistic]

You should have a seperate wash mit like previosuly stated for your wheels. I can't imagine not washing them everytime I wash the car. I keep a seperate bucket and mit just for the wheels.

Chemical Guys makes a "Wheel Wax" that I apply every month. It keeps a lot of brake dust and other grime from sticking to the surface. It also makes it easier to clean them. There are other compaines that make similar products.

[eric@thompson]

I use Adam's Brilliant Glaze on my wheels. It gives them that extra shine, and keeps the brake dust from sticking.

This thing will save your knuckles!

I'll throw in a FREE 16oz bottle of Adam's Green Wheel Cleaner with each purchase of Adam's Turbo Stick.

Email me:

eric@thompsonracing.us