Wolfgang Tire & Wheel Cleaner - Review and How-to

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Wolfgang Tire & Wheel Cleaner - Review and How-to


Review
Tested out the Wolfgang Tire & Wheel Cleaner and the number one thing I liked about it is that it's both safe and effective on both tires and wheels . Whenever you use a wheel cleaner you need to first know what your wheels are made out of or coated with so you don't pick a wheel cleaner that might damage them. Brake-dust is a problem for wheels with disc brakes and it can be very hard to remove, especially if it's baked on. Most wheel cleaners on the market use acid in their formula and acid is very effective at loosening the grip brake-dust has on wheel surfaces. The problem with acid however is that it can stain polished aluminum, uncoated non-polished aluminum and magnesium wheels. The Wolfgang Tire and Wheel Cleaner is non-acid so it can be safely used on all types of wheels.

It's also a great rubber cleaner so because it's non-acid you can wash both your tires and your wheels at the same time without the fear of getting overspray onto the wheel when spraying the tire and this enables you to wash them both at the same time with only needing one product.

The Wolfgang Tire and Wheel Cleaner worked great to loosen and remove the blooming off the tire, (that's where the outer surface of the tire turns brown and easily removed the build up brake-dust and road-grime on the wheels as shown in the before and after pictures below.

If you're looking for a safe but high quality tire and wheel cleaner in one product, take the Wolfgang Tire and Wheel Cleaner for a test drive.


How To
Here's our test wheel, a polished aluminum wheel with built-up brake dust and road grime.

















First I sprayed any loose dirt off the wheel and tires with a strong jet spray of water. Next I sprayed the Wolfgang Tire and Wheel Cleaner onto the tire and wheel to allow it to penetrate for few minutes.






Next I used a Short Handle Tire/Wheel Brush to work the Wolfgang Tire and Wheel Cleaner into the tire sidewall.



After rinsing the the tire clean, next I used the Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush to clean behind the wheel in all the hard to reach areas. The Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush is easy to bend and shape to clean those hard to reach areas.










Then I switched over to a 8" Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush to clean the face of the wheel and get into the lug nut receptacles.









After thoroughly agitating the tire and wheel cleaner I then rinsed the cleaning solution off with a strong jet spray of water using a Fire Hose Nozzle
with a The Brass Quick Connector and a Single Brass Connector Shut Off Valve.




Because some of the road grime is stubborn I used a Pinnacle Microfiber Detailing Mitt to further wash the stained portions of the face of the wheel in-between the spokes.








Then I gave the wheel a final wipe and then rinsed the cleaning solution off the tires and wheels to reveal a perfectly clean tire and wheel ready for a dressing or wheel wax.







There you go, a spotlessly clean tire and wheel!


Products Used
Wolfgang Tire & Wheel Cleaner
Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush
8" Montana Boar's Hair Wheel Brush
Pinnacle Microfiber Detailing Mitt
Single Brass Connector Shut Off Valve
The Brass Quick Connector
Brass Quick Connector 3-Pack Set
Fire Hose Nozzle
5 Gallon Wash Bucket System with Dolly - RED




Then, after treating the tire with Wolfgang Black Diamond Tire Gel

Wolfgang Black Diamond Tire Gel - Review and How-to






The end-results are a deep, dark semi-gloss satin black finish.



Products Used
Wolfgang Black Diamond Tire Gel
Cobra Flex Foam Tire Dressing Applicators 3 Pack

[sparkism13]

Wow, just think only 3 left to do!! I hate cleaning wheels. I have spoke design wheels and it drives me nuts. I keep them sealed to make it easier. Anyhow, the only gripe I have with the WG is that it's pricey. I know it cleans both wheels and tires but Megs All Wheel cleaner is hard to beat for price and effectiveness. Of course, I have to use a separate wheel cleaner but thats no big deal. Can't see myself paying $20 for a small bottle of the WG stuff.

Thanks for the review.

[OCDetails]

I thought it was a little spendy too, but it does a fantastic job. I think the real value of the Wolfgang products is that you know it is going to work, compared to some OTC products where they are hit and miss. I think some enthusiasts would prefer to high the target on the first shot rather than test around. I know when I pull out my WG products for some clients, they really appreciate that I use the 'top shelf' stuff for them.

[GMC83]

Looks like a good product, been using just soap and water for light cleaning and Wheel Brightener for the really caked on wheels,

How does it work on wheelwells?

[OCDetails]

I wouldn't waste it on wheel wells. There are a lot of other products and tools I'd use up there. Like it was said, this is spendy stuff. Stick to wheels and tires with it.

[Finemess]

Bang up job. I love some clean and well dressed tires and wheels.

[frosty]

First great results and an extremely thorough review as always.

However, isn’t the sign of a good, effective wheel cleaner something you spray, let soak and pressure wash off? For me looking at this review and the amount of effort and time I perceive it to have taken, I wouldn’t consider the product.

From the pix, those wheels look relatively clean to start with compared to the ones I have people bring me.

They want the car washed for relatively cheap and if you start having to break out brushes, mits etc then it’s killing a lot of time and not worth it. Or at least to me it’s not.

For me, if I have to break out a brush, going to be time & materials or they get a spray and wash with a pressure washer. So when I’m looking for reviews on a wheel cleaner, I’m looking for something that was sprayed on heavily soiled wheels, allowed to soak and then pressure washed off. Otherwise there are quite a few products out there that can be used with a brush and has been mentioned at a better price.

However, this review couldn’t have come at a better time. I came to the decision last week when I had a car whose wheels were so bad, that I had to finally break out a brillo pad with straight APC+. For the insides, I borrowed some Hot Rim’s Chrome and the stuff just came off with a pressure washer. So last week I set out to find something comparable to the effectiveness of the HR but also a safer product.

I made up my mind right then, the base price of a car wash is dependent on cleaning the wheels with a spray and pressure wash. Anything that requires more than a couple of minutes with a brush is etc or I’m not doing it for a pat on the back.

Thus why when looking for a product, I’m only interested in how well it works in a spray, rinse scenario.

Curious as to what others think and how they go about charging for doing wheels when they’ve been neglected and what’s important to them when looking for a wheel cleaner. I know ideally I’d like to use the least aggressive product I can with the least or preferably no effect on the environment. Maybe an option is going to a safe product and just doing wheels by the hour and pushing really hard to get a sealer on the wheels for the future etc.

[trencher7]

I am also looking for the best "no scrub" wheel cleaner if such a thing exists. Anyone tried Poorboy's World Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner? Looks like some strong stuff. My wheels are such a pain to clean.

Poorboy’s Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner 32 oz: Poorboy’s Wheel Cleaner is an aggressive citrus cleaner. poorboys wheel cleaner, one step wheel

[frosty]

Originally Posted by trencher7

I am also looking for the best "no scrub" wheel cleaner if such a thing exists. Anyone tried Poorboy's World Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner? Looks like some strong stuff. My wheels are such a pain to clean.

Poorboy’s Spray and Rinse Wheel Cleaner 32 oz: Poorboy’s Wheel Cleaner is an aggressive citrus cleaner. poorboys wheel cleaner, one step wheel

trencher, I have a thread started on this you might want to check out. There was brief talk about PB's spray & rinse.

Commercial Bulk alternative to Hot Rims Chrome?

[08 300C]

The nicest thing about WG is a small mist goes a long way, I have never used anything but WG and although it is expensive its a great product for us perfectionists. Not sure I would us it if I did detailing for a profession, too many people happy with "relatively clean"