Looking for a wheel cleaner?

[KiaTia]

Ok from this forum I finally found a couple of good tire dressing now I need a wheel cleaner. I have one car with painted wheels the other chrome factory GM. Right now I am using Turtle Wax wheel & tire cleaner there has to be better..

Thanks

[Finemess]

Hello and welcome. This works very well.

SONAX Wheel Cleaner, all wheel cleaner, chrome wheel cleaner, aluminum wheel cleaner, full effect wheel cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-wheel-cleaner.html)

[custmsprty]

Sonax is good stuff but I personally am not paying $15.99 for 16oz of wheel cleaner. No way. I bought Mothers on bogo here a few months ago and loaded up, it works just fine.

[tw33k2514]

SONAX is pretty good stuff. Also like cg Diablo and eagle one a2z

-note 4 powered by T-Mobile

[Audios S6]

Any of the pH neutral color changing wheel cleaners are going to be a step up from TW. Griots heavy duty and meguiars dub are both on the lower cost end of the type of cleaner. The latest sonax revision really at the top of the food chain. None of these cleaners are cheap.

[Ebg18t]

I buy the Sonax full effect in 5L containers. Awesome stuff.

[swanicyouth]

Honestly, I'm going to give you some advice most people here probably won't give you. But it's the easiest way to go about this.

First, I'm guessing you have dirty wheels. Dirty wheels = high dust brake pads. Change your brake pads to ceramic pads. No more dust issues. This is cheap and easy to do.

Second, coat your wheels with some spray type coating: Permanon / Hydro2

Third, buy some quality wheel cleaning tools from AG.

Fourth, clean your wheels with car wash soap.

....Either that, or be prepared to buy bottles of wheel cleaner for like fifteen bucks each and be prepared to buy a lot of them and spend a lot of time cleaning wheels.

[MikeC78]

Meg's DUB wheel cleaner, off the shelf. Just as good as Sonax FE, IMO.

[rlmccarty2000]

Honestly, I'm going to give you some advice most people here probably won't give you. But it's the easiest way to go about this.

First, I'm guessing you have dirty wheels. Dirty wheels = high dust brake pads. Change your brake pads to ceramic pads. No more dust issues. This is cheap and easy to do.

Second, coat your wheels with some spray type coating: Permanon / Hydro2

Third, buy some quality wheel cleaning tools from AG.

Fourth, clean your wheels with car wash soap.

....Either that, or be prepared to buy bottles of wheel cleaner for like fifteen bucks each and be prepared to buy a lot of them and spend a lot of time cleaning wheels.

Amen

[Mask]

Honestly, I'm going to give you some advice most people here probably won't give you. But it's the easiest way to go about this.

First, I'm guessing you have dirty wheels. Dirty wheels = high dust brake pads. Change your brake pads to ceramic pads. No more dust issues. This is cheap and easy to do.

Second, coat your wheels with some spray type coating: Permanon / Hydro2

Third, buy some quality wheel cleaning tools from AG.

Fourth, clean your wheels with car wash soap.

....Either that, or be prepared to buy bottles of wheel cleaner for like fifteen bucks each and be prepared to buy a lot of them and spend a lot of time cleaning wheels.

This should be sticky ^^

[Ccrew]

This should be sticky ^^

Not really. Because once you shoot #1 in the head the rest die with it.

A lot, and I mean a LOT of todays performance cars come with very dusty pads. The Focus ST is a prime example. All of the people that have tried ceramics, EBC's, Hawks, etc all say that braking performance is degraded. So you live with dusty wheels. I'm sure the new Mustang's aren't much different.

If you're driving Mom's Camry fine, have at it. Some of us like our performance cars to stay performance cars. .

[LAKings22]

I've used the CG Diablo and 3D yellow rim/tire degresor. For the price you pay for the Diablo, IMO is not worth it. The 3D yellow cleaner is about $12-$14 for a gallon and can be diluted 1-4 for heavy duty cleaning. It doesn't have that color change perk but it gets the job done without breaking the bank. My DD has been getting washed once a week, I can probably get by with just soap and water but since it's cheap, I spray it down just for fun.

I've also used this product on 2 recent details both with very dirty wheels and it cleaned it up very well.

[CaveRacing]

For the most part, I agree with the other posters about using car wash soap. I do this most of the time, but my wheels also don't get very dirty. I haven't tried a coat in yet, but I will.

As for specific cleaners, I have experience with Sonax and Chemical Guys Diablo. I'm not paying the price for Sonax, but CG Diablo seems very reasonable when diluted per the directions. It works well and smells good, too!

Next on my list to try is the Meguiars Non-Acid Wheel and Tire Cleaner.

[Coopers ST]

I have some Sonax, but, I don't use it very often. It is just way too expensive for every week washes. I like eagle 1 A to Z. It is cheap and works well. I spray onto the wheel that is a bit wet. I also spray a quarter spray onto the brush. My Focus ST wheels that get so dusty so fast come out looking new. In a block they will be black again, but they come clean.
I also have a few coats of a wheel sealant on them, I think that helps.

[swanicyouth]

Not really. Because once you shoot #1 in the head the rest die with it.



A lot, and I mean a LOT of todays performance cars come with very dusty pads. The Focus ST is a prime example. All of the people that have tried ceramics, EBC's, Hawks, etc all say that braking performance is degraded. So you live with dusty wheels. I'm sure the new Mustang's aren't much different.



If you're driving Mom's Camry fine, have at it. Some of us like our performance cars to stay performance cars. .



Dunno about others, but I'm not driving a Camry either. The ceramics work fine on my BMW M for the street. I've been running them for years. The initial bite may be a little less - but that is about it. It's a very subtle difference compared to the the BMW pads.

What's not subtle is the amount of dust and how clean the wheels stay. I'm running PBR/Repko ceramics and they make zero dust. It's an amazing contrast compared to the BMW factory pads.