Wheel Sealants vs. Wheel Protectant Spray

[ScottB]

I wondered your thoughts on using these products, and your preferred favorite application ???

Over on the Corvetteforum my forum friends are using alot of the new Armor All Wheel Protectant. I tried it initially when it came out and went back to the Wheel Sealants (DP, Poorboys) rather quickly for several reasons.

1. Spray meant overspray on car while using
2. Any overapplication dripped onto tire dressing leaving white stripe
3. Product didnt seem to go along way for size offered
4. It seemed it was done with first wash, even without a heavy wheel cleaner being used.

now it did seem to offer some benefits too:

1. No need to buff or wipe anything off, dries rather clear
2. Slippery stuff initially, brake dust did seem to have a harder time adhering to it.
3. Price initially, although consistent use might reduce this based upon durability.

I was wondering your thoughts. I know its silicone based and likely why alot seem to like it initially, brake dust doesnt seem to be able to adhere to it. It does seem to me that wheel sealants seem to protect the wheel and hold brake dust above them but does not really stop it from sitting on surface. What have you found ???

[bmw5541]

I have recently tried the AA Wheel Protectant, and I was not overly impressed. I have factory painted wheels and after the spray protectaqnt dries, it left a white haze on the wheels. Another think that I don't like about the product is that it washes away at the first sign of rain. Also, it didn't seem to repel break dust as advertised.

I think I will stick with Wheel Wax!

[superd]

I really like the PB's. In between applications, after washing, I've been using the WG sealant spray to detail and have had good success.

[KneeDragr]

The armour all protectant has reduced my wheel cleaning from every drive to every wash.

Until they make a sealant that has similar function I will continue to use it.

[pfix]

We just applied PB wheel sealant to my wife’s Volvo S60 for the first time. 3 coats applied to clean wheels and so far there seems to be noticeably less brake dust on the wheels compared to untreated. The gloss on the wheels was also enhanced. This brake/wheel combo has been very susceptible to brake dust so it will be interesting to see how long the benefits will last.

Paul

[ScottB]

The armour all protectant has reduced my wheel cleaning from every drive to every wash.

Until they make a sealant that has similar function I will continue to use it.

DP Wheel Glaze cleans and protects all types of wheels! Durable wheel polymer wax coating protects wheels from brake dust adhesion and corrosion.
Poorboy’s Wheel Sealant: Protective sealant that improves & maintains the appearance of wheels. wheel protection, poorboys wheel wax

The "function" is similar if not the same, its the "design" and "application" which appears different.

[KneeDragr]

I will keep my ears open, but pretty much the consensus on the Corvette Forum is nothing will keep Z06/GS wheels as clean as the armour all product.

I find the spray on thing pretty easy myself.

[Emile]

In my experience, the wheel sealants I have tried so far (Smartwax Rimwax and PB Wheel Sealant) do almost nothing to repel or reduce the amount of brake dust that adheres to the wheel. They do make it easier to clean the brake dust off, though. And PB Wheel Sealant gives the wheels the most beautiful shine, better than any paint sealant/wax on the wheels but I haven't tried using Fuzion on my wheels yet, haha!

ArmorAll Wheel Protectant really works...almost zero brake dust sticks to the wheels. But I think that it's too expensive as it's only good until the next car wash, and it washes away very easily during a hard rain. Fortunately, the application method is easy, but again, applying it after every car wash just makes it expensive for repeat applications.

It may be a nice product to use to spray the wheel barrels down as the application is literally "spray and walk away."

[sgtmillhouse648]

I've used the AA wheel protectant on my personal vehicle. My wheels are a gloss white paint/clearcoat and pads are a semi-metallic track pad which leaves a ton of very dark dust.

Personally I felt it was overrated as a product. There really isn't a lot of overspray with the aerosol can, and I never had any on the actual car itself which is a plus, and it did reduce the amount of dust on the wheel...kinda

The big thing that I noticed was that it kept the overall face of the wheels cleaner...not clean, but cleaner. Up to a month after I applied the crap, you could still rinse the wheels and the water did the miracle bead deal they show in the infomercial.

The unfortunate part was that the dust from the faces collected in the deeper parts of the wheel off to the sides of the spokes. The dust that did collect here was much more dense than it was before the application of the product and the sharp contrast between the spokes and the dished part made the wheels look dirtier.

Also from rainstorms/mud puddles, the water had a tendency to collect in the deeper part as well, and when it evaporated, left the dirt behind on the surface.

The Eagle One product was similar to the AA, but was even less effective.


Bottom line: Great for wheels with no crevasse/low spots for dirt to stick in.

I'm looking forward to trying the DP wheel glaze sometime as I think that will do a much better job.

[sportscarhiatus]

here's a question. Why even bother using a dedicated "wheel" sealant whether it be spray or liquid?

Since most rims/wheels are clear coated, why not just use ANY liquid sealant or ANY spray sealant/wax? i.e. OCW, DG AW, Optiseal, UPGP, WGDGPS, 4StarUPP, I could go on.