Wheel Cleaner Recommendations

Blckshdw

Original poster
Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,660
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Now that I'm washing the truck at home, and getting a decent array of goodies to get the job done, I've got one glaring issue to resolve. The front rims get pretty filthy with grime and brake dust. Even using the pressure washer, and a couple of drill brushes, I can't get them completely clean. Sometimes I think the dirty patches and streaks here and there look worse, than a completely dirty rim.

Anyone use any products they really like, for getting their wheels clean?
 
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Mounce

Member
Mar 29, 2014
13,667
Tuscaloosa, AL
I was raised on bleach white and a tire brush. The brush doesn't work well on these newer rims so I've gone double duty with a tire brush and a rag/towel like the cheap 4-pack of towels found in the auto cleaning section of Walmart. Not microfiber but normal towels. They do fantastic with the bleach white on the rims for me. Also good for a fine scrub on white letters on the tires, the brush can only do so much.

I use the brush over the whole tire and focus on the letters a little then come through and hit the rim with a towel and do some polishing on the letters and move on. Has worked well for me.

Have always wanted to try some of the color changing no-scrub wheel cleaner by chemical guys or someone but haven't pulled out the pennies for it yet. Supposedly spray it on, wait for the color change, then wash it off and you're done.
 

Maverick6587

Member
Dec 16, 2018
730
Sterling Heights, Michigan
I used either meguiars or mother's spray and turned my rims from a dingy almost yellow color back to a chrome finish after two applications a few weeks apart. There's still a few salt corroded spots on the rims that I need to take care of but for the most part they look pretty good.

I went through two bottles to get the shine back.
 
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Pygot

Member
Dec 6, 2019
82
RI
Two words : PURPLE POWER ! This stuff is banned in many states due to its highly corrosive nature but man does it work pisser on rims
 

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Blckshdw

Original poster
Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,660
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Two words : PURPLE POWER ! This stuff is banned in many states due to its highly corrosive nature but man does it work pisser on rims

Now that you mention it, I have one of their competitors' products, Super Clean, that I used to strip the chrome out of some tail lights for a stalled project. Didn't even think of trying that. May give that a shot this weekend.
 
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Pygot

Member
Dec 6, 2019
82
RI
Now that you mention it, I have one of their competitors' products, Super Clean, that I used to strip the chrome out of some tail lights for a stalled project. Didn't even think of trying that. May give that a shot this weekend.
Took me about 1 hour with lots of paper towels bc as you can see my rims had probabaly never been cleaned at 145k. Normally would use towels with something in better shape
 

wstuckey1

Member
Apr 11, 2018
457
Fenton MI
I used acetone and a rag to clean brake dust off my stock wheels, worked super well and they looked brand new after. Just be careful if you do because if you get to much on the stock clear coat for long enough it'll get soft and you might take it right off. Used it on some Alcoa wheels I bought for my 49 F3 and it worked well on those too, but the same thing. Just have to be careful with it.
 

littleblazer

Member
Jul 6, 2014
9,265
Spray nine on the tire and regular zip wax and a towel on the wheels unless it's really bad then spray nine. The one thing I'll say, if you have any clear coated wheels do it in the shade. I hurt the TB wheels pretty bad by doing that. I've also used it on floor mats but you have to be careful there. It will strip the color out of it. And if you use it on lettering too often it pulls out the white as well. But damn do the sidewalls come clean with it. It's a pretty strong base so it'll pit pretty much any metal.
 

bakertom3

Member
Apr 6, 2020
2
Albany,NY
Now that I'm washing the truck at home, and getting a decent array of goodies to get the job done, I've got one glaring issue to resolve. The front rims get pretty filthy with grime and brake dust. Even using the pressure washer, and a couple of drill brushes, I can't get them completely clean. Sometimes I think the dirty patches and streaks here and there look worse, than a completely dirty rim.

Anyone use any products they really like, for getting their wheels clean?
 

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