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I recently picked up a set of lightly used E88 (absolute grail wheel for the 964, IMO.) While I adore them and am entirely committed to the additional maintenance, I am curious how the rest of you are caring for the raw polished lips.
I have no problem with the centers. But even with cleaning every 150 miles or so, the lips are showing some discoloration and spotting. I reached some detailers forums, some wheel forums, and here with little definitive advice.
I guess the first question would be: Is it okay to hit them with aluminum polish and something like a power ball or polisher?
What other methods of care have you found work well?
Obligatory picture. And before you ask, the tires came with the wheels. I will not be repurchasing them.
Hi, I have some experience with building and refinishing BBS Motorsport wheels. My recommendation is to remove the wheels from the car, wash and degrease them with dawn dish soap or a PH Neutral wheel cleaner (such as Sonax), if the lips have debris/contaminants - clay bar them while using a GOOD, sudsy car soap, dry the wheels and assess their condition at that point. If polishing is necessary you can use an aluminum polish such as Mother's by hand using a microfiber to apply and to rub and wipe - don't use too much polish as to not make a mess. Polish 6-8" sections at a time, then finish with a full polish using a VERY tiny amount of polish, changing the microfiber over to a clean section often. If hand polishing doesn't cut it, you can use a 3" DA polisher or smaller if you have one. I usually use a "blue foam pad" and a couple of dabs of polish. Once you are happy with the polish, wipe the lips with an Isopropyl Alcohol solution and apply a sealant or even better apply 2-3 coats of a GOOD ceramic coating. Allow the coating to cure - locking in the new shine. For after care, wash wheels with a GOOD car soap, blow dry with compressed air or leaf blower and apply a ceramic coating topper or reseal with sealant.
How much maintenance and cleaning are required to keep these looking decent?
I’ve been listing it for us at for a long time but there are times after I come home for a weekend excursion I don’t have time to clean the car for a couple of weeks.
Any polished bare aluminum lipped wheel is going to take a little commitment to keep nice. In addition to the good advice above, I like to tape the wheel face itself...especially if the hardware is exposed prior to polishing on the lips - to prevent polish from making its way into hard to reach places. Where the barrels meet the centers is usually the problem area and hard to keep clean.
Brakes make a big difference, too. If you are racing the car and use racing pads - just give up now and call them your track wheels, lol. Otherwise, ceramic pads = almost no dust but you give up some brake sensitivity/overall stopping power.
Any polished bare aluminum lipped wheel is going to take a little commitment to keep nice. In addition to the good advice above, I like to tape the wheel face itself...especially if the hardware is exposed prior to polishing on the lips - to prevent polish from making its way into hard to reach places. Where the barrels meet the centers is usually the problem area and hard to keep clean.
Brakes make a big difference, too. If you are racing the car and use racing pads - just give up now and call them your track wheels, lol. Otherwise, ceramic pads = almost no dust but you give up some brake sensitivity/overall stopping power.
I agree, I should have mentioned masking the center / assembly hardware area, good advice.
Just like anything else, they will take a bit of commitment to keep them clean, however once properly prepped, sealed or ceramic coated, they aren't that difficult to keep clean... they are so worth it!
I’ve heard of some guys anodizing and clear coating the outer lips or just clear coating the outer lips. That makes it a little easier to manage. Personally i don’t mind the used and enjoyed look on these wheels.
Dave, I was hoping you would chime in. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
Only follow up would be recommendations for ceramic coatings? I quite like that idea.
I have used Sonax wheel cleaner plus in the past, it is PH balanced and works well while adding some lubricity to the wheel as well moving dirt and contaminants around without causing marring.
As for coatings, I use Ceramic Pro, Beeds and a couple of others. CQuartz is also good. Let me know if you need more help.
07-13-2019, 05:38 PM
Question for BBS E88 Owners
