grwoolf

Every time I wash my car, the rotors get rusty, no suprise. If I drive right away (while they are still wet), the rust mixes with brake dust and slings all over my just-cleaned wheels making a big mess. If I wait until everything is dry, it just leaves the dry rust all over the inside of the wheels (like orangish brake dust). I've got the turbo twist wheels, so the inside of the wheels are easy to clean and very visible. I recently pulled all my wheels and did a polish/wax job, so they look great when clean (for the brief moment until I drive the car). Anyone have a good solution to keep the rust from getting on the wheels after washing?

timothymoffat

I hear your pain Grant! I don't have a solution but it has always made me wonder about the possibility of fitting PCCBs from later model cars. I've heard they drastically reduce brake dust levels. Kind of expensive though. I've also wondered about applying some of the 3M clear bra material around the inside of the wheel. The "twist" wheels would be very easy to do this with and this might make the cleaning process easier. Again, totally unsure.

logan2z

What do you clean your wheels with? I've been using the P21S gel wheel cleaner and I haven't noticed very much brake dust at all accumulating on the wheels. Perhaps the P21S leaves a coating on the wheels that helps repel the dust. It's a very effective wheel cleaner, so it's probably worth a shot if you're not already using it.

grwoolf

I'm not using anything special on the wheels. I might try the P21S if it helps with brake dust also. Is that a standard Walmart/Autozone kind of item?

911URGE

Im guessing you are getting a good build up of brake dust in the calipers. Make sure you blast the calipers/pads with a hard jet of water before cleaning the rims. You would be surprised at the amount of brake dust that washes out of there.

NC TRACKRAT

Michelin makes a spray to coat the inner rims which supposedly keeps brake dust from adhering. You can also try coating the inner surfaces with PAM, yes, PAM, the stuff that your wife or GF sprays on pans to keep stuff from sticking. Spray, then wipe off excess. Also keeps the rubber "marbles" at the track from adhering. BTW, don't try applying the 3M clear film to the inside of the wheels. It won't stand up to the heat, much less the abrasive nature of the brake dust.

logan2z

I haven't seen it at any of my local auto parts stores. I usually buy it from Autogeek.

http://autogeek.net/p2wheelclean.html

AOW162435

Time for some stainless steel rotors...


Andreas

Blaine S

You can use an inexpensive electric leaf blower to "blow dry" your brakes after a washing. It helps get the water out of the holes in the discs. That and a quick drive up and down the block usually does the job for me.