jscott82

Ok experts... let me hear it...

My track wheels are starting to grow some serious funk…. I bought them used in very bad shape cosmetically, spent a little time with them to knock the worst off but never got them pristine. Now after a few more years of use/abuse they are getting a film of oxidation (I think) again. The wheels in question are Fikse FM10 with anodized centers. While polishing with a die grinder and rouge seems to remove the “funk” (the funk just laughed at me when I tried it by hand with metal polish) it’s an awful lot of work (there are 10 wheels to be done).

Anyone know of any magic pixie dust out there that can cut through oxidation without the horsepower?

Pic of wheel in question.

Bill Verburg

That's not bad, there used to be a metal polish called 'blue magic' that was pretty good, you will need a power tool and shaped heads to get into all the nooks

I try to remove wheels and clean then after every outing, it's not always possible, but better to stay ahead than to try and catch up.

AOW162435

Why clean 10 of those stupid things when 6 would be so much easier.

I'll take a set of fronts & set of rears off your hands. K?


Andreas

IamSMC

Try posting your Q here too:

https://rennlist.com/forums/wheel-and-tire-forum-74/

https://rennlist.com/forums/concours-and-car-care-86/

RickBetterley

Once you get them clean, keep them waxed, too.
I gad a set of FM-10s on my track car, and they were lovely but a major effort to keep clean.

jscott82

This funk laughed in blue magic's face.... I think it may hardened brake dust, its almost like a ceramic glaze.

jscott82

Give me time... Ill see if I can break these for you :-)

user 70801213

xenit ?

FlatSix911

You need to break out the serious chemicals ... have you tried oxalic acid>

JJulian

P21S polishing soap?

justin993

I called and asked someone at Wheel Enhancement last year - he told me not to use anything on the center of FM10s that you wouldn't use on the car's paint.
You can polish the outer lip with aluminum polish.

ble2011

If the centers are clear coated, you'll have to remove that finish first. Then polish with any good aluminum polish. I would use a mothers polish ball or a flitz buff ball installed in a powerful drill to aid in the polishing. I have used the mothers polish ball with very good results, but in my opinion, they are for fine polishing. Never used the Flitz. Then you have a choice, clear coat again or leave and polish regularly.

Mark in Baltimore

If the wheels are clear coated Fikses, I'd probably try and keep the clear coat on. Manny Alban has a set of FM-10's with the clear coat that has long since come off, IIRC. He has to polish them at least once a season. Maybe he'll pop in and give a more accurate maintenance schedule.

Jeff, your FM-10's are anodized/race satin, though. Fikse (the original Fikse) recommended using Wenol red polish for a deep cleaning and a 50/50 solution of Simple Green for a milder one, so that's what I do with my race satin wheels. As Bill says, I think you'll need to put some time into polishing with a power tool and some shaped heads to get a clean surface.

From there, you'll want to be really diligent about cleaning the wheels after every track weekend. I'm usually super busy after a DE or race and barely have time take care of the wheels immediately, so I use a gas-powered pressure washer on the wheels (yes, the pencil setting is fine) in order to blast out the brake dust that can build up in the rim and spokes. It works at getting a good bit of the crud out very quickly in the short term, but this method is only a temporary measure. If the build up is not too bad, use Simple Green and a pointy wheel brush to get in between the spokes. If the build up is bad, a cloth and some Wenol red does the trick. I am the furthest thing from a concours guy, but I have been known to use Q-tips on my Fikses to get to all of the crevices. If I stay on top of the cleaning with the Simple Green, I usually use the Wenol once every two years unless I am feeling rich with time and want my wheels to have max sparkle.

The key to avoiding hardened accumulation is to clean early and clean often. If you bake the stuff on, you'll be using a more aggressive polish than Wenol red to remove the junk, possibly removing the thin layer of anodization. The other aspect to remember is to choose your brake pads wisely. When I ran Hawk Blues, I had a terrible time with the heavy iron dust building up. Now that I use Hawk HT-10's, my dust and cleaning issues are much less of a pain.

FM-10's are more arduous than, say, five spokers to keep looking nice, but I think they they are worth the effort, and I love how the design complements the looks of many cars, especially 993's.

DanQ

Is it corrosion or build up? If build up, try using the edge of a Popsicle stick to scrape it off with your favorite cleaning chemical as a lube.

If corrosion, you could try to wet sand with 600 but you will remove any clear coat and anodizing, and then you have to polish and re clear coat.

luckyJ

sorry for reviving an old thread but I just got some FM-10s and noticed some oxidation on the outer lips after cleaning....have tried Mothers polishing cream but it won't come off...is there something stronger that'll work or do I need to ship these off to Canada for refinishing?

btw, these things are a biatch to clean!

thanks