okindao

To all,
just got new Fiske 5 wheels with pilot cups, great combination however when changing the wheels I relized that my 18" Turbo twist Wheels have alot of Crud baked into them on the very inside, i have tried various wheel cleaners which seem to take of some but the inside remains not acceptable to my eye......

i thought i had been taking good care of the wheels but this being the first time completely off the car in my possession was amazed at the amount of crud........any reocmendations to help remove the heavy stuff still left on these wheels ???
thanks in advance for the help

Terry Adams

Have you tried PS21 wheel cleaner?

Greg Fishman

Wheel cleaner and some elbow grease will get most of it off. If there is tar or other deposits use some bug and tar remover or 3m adhesive remover.

amfp

Take the wheels off, wash with warm water the easy grime with good car wash, than let soak with P21 for about half hour, and as mentioned use elbow grease, may take more than one application with a cloth and soft brush. Can also use Wurth degreaser and dilute with water a bit. Wax wheels before reinstalling - both back and front and it will help with future dirt build up. I did this on mine, takes some time, but was well worth it.

STLPCA

Inexpensive Mineral Spirits (from any hardware store) works wonderfully w/very little effort. Won't harm the wheels, but will remove wax. Use w/good ventilation.

Steve 96C4S

Thanks for bringing this up. I can't get my crud off either. I've tried P21s, simple green and lots of other stuff. Nothing. It's baked on like mad. I'm going to try Wurth's and Mineral Spirits. I haven't tried those yet. I even callled Larry from Car Care Online, the guru, and he sold me Oil Flo Safety Solvent/Degreaser Pump Spray for $12.10. It barely touched this stuff. Most of it just still won't come off.

Steve

Greg Fishman

For just the back side of the wheel, maybe try a green scotch brite pad.

okindao

thanks for all of theinput will try mineral spirits ...any other recommendations ????

also is there a consensus on what type of wax will last the longest... obviously the argument re looks is not as important as durability ......what do you all think on the wax question ???
thanks

Ron

Dennis,

Often the brake dust and/or the resin that bonds it to the pads reacts with water to bond the brake particles to the wheel; heat can also cause it to bond too, like you said it's baked on. If it's on the back of your wheels and it's bad it's probably not coming off without a really harsh abrasive material.

Torags

With the mineral spirits get and two inexpensive floor brushes. On the crude use one brush, use the other brush soaked to brush the crude in mineral spirits

Scotch Brite isn't good if there's lots to be solved (they clog), but it's good to finish with.....

chris walrod

if its a yellow-brown color and only on one half of backside of the wheel, most likely cosmoline overspray from the factory. At least this is what I found on the back of my wheels. I ended up using wet scotch brite and hints of laquer thinner. Be careful with the laquer thinner, and use the smallest amounts possible.

Franklin229

As for wax-I have been using a product by Collonite, thier "Insulator Wax". It's awesome. Designed originally for the marine and electric utility applications, it is hard and holds up across the temperature cycles (hot to cold) that our wheels go through. Most automotive waxes, etc will not. I have put two applications on this summer and so far, it has been great.
Found out about it at a Club sponsored detailing seminar at Auto Fanatics (no affiliation) in Essex, MA.

Luis A.

I tried many different products and even abrasive means such as scotchbrite-like abrasive pads. Progress was very slow and not all of it came off.

I finally tried my citrus-based cleaner and I was *amazed* at how easily the stuff came off. The crud was a combination of Baked on cosmoline and road tar and it was pretty well cooked. The cleaner I have is Eimann Fabrik's Citrus Engine Degreaser I bought at properautocare.com. I've not tried other citrus-based cleaners yet. EF's stuff tends to be more concentrated and potent than other brands.

jebia

I used a grease remover call Acryliclean (PPG DX 330) and a scotch brite pad, it was fast, but I used up a lot of paper towels when wiping up the disolved gunk.

jw97C2S

I've been using a product called Quick & Easy Wash. You use about a cap full in a gallon of water and you can clean the entire car and wheels without a hose (see Autopia.com for reviews - that's where I initially found it). I've been using it for six months now and I can't go back to regularly washing my cars. What's really amazing is how it will clean off caked on brake dust from wheels with just a gentle touch of a sponge with zero wait time where previously I used Simply Green and a high pressure washer. I've never used it on the first cleaning on the back side of the wheels though (cleaned them before I found out about the product).
Jim