IndyGT3

I just finished 600 miles of driving and two track days. My stock wheels are naturally filthy. What do people recommend for wheel cleaner?

DeepFreeze

how important is your wheels protective finish?

any wheel cleaner damages this finish.

the only legit way to clean them is a soft nylon bristle brush, a cottom microfibre cloth and cold water and car wash soap.

spary to loosen dirt, AFTER the rotors COOL down, then apply soap, then scrub. takes me 15 minutes per wheel with 18"s

Holger B

I've used half a dozen different spray on cleaners and they all work about the same. Then I use a brush and soapy water to finish the job.

I always buy the stuff that says it won't damage your wheels (they're probably all the same for all I know). I had my old 996 for over 6 years and there was no damage to the wheels at all.

I just bought the Michelin wheel cleaner stuff, but haven't tried it yet. Also got their Brake Dust Repellent, which I'm looking forward to trying. I Rejexed the wheels and they then seemed to attract more dust/dirt (this got better after a few washings), but they clean up much easier.

wross996tt

First make sure the wheels are cool to the touch. I use P21S gel first (to removeuse power spray). Will not damage the wheel finish. Then I wash by hand with P21S body shampoo. Then after they are dry (cotton towel), apply wax. My favorite right now is to use rejex as an undercoat and then P21S over that. I use the Zaino (sometimes 3M) product on the rubber.

Of course you could find a good detailer as well. (simichrome for minor scratches).

20C4S

avoid any kind of wheel cleaner if u can. it's not good for ur brake as well.

rockitman

i use soapy grease cutting dish detergent. No harsh chemicals for my wheels. With a brush, they will come clean always...

frayed

p21s

wross996tt

Check out this info.:


http://www.carcareonline.com/viewarticle.aspx?art=15

RJFabCab

P21s wheel cleaner is NOT safe for all finishes. I used it for years on my stock rims with no issues at all.

HOWEVER, P21s and anodized finishes don't mix. Ask me how I know.

P21s wheel cleaner completely ruined the race satin anodized finish on my Fikses. Apparently, the cleaner soaks into the anodized finish and causes permanent changes in the rim. This especially occurs if the wheels are hot or even warm.

P21s and other cleaners probably do better on painted/coated rims like the Porsche OEM wheels but beware on anodized finishes.

Here's a pic of the damage. I had the wheels completely refinished.

mooty

i cut simple green with 50% water.
once wheel is cold, i jack up the car and remove the fikses and then clean them wiht simple green.

Sloth

[QUOTE=RJFabCab]...

P21s wheel cleaner completely ruined the race satin anodized finish on my Fikses. Apparently, the cleaner soaks into the anodized finish and causes permanent changes in the rim. This especially occurs if the wheels are hot or even warm.

...
[QUOTE]

The directions for P21s (or any wheel cleaner for that matter) specificaly say to let the wheels cool.

Have you tried polishing it off? I was able to remove the cloudiness from a set of Fikse FM10's using Mothers aluminum polish. These wheels have been cleaned with P21s for years and the only cloudiness was on the polished lips. I had the same problem with a set of Kinesis K28's. Its not recomended for non clear coated polished aluminum and I am not sure about anozided finishes. Never seen a problem with my stock rims.

geoffucla

I use Griot's garage wheel cleaner. It says right on the bottle that it's approved by BBS for all of there wheels. Granted, it's very mild, but works well with their lambs wool wheel mit (already died grey so the brake dust won't stain it)--

Geoff.

RJFabCab

Sloth,

I spoke extensively to the guys at Fikse about wheel care. They don't recommend ANY cleaners except 50/50 Simple Green in H2O on cool wheels.

The P21S sinks into anodized wheels... even when they're cool. This results in that nasty cloudy look that does not polish out. If you worked and polished hard enough, you may get some of it out, but you will also remove the anodized coating.

You can, however, polish out cloudy spots on parts that are not anodized... such as the polished lips of the rims you describe in your post.

I sent the rims back to Fikse, they completely stripped them, and then re-anodized them.

Yee Haw.

rdstemler

Wax them when clean.

RevUrGT3

I use P21S or 1Z, both work great. I do not use a brush though, I use the sponge that P21S bundles with the wheel cleaner package to avoid scratches and stuff... -allways- on cool wheels...