CORSASCHNELL

I have been using wheel cleaner from Griot's Garage for years. I noticed that P21S advertising focuses on PH balance and warns us from using acidic wheel cleaners with long term use.

How do I know which is acidic or neutral PH? Is Griot's Garage wheel cleaner acidic?

Thanks

teamcrossworks

After years of trying many cleaners, I've found the need for 3. This is what I use...

Adams wheel cleaner for light soiled wheels that have been kept up and waxed or sealed so brake dust and dirt are not sticking (rinse wheels first then use).

Sonax wheel cleaner for heavily soiled wheels (use on dry wheels).

P21S Gel wheel cleaner to finish up anything the Sonax misses (let soak on bad spots for least 1 hr).

I have never tried Griot's though I hear it's comparable.

All of these cleaners work great for the tasks assigned and very safe for your wheels. Hope it helps.

P.S. all 4 cleaners are available from Phil @ Detailers Domain - a highly recommended source of product

ClintonM3

Litmus paper from 8th grade science class?

TOGWT

Modern brake pads are complex compounds of metals, synthetic materials and adhesives (the binder system) used in brake pads can be very difficult to remove and they are also corrosive and will etch the wheel surface this is designed to wear away under friction like the rest of the pad.

These materials become sintered (heat etched) to the wheel surfaces and rims due to the high kinetic (friction) temperature conditions they are normally exposed to. Brake dust contains high levels of iron and once sintered to the rim, becomes extremely difficult to dissolve or remove and will become a conduit for rust compromising the paint surface of your wheels

An effective wheel cleaner should be pH-balanced (slightly alkaline to counteract the acidic conditions found on most roadways).


Note: A pH 7 (neutral) cleaner will not remove brake dust / brake pad adhesives. Chemical buffers are often used to ‘balance or control’ the pH (this is partly marketing as a neutral pH 7.0 sounds safe)

Wheel cleaner pH comparisons
• Amazing Roll-Off (pH 14.0) contains butyl
• Eimann Fabrik Hi-Intensity Cleaner (pH of 13.0) contains butyl
• Bilberry is acid free but highly caustic - 13.0
• Multi-purpose cleaners (pH between 9.5 and 12.0)
• Blackfire Gel Wheel and Tire Cleaner (pH 12.5)
• P21S® Bodywork Shampoo (ph 8.0)
• P21S Wheel Cleaner (pH ‘controlled’ 9.0) Green
• P21S Wheel Cleaner (422) Red Gel Formula (pH 9.5)
• Sonax Autopflege Wheel Cleaner full effect (pH ‘controlled’ 9.5)
• Menzerna Tire & Wheel Cleaner (pH7.5) detergent-based cleaners with surfactants, wetting agents and oil emulsifiers
• Griot’s Wheel Cleaner (pH 7.1)
• Meguiar's D140 Wheel Brightener (pH 5.5) contains Ammonium bifluoride SiO2 (ABF)

DetailDan

MSDS sheet.

CORSASCHNELL

Thanks for all your posts, according to TOGWT above, the Griot's wheel cleaner has a ph of 7.1 which is almost neutral, even more so than P21S. So I guess I will stick Griot's but will try the P21S gel for one of our other cars.

Marine Blue

That is extremely useful information, thank you! I've found P21S TAW to be very effective for wheel cleaning of the DD's and it appears the pH isn't highly caustic.

I've taken an entirely different approach on cleaning my Spyder wheels, I think most of you will be surprised with it.

If my drive is limited to 250 or less miles I use the following procedure for my Spyder:
- Use compressed air to blow the brake dust out of the drilled discs. Doing this reduces brake dust on subsequent drives
- If the wheels are very dirty I very gently wipe the excess dust with a soft microfiber. I don't use any pressure, this is simply to remove the excess. If it was a short drive (anything less than 100 miles) I won't bother with this.
- I then use Pinnacle Spray Wax and I wet the surface of a wheel and wipe it down with a microfiber.
- I also spray the caliper with the spray wax and wipe it down.

Believe it or not, the above procedure has maintained a very high gloss surface and the wheels are slippery enough from the spray wax that very little sticks to the surface. This procedure also prevents the dreaded rotor rust and corrosion on calipers and suspension parts in the background.

About twice a year I wash the wheels with car wash soap and water.

At nearly 6000 miles the wheels, calipers and suspension look as good as they did the day I got the car. It's a little more labor but worth it for a car I plan on keeping.

CORSASCHNELL

I am sure you keep the spray wax away from the rotor since any wax on the rotor and pad is not a good idea.

Regular cleaning is very important since you don't want the brake dust to bake on the surfaces. I have been using the new Armor All wheel protectant for a couple of months now and brake dust hardly accumulates on the wheels. This is a spray used after wheels are cleaned and dried.

Marine Blue

Yes the spray wax isn't directed at the rotors although occasionally some will overspray but not enough to really cause rust.

I also use the Armor All Protectant on both of our daily drivers and find the product is absolutely amazing. I plan on using it on my wifes car for a couple of years to see how it affects the paint. If it continues to look good I'm going to spray the barrels and back side of the Spyder wheels to keep them clean. I'll use my current procedure for the faces.

DetailDan

Anything that gets on the rotor will be gone by the time you leave the driveway, not an issue.

CORSASCHNELL

As you know the brake rotors gets rusty after contact with water. Is it a good idea to drive the car and apply the brake s a few times after a wheel cleaning or leaving it alone with rust on is OK?

TOGWT

As Dan has already stated wax will melt with the heat generated from the application of the brakes against the rotors, this will also remove any surface rust from the contact areas.

hakaida702

I like CG diablo wheel gel. I clean my wheels once a week so I can't tell you if it's great on very heavily soiled wheels, but it works great for me and its concentrated so I can make several bottles of it. With a 3 to 1 ratio it still sticks to the wheel. I will probably try something else when I run out because I just like trying new stuff all of the time.

Ronnie981

I wash my wheels every time I wash my car (weekly) with car wash soap and water, using a small soft sponge. Once a month i apply Armoral wheel protectant. That is.

CORSASCHNELL

Regular cleaning certainly makes the job easier. That baked on brake dust left uncleaned from a year ago is the tough one to tackle.