SimplexEffect

I have seen amazing pictures of people with the Stock 18" Wheels keep them clean like there is nothing to it.

I have had problems keeping them clean from the Brake Dust. When I go and wash my car I use the Power Rinse, Soap, then Power Rinse again on the rims to get all that stuff off but it never seems to come out how I want it.

Any tips?

Also what do you use to wash the rest of your car?

rotten42

I just clean them often....usually wipe them with water first and then a quick clean with windex.

mysql101

i usually just clean them with whatever i'm washing the car with...

but I noticed I couldn't get the dust off my brake calipers because they had embedded into it. I bought castrol's purple spray bottle called 'all wheel cleaner' which melted all the brake dust off, rims, pads, rotors, everything, almost instantly. Then spray off with water.

I also put zaino on the inside of my rims, that keeps things down too.

Straight8

Elbow grease! You can't just spray off the brake dust. Get a bucket of water and a good sponge/mit and wash by hand!!!

Any wax type application to your wheels like mentioned above will help em wash easier. The cleaner you keep your car, the easier it is to wash next time!

TyrellCorpNexus8

I do one layer of Zaino on the wheels (every 3 months when I Zaino my car, NOT every car wash). I wash once every week. Keep 2 sponges, clean one for car, dirty one for under door sills, wheel wells, tail pipes and wheels. When it gets too dirty, I throw that one away and the cleaner one takes its place, and go to Wal Mart and get a new one for 96 cents.

I use the same pail of suds, but the wheels come after the car body and before the tail pipes. With the dirty sponge, I wash every inch of the wheel and around lug nuts too. It's really not that inconvenient. After rinse off, I dry car with a towel that at the very very end I saw use to dry every inch of the wheel. I do this EVERY car wash every week. Total time is 1 hour.

I never did this for my previous car and the wheels looked like crap. I'm glad I started this good habit and it's really become automatic now such that that little voice inside my head doesn't tell me to avoid it (like vacuuming the carpet, washing dishes, and mopping the floors). It's really not that much of a pain.

mysql101

i bought a $70 (non-gas) leaf blower that has a 220 mph strenth from walmart. I use that to blow off the water from the car after I wash. It clears all the water from the lug nut area on my aftermarket rims, blows water out from the inside of the side view mirrors, out of the side air vent area / strakes, from the honey comb mesh things on the front and rear of the car. I just use it to get off most of the water, then use one micro fiber towel to wipe up anything i missed.

if you do this, make sure you do it in the shade, or some of the water will dry while you're blowing and leave water marks.

TyrellCorpNexus8

Oh BTW, use regular car wash. The type you put a 2-4 capfuls of and mix with water. NOT the wash n wax type. Also don't use dish washing detergent. It's not good for the paint.

I have also stopped using Windex. The west coast distributor for Zaino is this guy named Ira who lives in Santa Monica and this guy and his wife are FANATICS. For example, Zaino has thorough directions on a couple pages you can print out from the internet but Ira gave me his OWN directions that are 7 pages long (in tiny font). Anyway, I learned from this guy that all you need to use on your windows is distilled water. He said it works great and you never need anything else. He was right. Obviously, if your windows are very oily with dirt and you don't want to wash the car first, then a degreaser must be used. But you can finish it off with distilled water as before.

Forgot to mention also that Ira told me that during car wash after rinsing the car off, I should use a garden sprayer (96 cents at Wal Mart) filled with distilled water and spritz every inch of the car with the distilled water while using a towel to wipe (I do this after getting rid of excess water using a California Water Blade). This will prevent water spots.

shelleys_man_06

At work, we have wipes that are use for cleaning our stainless steel tabletops. I used one of the wipes on my wheels just to see what happens. They work pretty damn well, and they're not abrasive at all.

Nubo

A useful tip I got from this forum: To clean around the lug nuts, a piece of plastic irrigation pipe with a soapy sock over it. A couple of twists per lugnut and the hard-to-reach bits are done.

Genesis

beautiful...great tip Nubo...I'm doing that...better than jamming a cloth into the space and rotating it to remove the dirt/dust.

brothervoodoo

After washing I just use paper towels while the rims are still wet. I wash with enough frequency that I don't have to scrub the wheels.

6speed8

My wheels have been Zaino'ed and each night After I California-Dust the body of the car, I use the smaller California Duster (the one with the handle used for interiors) and dust the wheels.

azben

i pay the neighborhood kids five dollars to lick the rims clean, and another five dollars to blow hot air at 230mph to dry them

quack_p

This is a good article on wheel cleaning. I use Sonus Rim Bright as he suggests, which you just spray on, let sit for a few minutes, agitate with a brush or sponge, and then rinse off. It gets your wheels looking like new again.

And I Zaino the wheels like someone else suggested, which seems to help to keep the brake dust down in between washes.

mysql101

in case anyone is unaware, getting the replacement brake pads from mazda will also help - they create about half as much dust as the original pads.

Apophis

Holy **** dude, that was funny... I was just reading along, taking notes and then your post damn near makes me crack up out loud here at work...

RX8 Pusher

I have my kids do it. Each one has an assigned side, and they have a competition on who can get the wheels the cleanest….at 6 and 8 those little hands have no problem getting into the tight spots :D Of course they are rewarded for their efforts; I live 3/10 a mile from a Toys R Us.

markd

Believe it or not, you should wax your wheels--the stock rims are painted, so it makes sense that you treat it in the same manner as you would the rest of the car. It enhances shine and somewhat reduces brake dust buildup. The only other advice I've heard on this topic is to use a sealant, not a pure wax, as a sealant can withstand higher temperatures.

flip

Wax on.. dirt off! :D

Meguire's Quick detailer .. i got used to wiping down my motorcycle after going out riding, so it's just natural i do the same for the 8 .. :D

Kel Rx8

i use simple green found at homedepot

No More Oldsmobiles

I didn't clean the brake dust off my daily driver, so the wheels were pretty dirty. I bought a bottle of wheel cleaner and cleaned them up with a soft brush.

While I was at it, I sprayed it on the 8. I didn't think the wheels were dirty. But holy ****, the difference was obvious as soon as I hosed them down, and this was without touching them with towel or brush. I think I'll do this every other weekend from now on.

(I was using was Teflon Wheel Cleaner by DuPont. Anyone use this?)