I have 2007 G35 Sedan with the 18" wheels. I have been cleaning them with the Eagle One wheel cleaner. They look good.

However, as I continue to refine and perfect my car washing process, the wheel cleaning part of the exercise has become the most burdensome, and probably the most expensive part of the process.

The 18" wheels are difficult to clean because of their multi-spoked design, with the spokes twisting so as to make them mildly difficult to clean thoroughly. Because of this, I find myself needing to spray on large amounts of the wheel cleaner in order to cover the surface of the wheels and spokes completely. I go through a bottle of this wheel cleaner about every 2-3 washes.

After I spray on the wheel cleaner on one wheel and the outside of the tire, I let it soak for about 30 seconds. Next I give a quick brush to the outside of the tire, and then rinse the wheel and tire thoroughly. Then I use a towel to thoroughly wipe the spokes of the wheel down while it is still wet, which tends to pick up any dirt or brake dust that was not rinsed off. I am not currently using a brush on the wheels, as they are reasonably clean to start, but I do give a quick brush to the tires. For all four wheels, this seems to take about 30-45 minutes.

I am looking for a simpler, easier and faster way to clean my wheels that is still effective on reasonably clean and well maintained wheels. If this involves as special brush or a different kind of cleaner, I am happy to go and buy it. Washing the car itself is becoming reasonably easy. But washing the wheels seems like it should not need to be this hard.

I know some of you guys are real experts on this topic. Any help you can provide will very much be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

To do a good job, that is about the right amount of time, 30-40mins. You could use a pressure washer for the tires, but I don't think it'll take off all the dirt & grime and brake dust on the rims themselves.
You could try to minimize the brake dust and apply wax or a wheel sealant on the rims.

 

I've never used an wheel cleaners or anything on my wheels to keep them clean. I was my car once a week and use soap and water to clean em, they always look as new as the day i got em.
-GP-

 

You can dilute the E1 wheel cleaner 1:1 or 2:1 with water and see if it still has the cutting power required. Another option is Meg's Wheel Brightener which comes in a concentrated form in a gallon size. You can dilute that down quite a bit, and hopefully it will clean your wheels without harming the finish. Those are the most economical options while maintaining the same amount of time input.

I still recommend hand washing with car wash and water however, even if it does take longer. Its more gentle on the wheels, and you can apply a wheel sealant such as wheel wax, or any other synthetic sealant to limit the brake dust from sticking. A boar's hair brush is a good tool for multispoked wheels that won't harm the finish

 

i just use a griot's boar's hair wheel brush and carshampoo to wash my
wheels. i have mesh wheels on my commuter and it washes off fine.

make sure you put wax on your wheels. i just spray some Prima Hydro.

www.detailersparadise.com bestest spray wax out there.

 

From Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...o/4217528.html)

Pressure washers used to be a high-ticket item, so they weren't that common. Now they can be had for no more money than the tab for a pretty good Saturday night's partying. I've got a couple, actually (pressure washers, not bar tabs). Clean freaks beware! Car and tire manufacturers recommend against using pressure washers to clean the sidewalls of car or truck tires. It's not the high pressure that's really the problem — it's the high-frequency pulsations caused by the style of pump used. The several-hundred-hertz fluctuation from near-zero pressure to 1500 psi or more can damage the sidewall cords in your tires.

So if you insist on using your pressure washer to clean your wheels and tires, be careful not to get too close, especially if the nozzle of the pressure washer is set to a narrow angle.

 

As others have mentioned, the best thing you can do for easy maintenance is to apply a coat or two of Poorboy's Wheel Sealant or Wheel Wax. Maintaining your wheels afterwards will be nothing more than a dedicated wash mitt and some shampoo and water. I've been using a Lake Country Ulti-Mit for my wheels as a much more durable option that has been working out great for me.

I spend about 3 minutes per wheel and they come out like new every time.

st1js - great info on the pressure washers, thanks for sharing.

George

 

I just finished my wheels this weekend. I used Eagle One last week (did not need two weeks in a row) washed them, 303 Protection, then Poorboys. Clean and slick.

 

just use soap and water. i used to use wheel cleaner. but i use soap and water now. it's alot easier to do and its cheaper. it gets the job done the same way and you don't have to worry about harsh chemicals on your rims.

 

Yeah I use soap and water also. After years of trying different cleaners I finally started waxing my wheels about every 3-4 months with some zaino z5
and it cuts my wheel clening time in half. I use my leaf blower to dry my car and wheels and no water spots for me now.

 

i use a water spray bottle and paper towels, in between car washes.