Hi everyone. So I'm new to the ISF and have just washed it a few times now with the huge pain of cleaning the wheels. I have the 2011 wheel with so many intricacies. It's really a pain to get into everywhere with just a rag. I've never used a wheel cleaning foam but thought this is the right opportunity. I found 3 brands that seem to be pretty good according to reviews but they all seem to have problems with painted wheels. I haven't done anything to the wheels (no painted wheels) but my question is will the finish on the calipers be ruined if I use one of these products? Also, let me know if anyone has a preference or recommendation for a wheel cleaner. The 3 I found are:

1. Eagle One A2Z All Wheel & Tire Cleaner
2. Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel & Tire Cleaner
3. Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner

 

Not saying whether you should or shouldn't, but I have been using rim cleaners for quite a few years mostly on my DIY painted GS400 calipers. I have also used them on my OEM painted ISF calipers. So far I have not had any bad experiences. I use whatever happens to be on sale at the local parts store. Never really noticed a difference between the various brands. They all sort of clean off most of the brake dust but you still need to get in there with a soft brush if you really want to them cleaned proper.

 

I've used Sonax wheel cleaner plus with good results. You can also pick up a set of wheel woolies to get in the crevices. Unfortunately with the aggressive brake dust from the OEM pads there is not really a product on the market that you are going to be able to simply spray on and hose off and get all of the dust off.
I eventually tired of cleaning the brake dust off every few days and switched to a pad that produces much less dust and I am very glad I did. I'm not going to track the car and for DD purposes the powerstop z23 pads seem just as good to me as the OEM pads.

 

When used properly, wheel cleaners will not negatively effect your wheels or your calipers. People have issues when they do not follow instructions. The most common issues are cleaning the wheels when they are warm/hot, allowing the wheel cleaner to dry or sit for too long, or using the wrong type of wheel cleaner for a particular finish.


Here is an article I've written on this subject...
My Go-To Wheel and Tire Cleaning Products by Zach McGovern

Get yourself a good wheel cleaner to loosen up brake dust, and a collection of brushes and wheel cleaning tools. It is NOT a small job if you want to properly clean your wheels. On an average maintenance wash (which I complete every 1-2 weeks), I probably average about 20 minutes in wheel/tire cleaning. On customer vehicles that have wheels which are very dirty and not properly maintained, we can spend over an hour cleaning the wheels and tires alone... so do yourself a favor and make proper and regular wheel cleaning a habit from the start. It will make your life easier in the long run

Check out these other articles as well....
How to Detail Your Wheels, Tires and Wheel Wells by Todd Cooperider
Video How-To: Thoroughly and Safely Clean Your Wheels by Jean-Claude Corcoran
Product Review: Sonax Wheel Cleaner Full Effect by Todd Cooperider

 

Some Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus pictures...

 

Cool Sonax pictures. I used to use Sonax as well but found I was having trouble on days where I was out (which was often & it isn't sold locally here). Plus, the costs were adding up.

What I've done since:

1. Separate bucket for the wheels of course.
2. Optimum car wash soap and a splash of Simple Green. Mix it up well.
3. Blast two wheels thoroughly with water.
4. EZ Detail brush one wheel with the mixture from the bucket, then move to the other wheel without rinsing.
5. Rinse the first, then go over it aggressively with a microfiber mitt soaked from the bucket.
6. Repeat on second.
7. Rinse both thoroughly.
8. Repeat on other two wheels.
9. Blast car thoroughly, then wash & dry car (using the other bucket).
10. Dry wheels at the end with a blower if you've got one.
11. Drive, break heavily a few times.
12. Park & wipe wheels with a damp rag.

For intricate caliper cleaning & paint sealing, I remove the wheel. Wheels take about 15-20 minutes total when not sealing / waxing.

The only wheel products I stay far away from are Eagle One and Mothers.

 

Another sonax user here. I haven't had any issues with my polished wheels or brakes.

Buy 5 liter bottles. It brings cost down and you won't run out as often.

 

Meguiars Mirror Bright Wheel Cleaner is my OTC vote. Its similar to Sonax and gets cheap if you find it on sale. I use mine with the Wheel Woolies since I don't like the splatter from the EZ Detail brushes. I did a thread ages ago on the Woolies and they are still going strong to this day. Think of it as using a giant qtip vs a large dryer lint brush and thats essentially the brush style differences