Cleaning tires and wheel wells
 

What does everyone use to clean their wheel wells and tires? I plan on doing a full detail in a couple of weeks and I hope to take off my wheels, clean them and wax them. After I clean the wheel wells I plan on putting a vinyl and rubber dressing on the wheel wells; I heard this would help keep it clean.

I clean tires with Meguiar's Citri-Gel (a discontinued product :( ) . I spray it on, allow it to sit for about a minute, and then hit it with a nylon brush. Same technique for the wheel wells.

I'm still a VERY SERIOUS FAN of elbow grease on the wheels. I'm sorry but you cannot achieve perfection on your wheels without getting down there and really working on them. No 'spray on' wheel cleaner will achieve elbow grease results. You can, however, use a wheel cleaner to get the worst of it off and then finish it up with good ole' EG.

For a dressing...

Tires - Meguiar's Endurance High-Shine
Wheel Wells - Whatever is available that I didn't like using elsewhere -- my wells are where my dressings that I don't like that I bought go to die. ;)

RP :D

I spray some Castrol Super Cleaner on the tires, scrub with a tire brush similar to this one, then rinse. Lately, I have been using Eagle One Tire & Wheel cleaner that works very well.

For the wheels, I spray a wheel with a good wheel cleaner, and rub with an older car wash mitt. When I have removed the wheels and cleaned the inside, I use a Scotch Bright with wheel cleaner. Rinse often.

I like Black Magic Trim & Tire shine. Seems like pure silicone, but when used sparingly, the gloss is low and it lasts a month.

Comet (household cleaner) on the tires and whitewalls w/ a tirebrush. Takes it right back to a nice new black tire.

Wheels - Mothers All Purpose Wheel Mist. Spray it on, sits for a couple minutes then hose down the heavy stuff, and follow up with an old wash mit like APT. Don't require much elbow grease at all for a like-new wheel!

Once it's all nice and dry, I hop all around tire dressings looking for the best (there have got to be a 2,000 products, sheesh!). I like the Black Magic APT described, and I really think the Amror All product is the same flippen' thing. They both work well. Also, for a very low gloss deep black look that lasts a bit, use 303 Areospace protectant.

Yep, like RP, I have a good supply of Citri-Gel for the tires and wheel wells. When that runs out, I'll probably go with an APC like the new Meguiar's Safe D-Greaser.

As the others have said, wheel cleaners make a good pre-cleaner for removing the heavy brake dust and such. However, to remove that light film of dirt that they leave behind requires some car wash suds, a mitt/wheel brush and a little scrubbing. Poorboy's new Spray and Rinse wheel cleaner is about the best I've used (not on market yet) but still requires that little "extra" cleaning to get the wheels "perfect"! :D

As for tire dressing, I like several............... Meguiar's Endurance, 4 Star's Tire Gel, and Poorboy's Bold & Brite. For a very durable, satin look, it's hard to beat Zaino's Z16 Perfect Tire Gloss. To date, the Z16 is the longest lasting "non-gel" dressing I've used.

Be super ultra-superduper careful with something like COMET around your wheels. It can pit metal.

Started using STONERS tire dressing (aerosol) last month and have to say Im very impressed. It make the tires look almost new without a bright 'shine'. Doesnt spinoff and leave marks on truck, and even with being on a daily driven truck, lasts for a week. Beats the armor all tire stuff hands down that I'd been using for years (and "TireFoam" and some others I cant remember their name). Stoner's is some good stuff (their Invisible Glass spray works well too).