I ordered a set of painted wheels last night and I want to put a nice coat of wax on them before I get them mounted and put on the truck. Which wax would you recommend? Right now I have #21, Mothers Carnauba Cleaner Wax, and Meg's Gold Class Paste Wax. Will either of those work well and should I put some #16 on them before waxing? These wheels also have chrome areas on them, should I wax these areas also?

Also how should I clean them? I currently use Simple Green 1:1 but I think that is too strong for the paint on these wheels so should I just use some GC wash and a rag or what?

Thanks!

Here are the wheels if anyone wants to see them
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...63038476-1.jpg

 

Hit the whole wheel up with wax, first of all.

Secondly, I don't know which brand is best, but I know there are specific "wheel waxes" out there. I believe there is a NXT version, as well as Mother's which makes one. I believe they are formulated to withstand the added issues with being near the brakes etc better than normal wax.

For now, just do a standard array of waxes on your wheels and then go over them again when the wheel wax arrives.

As for the Simple Green..maybe just dilute it a bit more- I don't think it will be a big issue but it will likely remove your wax.

 

Congrats on the new wheels! I think that you're exactly right in thinking about putting a coat of protection on them PRIOR to installing them. Wheels can be a unique beast because of a few reasons: 1) they endure higher than 'usual' paint temperatures because of the brake system/frictional components and 2) endure a boat load of grime and crud because they are the nearest point to where the rubber meets the road...

That said, you need to take those items into consideration. The best choice from what you've described having in your aresonal is the Meguiar's #21. I actually just put three coats of #21 on my stock KR wheels yesterday and today (combined). The reason that I personally chose #21 was because it's a synthetic and because of personal preference. I have used #21 on my wheels several times and have had very good success. While a carnauba-based wax like Gold Class may work and be pseudo-successful, it will likely fail in a much shorter order as it simply won't endure the high temps that a wheel would need to endure.

As far as cleaning them, treat them like your paint... What you're dealing with is a painted surface and, as such, why treat it any differently other than wanting to protect it more because it's exposed to significantly more harsh environmental conditions!

I hope that helps. Best of luck with your new wheels and Merry Christmas!

-RP-

 

Actually, no. No NXT version nor a Mother's version. Wheel Wax (product name) is made by the Wheel Wax folks. Some swear by it, some think it to be a 'gimmick' product... personally, I've had very good luck utilizing a standard synthetic product like Meguiar's #21 or something similar. Being that it's a synthetic, it tends to stand up to the extreme conditions (heat and wear) that a standard wheel will encounter.

Correct. It *WILL* remove wax and, as such, you should maybe think about not using it for wheel cleaning. Treat a painted or clearcoated wheel JUST LIKE PAINT -- ie: your door or your rear quarter panel.

-RP-

 

Thanks for the help RP! Once they get in I will make sure and put several coats of #21 over the ENTIRE wheel, correct? Should I wait a certain period of time before I apply the next coat?

 

'Several' shouldn't be more than 3 or 4... (law of diminishing returns)....

As for time frame, I'd recommend a couple of coats one day and then a coat or two the next. Also, try to keep them in a temperature controlled environment (ie: bring them in your house) before you apply. As is true with most products, they work better in a lower humidity, temperature controlled (with ambient around 70ish) environment.