Which alloy wheel cleaner is best

Also, the color-changing formula will let you know when dust, grime, or grease is present. Furthermore, the acid-free chemicals have a natural pH balance to make sure that the quality stays stable, no matter the surface. This formula is best for powder-coated, chrome, alloy, painted, and clear-coated wheels. The smell is not too harsh, so it is not harmful to your health. The liquid will dissolve upon impact , but there will be some scrubbing involved. Also, all products are made in the USA.

Bottles come in 16 ounces , 5 gallons , 1 gallon , and a bundle that consists of a brush, spray, and a gallon. Some customers report a dull and hazy look after wiping off the color formula.

Therefore, it might be rough on brake calipers. Other customers claimed that this product only removes the brake dust and avoid fighting against the sticky buildup. This product seems to bring the power and performance together. However, it might be too powerful for its own good.

It is very hard on dust buildup on many types of wheels. A bundled package is available for a more items for a cheaper price. Moreover, it comes with a flexible design that fits comfortably in your hand. The formula is safe to spray on coated wheels by delivering an extreme effect for digging out the dust and grime. There is a brief introduction, instructions, and potential hazards on the back describing the important information that you need to know.

It seems to work the strongest on chrome wheels and very gentle on the aluminum ones. The Xtreme Clean Foam claims to clean the vertical surfaces effectively by breaking up the dust, grime, and grease on chrome, painted-polished, and clear-coated wheels. You can visually see the particles lifting off of the rim.

Moreover, there is an easy to tighten and un-tighten spray nozzle. It cleans on the surface, but sometimes you might actually forget to wipe off the liquid. This product may not work well on plasti-dipped wheels, but delivers an exceptional performance on clear-coated ones.

Moreover, you need water to rinse it off because it would not come off by itself. Otherwise, expect a little oxidation buildup, especially if the wheels are silver painted.

The foam will turn white to brown which may confuse some customers. You might need to leave the liquid on for 30 seconds or more, although the bottle says otherwise. This is to ensure that the protective seal settles. Also, never spray this product on the glass because it might never come off, damaging the property permanently. This product seems to be very tough and strong, therefore you need to stay cautious about where to spray it.

The pictures on the bottle really stand out and there is an organized section with more information and instructions. You need to clean up after spraying, which could be a huge inconvenience.

However, it will break up the dust and grime. The best characteristic to search for when considering buying a good alloy-wheel cleaner is the feature that identifies the dirt, grime, and salt. Some products have a chemical that will turn red upon impact letting you know where the dirt, grime, and salt is located. From there, you can clean it off easily and effectively. Having a product that protects the rim from attracting dirt, grime, and salt is also a plus.

This prevents you from continually using the bottle and buying more products. Also, you want to choose a product that has a long spray stream. This limit bending and kneeling to reach the rim. One major aspect of a product is the non-toxic element and acid-free chemicals. Firstly, a toxic formula is annoying and unhealthy to smell.

Secondly, the chemicals will harm the environment and damage your wheels. Having clear instructions on the back is a must. That way you do not need to search for the instructions.

Getting a product that can be diluted is very important. Adding water or other cleaning supplies will help stretch the product for longer use. Also, read as many reviews as possible to make sure that the product works well on a range of vehicles from motorcycles to ATVs. There are many alloy wheel cleaners on the market.

Some are perfect and others fail to deliver. The ones above are the best to consider when making a final decision. You can always use the comparison chart to help your search. Cleaning your alloy wheels could take a considerable amount of time and energy. These products ease the search process. Problem is, every time those pads squeeze against the rotor, both pad and rotor lose a very thin layer of material in the process.

That material turns to dark metallic brake dust, which, combined with heat generated by braking friction, bakes onto your wheel like the glaze on a freshly fired ceramic mug. Brake dust lying on the surface of a wheel looks awful, but plenty of folks don't care about that kind of thing. However, leave it there too long and those tiny metallic particles can etch into the finish of your wheels, causing permanent damage.

Because a car's wheels are subjected to this bonus layer of pesky particulates, it's necessary that they be washed differently than the rest of the exterior. Not only does baked-on brake dust require a more aggressive chemical than most car shampoos, washing your vehicle's exterior with a brush or microfiber cloth filled with brake dust can ruin the paint job you've worked so hard to keep clean. We recommend a decontaminator, such as Sonax Wheel Cleaner.

Spray this wheel-specific cleaner on a cool, dry wheel and wait 10 minutes or so. Black Diamond is one of the latest to produce a pH-neutral cleaner. The Iron Out cleaner works quicker than rivals, too, requiring just two minutes to shift the worst of the grime. It was a step ahead of the rest of the samples. Wheel Cleaner is part of the Pro Class launch line-up covering most tasks, from polishing and protecting to cleaning. Wire wheels, chrome finishes and stainless steel are out, too.

You also only have to leave it to work for around three minutes before rinsing off. However, poor value next to the Bilt-Hamber and those restrictions lose it a star. A great performance in our tests overcame its relatively high price; it was only topped by Wonder Wheels and our winner.

The formula contains an anti-corrosion ingredient and can be used to decontaminate paintwork. Kenotek makes its test debut here and, like our winner, it turns purple as it works. Despite this, and having to wait a while for it to work, it was effective, if a touch behind our top two.

A big pack size helps overcome its relatively high price. This was the star on the heavily soiled areas, particularly when agitated with a weighted brush. It had a clear advantage over its rivals here, but oddly it did not carry that edge over to the lighter grime tests, where it was a close third.

Instructions in English are tucked under the label and tell you to do a pre-rinse, then spray and leave for three minutes. Wheel Clean lacks the cling of the Bilt-Hamber, but on the areas where it sat it cleaned deeper than our multiple winner.

It got closer to auto-wheel on the rim where the disc dust was less ingrained, and there was little to choose between them when using a brush. Just a few more black spots left for Motul. An impressive debut for a keenly priced cleaner that can be safely used on all surfaces.

We look forward to trying others in the range based on this performance. Buy now from Motul. This is part of the latest US car-care import from car, boat and caravan specialist Shipshape Norfolk.

It topped the cleaning tests, but not by a big enough margin to overcome the more cost-effective Bilt-Hamber. This new cleaner from Turtle Wax is another of the pH-neutral products that turns red as it works. This article features products that have been chosen independently by Driving.

We may earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to affect our opinions. Follow Us. Published 19 April By Sunday Times Driving. How to make homemade alloy wheel cleaner We recommend that you invest in a cleaner that is specifically designed to clean alloys, like the ones listed above.