Anyone else have a hard time getting brake dust off the stock wheels?

Today I gave my girl her first bath and I used some cheap turtle wax wheels cleaner, the dust did NOT want to come off, it just smeared. I had such a hard time getting into the little folded parts on the wheels too.

Any suggestions?

My advice would be get a claybar and a good long-polymer polish (like Zaino, NXT or Nanowax, for example) or, if you prefer waxing frequently, a high-quality carnuba. Then wash the whole car thoroughly with Dawn, wheels and all. Then claybar the thing, top to bottom (follow instructions and keep it well wetted.) Then Dawn it again. Then put at least two coats of whatever polish you chose on the puppy - including the wheels.

That would be a good start...

5.7,

It doesn't matter what you do, these wheels are prime magnet for brake dust. Especially the right rear wheel in my case. And you are right, they tend to smear and the dust becomes really sticky and gooey.

I just basically raised my threshold of what "acceptable level of dirt" is. Otherwise, you will spend so much time cleaning the wheels and not enough driving the car and getting them dirty. Just enjoy the car.

Thanks for the replies :)

It's not a big deal.. it's cool when the rear wheels are dirty :)

I was just wondering if my wheel cleaner sucked.

This is an un-related Q but I will ask it here:

I washed my car and forgot I didn't have a plate on yet. There is a little whole where the plate goes and I got some water in it... where is that water going to go?

Will it just evaporate? (HOPEFULLY!)!)!)!

Congrats on your new Goat! :D

That's really disapointing...I had the same problem with my stock Grand Am wheels. <_< That really eerked me. I'm planning on having my stock GTO wheels professionally polished. Hopefully that will help prevent build up.

I've heard that there are better break pads that you can get that won't generate so much dust.

Any more suggestions? I'm concerned about this also. :unsure:

I'm trying to figure out how to post direct links to websites...hope this works...if it doesn't look at tirerack.com Hawk HPS brakes.
My Webpage (http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Hawk&model=HPS+Street+brake+pads)

I honestly think putting a few good coats of wax on the wheels and investing in a brush for wheels should help a ton.

I waxed my car today btw: AWESOME! :)

Any answers to my water/hole Q?

Any answers to my water/hole Q?
I saw that hole in my car too (after I got water in it). Nothing bad happened, I think it just eventually evaporated. :type:

I washed my car and forgot I didn't have a plate on yet. There is a little whole where the plate goes and I got some water in it... where is that water going to go?

OH NO, that's where the little GTO gnome lives. Poor little guy is probably soaked to death if he's not drowned. ;) ;) ;)

Just kiddin'. :D

I got some water in there too. I wouldn't worry about it though.

And I'm totally with you on the cleaning of the stock wheels. There are tons of nooks and crannies where the road grime and brake dust love to settle.

Whoever said waxing the wheels is right. The crud comes off easier now that I waxed the wheels after the first wash.

I like to keep the Goat clean, I'm anal retentive in that respect. :o

Wax on the wheels - especially the inside - seems to do wonders. I wish I'd have known to do it right away instead of after 6k miles because it was much more work scrubbing to get them clean before waxing. I used a spray wax on the outside - but I put a real good coat of old fashioned wax on the inside, nice and thick.
Dan

I had a Camaro with the 10-spoke SS wheels. I used (and contine to use on my S10) Eagle 1 A to Z wheels cleaner. I make sure the wheels are cool, then spray on a little bit. Wet it just a bit. Then, I use a soft brush. Last, rinse it off very good! Dry. That takes the brake dust off relatively easy. Putting a good coat of wax on after a good cleaning should make keeping your wheels clean much easier.

In November, I'll be using that on my 2004 GTO (sigh) I hope!

Lol I think we have all sighed that sigh at least once.

Im going to try wax next time I actually clean my wheels, perhaps they wont look so pooey after a week or so.

Originally posted by BRMike@Aug 6 2004, 07:43 AM
I had a Camaro with the 10-spoke SS wheels. I used (and contine to use on my S10) Eagle 1 A to Z wheels cleaner. I make sure the wheels are cool, then spray on a little bit. Wet it just a bit. Then, I use a soft brush. Last, rinse it off very good! Dry. That takes the brake dust off relatively easy. Putting a good coat of wax on after a good cleaning should make keeping your wheels clean much easier.

In November, I'll be using that on my 2004 GTO (sigh) I hope!
Just a 2nd vote on the Eagle One product. I think it might be the best wheel cleaner widely available (wally mart). I like to use a wash mitt so I can get in the spokes. I even have two separate wash mitts - one for wheels and one for the body. Of course this is on my 95 Z28 with scratched, corroded and stained wheels (the infamous "salad shooters"), but the Eagle One stuff makes them look good from about 20 feet...

simple green helps a lot on wheels for brake dust and dirt.......

DEFINITELY WAX. And use a polymer/synthetic wax as carnuba wax will just melt from the hot brake dust. I used liquid spray wax on my wheels before I even had them mounted. Spray wax can get into the corners paste wax can't. And keep in mind this is only good for a few months depending on your weather conditions.

Second consider ceramic pads. They are pricey, but leave almost no brake dust (comparatively speaking). And while you're at is I've read that the C5 front brake pads are a perfect fit and cover more rotor surface area. You may want to look into it. I think I'm going to do them over the winter as I've got more power under the hood coming soon!

:afro: