Wipe off waterless wheel cleaner

[Sam Y]

Is there an Adam's product that's best used to clean off brake dust from the wheels without water? I hate using the hose so I prefer to not use the usual wheel cleaners, which I think will stain the wheels if left on too long.

 

I've tried both the wheel cleaner and the eco wheel cleaner. They work fine but honestly my hands get too tired holding the brush. I would rather go back to just using a microfiber towel on the wheels, which has much better results and is quicker. The product I used to use was from another brand so I can't mention it here.

[Resjudicata22]

Nope. Nothing works as well without washing. Wheels. 

[falcaineer]

No, but you could consider coating them. By doing so, brake dust and other road grime will not stick nearly as much, making use of something like Waterless Wash, Rinseless Wash, or (Graphene) CS3 an option. Of course, the towels should become dedicated to dirty jobs like wheels, engine bays, etc., so mark them accordingly.

 

TRC can be used for the tires without water, in case you wondered. Spray, agitate with the brush, wipe away, and dress them to your liking. 

 

To your point about staining, wheel cleaners can stain, yes. But by taking some basic precautions the risk can be minimized dramatically, if not basically eliminated.

[QuickSilver20]

If you clean them frequently I’ve used waterless wash as well as rinseless wash diluted to waterless wash ratio and it works great. Just make sure not to cross towels between the wheels and paint. 

[Sam Y]

Yes, I have a separate supply for paint-bound towels and wheel-bound towels.

 

From my old experience using quick detailer (from other brands) helps gets most of the brake dust off, but if you don't do it often enough or if the detailer dries sometimes it binds to the wheel. So recently I used Adam's iron remover when I washed the wheels and it worked very well. However, this only needs to be done once or twice a year.

 

I just find hand cleaning and drying the wheels with microfiber towels way easier than spraying it with a brush and hose. Also, using a hose almost always requires you to wash the car afterwards because of the splash back.

[falcaineer]

2 hours ago, Sam Y said:

I used Adam's iron remover when I washed the wheels and it worked very well

 

Wheel Cleaner and Iron Remover are essentially the same product, the latter being a thinner version so it can spread and cover a larger area on painted panels. I would recommend you wipe any residue from the wheels with something like Waterless Wash to avoid potential stains. 

 

Splash back can easily be removed with any of the waterless or Rinseless Wash options.

[Trap]

Typically by the time I need to do the wheels the whole car needs it. Especially around here with all of the bugs we have.

 

For the odd time I do need to clean the wheels in between washes, my go to is waterless wash, (I am a big fan of the waterless wash) If the rims have hardly any dirt or brake dust I will use CS3 which is what I always use on my rims after washing. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by Trap

[RayS]

The best thing that I have found is to almost eliminate the brake dust from sticking in the first place.  Ceramic or Graphene Coated wheels and the use of Ceramic Brake Pads makes for an easy rinse.  I also use towels for the wheels and other non-body areas, but almost always just need the shampoo that goes on the rest of the vehicle.

 

The Ceramic Brake Pads are not cheap, but they work well and the brake dust is almost non-existent. 

 

If you are using regular brake pads, then I follow the same guidelines as the members above have noted.

[WhiteShadow89]

Only thing that comes to mind is a WW or RW, which would have to be done frequently and have towels specifically for wheel/tire use.

[Sam Y]

If I did have the money I would go ceramic pads!

 

One of my cars actually was professionally coated at the wheels. I feel like it only makes a difference when wiping down the wheels. Has little to no effect on actual brake dust buildup. All my cars have big brake kits so that means once you clean it, the wheels will be coated in dust 2 weeks later.

 

I did use wheel cleaner but I felt it was too harsh for my nose and the environment (take your pick) so I switched to eco wheel cleaner. Iron remover is the worst smelling product I've used by far but it does help to get some of the baked in iron stains on the wheels. These stains occur because I never bother rotating the wheels when I clean so some cleaner ultimately will dry if I move the car a space after cleaning.

 

Now to try one of those "rotating brush heads" that connects to the hose.