Best wheel & tire cleaner.....

I find it interesting they mentioned that none of the tested cleaners work better than Zep Purple. At 1:4, it's my go-to tire cleaner. However, I consider it mean enough that I avoid using it on wheels.

Bill
 
Billy Jack said:
I find it interesting they mentioned that none of the tested cleaners work better than Zep Purple. At 1:4, it's my go-to tire cleaner. However, I consider it mean enough that I avoid using it on wheels.

Bill
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I assume their focus was on over the counter products labeled as tire and wheel cleaners.
 
I've used that zep degreaser before at work (pin setters) and it's nasty stuff I wouldn't take near a car. Highly corrosive especially to aluminum. Actually I used it for cleaning parts in a small tub, any aluminum I put in the tub (mixed about 1:4) immediately started fizzing. So yeah, it was an amazing cleaner and worked great, but will damage aluminum immediately, and it also stripped ALL the paint off any parts I soaked longer than a few minutes. Also can't forget that it burned my skin on contact...

so IMO their test isn't very credible on that note. You could say a sand blaster is the greatest cleaner ever... It'll be clean sure, but damaged none the less
 
Billy Jack said:
At 1:4, [Zep Prurple is] my go-to tire cleaner. However, I consider it mean enough that I avoid using it on wheels...
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Isn't it hard to keep a tire cleaner (completely) off the wheel's outer rim? Eh, I might just be paranoid but I don't use anything on my tires that could even *remotely* damage my wheels.

(Not hating on Zep, I've used their Zep40 Glass Cleaner for decades.)

I find the whole idea of "spray-on/no-agitation" cleaners problematic anyhow.
 
I use a Zanes Wheel Shield, since I clean tires much more often than wheels. FK1000p keeps my wheels clean for a long time.
Could be engineered better, but until I find something else, it works for me.
It's an outside product, so I won't post a link here, but just google it or add a .com to the product's name.

Bill
 
Interesting they didn't test Griot's. I've used their wheel cleaner. While I still prefer the more intense of chemicals for painted and powder coated wheels as it won't harm them. I tend to not use it on aluminum wheels. The Griot's worked quite well on the aluminum wheels I've used them on.
 
PA DETAILER- Yeah, that's the one I almost bought. But I figured I'd still have to go back and get the area directly adjacent to the rim (with a little swab or something) and between that and never spraying my dressings I talked myself out of it.

kenny.bacon- I've probably used more GG Wheel Cleaner than any other, switched to it from P21s back in the early '90s. I still use it on the Tahoe's winter wheels. Nice and safe but it sure is gentle and given the (inexplicable to me) need for potency that so many here express I dunno if it's strong enough for some folks.
 
Accumulator said:
...given the (inexplicable to me) need for potency that so many here express I dunno if it's strong enough for some folks.
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Production detailers (where time is money) likely want to clean it fast (not the least aggressive approach). The more aggressive stuff **should** be safe on most oem (coated, painted, chrome) wheels.
 
Bunky- Yeah, I often lose track of the different needs of you Pros. But actually I *was* thinking of non-Pros here who claim they need really potent wheel cleaners, usually because of "German car" issues that *my* German cars have never exhibited.
 
Accumulator said:
Bunky- Yeah, I often lose track of the different needs of you Pros. But actually I *was* thinking of non-Pros here who claim they need really potent wheel cleaners, usually because of "German car" issues that *my* German cars have never exhibited.
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I agree 100%. My Mercedes does not exhibit the horrible brake dust that most seem to complain about.
 
Accumulator said:
Bunky- Yeah, I often lose track of the different needs of you Pros. But actually I *was* thinking of non-Pros here who claim they need really potent wheel cleaners, usually because of "German car" issues that *my* German cars have never exhibited.
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52split said:
I agree 100%. My Mercedes does not exhibit the horrible brake dust that most seem to complain about.
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Until 2010 all my bmws did. In 2010 they changed brake pad formulation.
 
Ronkh said:
Until 2010 all my bmws did. In 2010 they changed brake pad formulation.
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But that's the thing...back in the '80s-90s my German cars (speaking of BWMs, that includes my beloved e30 M3 that Korman built me) got used *hard* but the wheels cleaned up fine even after track days. Sure they looked black, but it washed right off.
 
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