Car Detailing Best Practices. Part 4: Wheels And Tire Cleaning

Proper maintenance of our vehicles involves a little bit of science and careful consideration to achieve the best results. Shine Plus offers some valuable tips on car detailing best practices here on our blog.

In our first three blog posts on best practices, we covered some general topics to keep in mind when caring for your vehicle. In Part 4, we are going to get a bit more specific and start discussing the proper technique for cleaning specific parts of your vehicle. Today's blog will be on how to properly clean your wheels and tires.

Your wheels and tires are one of the most challenging locations on your vehicle to clean. Your wheels are closest to the road naturally where dirty water, dust, and all kinds of road hazards live. On top of that, every time you brake, a fine mist of metals from the extreme friction on your brake pads gets spewed into the air, which collects on your wheels in the form of brake dust. Add in that your wheels have many intricate nooks and crannies, and it's easy to see why this is a challenge to clean.

To make matters even more complicated, your wheels can be made of many different materials. They can be steel, chrome, painted steel, aluminum, cast aluminum, the list goes on and on. Each of these materials behaves differently when they come in contact with different chemicals.

Here are our recommendations and best practices which you can use to clean any type of wheel in any condition.

1. Start by parking the vehicle in the shade and let the wheel cool down before working on it. Chemicals can dry, and the reactions they produce can be altered if the wheel is too hot.

2. Rinse the wheel with water to remove loose debris and dirt before applying cleaning agents.

3. Spray the wheel with a wheel and tire cleaner. Aluminum and cast aluminum wheels should be cleaned with a wheel and tire cleaner that is specifically formulated for that material because aluminum is easily damaged with very high or low pH cleaners.

4. Agitate the wheel and tire cleaner using a soft bristle detailing brush (pictured below). Large brushes and rags are not able to get into the hard-to-reach places of the wheel and can leave areas uncleaned, which will cause damage over time.

5. Spray the tire with a tire cleaner. Most wheel cleaners are also formulated to clean the rubber of tires.

6. Agitate the tire with a stiff bristle wheel brush. Proper agitation will remove dirt and old tire dressings, preparing the tire for when you apply tire shine.

7. Rinse the wheel.

8. Hand dry the wheel with a microfiber cloth. This will help prevent water spots and remove any dirt that got missed.

9. Apply tire shine to the tire with a tire shine brush or applicator. Tire shine adds conditioners to the rubber to prevent dry rot and protects against UV rays. So not only does tire shine look great, but it can also extend the life of your tire. We recommend a higher quality tire shine product as cheap tire shine can sling off the tire while you drive and get onto the vehicle's paint.

   
   

There you have it. All the steps and advice you need to tackle cleaning your vehicle's wheels and tires like a pro!