Are you planning to clean your aluminum wheels and you are looking for a specific solution to clean them, like the best aluminum wheel cleaner? Well, if that is the case, then you are at the right place because there will be quite a bit to cover on this topic and we are going to elaborate on everything you need to know.
Choosing the right solution to clean the car or the car’s wheels has never been so difficult. Namely, because out there there is a vast number of products that promise you everything and in the end, they might not deliver the result that you need and you are left disappointed with wheels that do not look particularly well.
So, performing the proper research is always a good idea to find out what are the best products that money can buy and also, the products that have the best reviews out there. You still need a good and reliable product and not something that does not perform well and can even damage your wheels. And when it comes to expensive aluminum alloy wheels, this is understandable since they are rather expensive. But you shouldn’t worry because we are going to help you out.
First, we are going to learn more about what are aluminum wheels and why they are so popular. Then we will cover the pros and cons of running aluminum wheels and we will discuss aluminum wheel cleaners. We will also give you a good list of the best aluminum wheel cleaner products based on their reviews. And also, how to use them. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
What Are Aluminum Wheels
Now before we dive into the details and learn about the best aluminum wheel cleaner also known as brake dust cleaner. Let’s first take a look at what are aluminum alloy wheels.
I bet that there are a ton of people who are curious and want to learn more about the components for which this solution is intended. So, let’s cover these topics first before we dive into the products. If you prefer, you can jump right to the chapter where we cover the best brake dust cleaner.
Nevertheless, what are aluminum wheels? Well, these wheels are also known as alloy wheels. They are manufactured of different alloys. But most frequently, these wheels are produced out of aluminum or magnesium.
Aluminum wheels are a lot cheaper than magnesium. And not only that, but they are also a lot more durable than magnesium.
So, the vast number of wheels out there is aluminum. Mainly because aluminum is cheaper to manufacture and also provides a lot more strength than the magnesium wheel.
And on top of that, alloy wheels come in many different designs and affect greatly the cooling of the brakes and make the overall performance of the braking system to be a lot better than your standard steel wheel.
Mainly because they dissipate heat a lot better and you will not have any problems running alloy wheels under extremely hot conditions. But a drawback can be the brake dust that collects on them which will make you look for the best aluminum wheel cleaner. But more on the pros and cons, we are going to elaborate on later in the article. Now let’s cover and learn why these types of wheels are really popular.
Why They Are So Popular
Another topic that we would like to cover when it comes to aluminum wheels before we dive into the best aluminum wheel cleaner is the popularity of aluminum wheels. Why aluminum wheels are getting so popular nowadays that they even become standard equipment?
Well, as you probably know, in the past, steel wheels were widely used in cars. Steel wheels were particularly heavy, increasing the weight of the car to a big extent.
In addition to their weight, they were not doing any good to the brakes when it came to cooling since there was only a limited airflow. So, brakes often tend to overheat and not perform as they should have because of this heat creation. Especially when the cars were used hard on the track.
And also, they were not particularly good-looking. So, car companies invested money trying to figure these problems out and how to improve the wheels.
So, they came up with the alloy design that incorporated magnesium and these wheels became an instant hit.
In the beginning, the alloy wheels were rather expensive and were only offered as an option. But since the 90s, these aluminum wheels became the gold standard that we now have today.
Also, their design has changed over the years and nowadays they implement rather smart-looking designs, and the ways to customize your car by choosing a different set of wheels are endless.
There are many companies that produce alloy wheels and create some really well-thought-out designs that look spectacular.
And even if you are on a budget, you can get cheap wheels that are good for a fraction of the price in comparison to some more well-established aluminum wheel brands.
Pros And Cons Of Aluminum Wheels
So, we covered the basics when it comes to aluminum wheels and we think that we need to cover another topic before we dive into the best aluminum wheel cleaner.
And that is the topic of the pros and cons of having a wheel of this type on your car. As with everything out there. Aluminum wheels also have positives and negatives. There are good sides and also bad sides to having a wheel of this type.
This is why in the following two chapters, we are going to discuss these positives and negatives before we dive into the aluminum wheel cleaners and learn what are the best aluminum cleaners out there. So, if you want to learn more, follow along.
Pros
Now let’s cover more on the pros when it comes to aluminum wheels before we dive into the best aluminum wheel cleaner. What are the pros of having this type of wheel on your car?
Well, we can say that the positive sides of having a wheel of this type on your car are enormous. The biggest pro of having aluminum wheels is probably the looks.
Aluminum wheels come in a ton of different sizes and designs. There are dozens of companies out there that make original wheels as well as knock-offs.
And even if you cannot afford the original wheel, you can still get a knock-off wheel for a fraction of the price. And this wheel will not be a lot different in comparison to the original one.
So, when it comes to wheels, the ways of customization are endless and they only depend on the size of your pocket and how much you can spend on the wheels.
In recent years, new ways of painting such as powder coating were introduced which makes changing the color of the wheels a lot easier than it was back in the day. And even if you cannot afford to powder coat, there are still some ways that you can try DIY at home using spray cans and achieve the same result.
So, if you want to improve the looks of the car and increase the resale value, getting aftermarket wheels is a good idea.
The second pro of having aluminum wheels instead of steel wheels besides the looks is the increased airflow. Any car out there needs to have good airflow on the brakes. If you don’t have good airflow, so, your brakes perform a lot better.
Cons
Now let’s discuss more about the cons of aluminum wheels before we dive into the best aluminum wheel cleaner. Are there any cons to owning a vehicle with aluminum wheels? Well, yes, there are a couple of them.
The biggest con is probably the price. Even though cars nowadays all come with aluminum wheels, having to purchase good quality aluminum wheels can be rather expensive. Especially an OEM wheel for that specific model.
Imagine that one of your wheels is cracked or scratched. Replacing it with an OEM replacement wheel from the original manufacturer can cost you sometimes the same as you would spend on a set of 4 new aftermarket wheels.
And here we come to the second con, which is related to cracking. Aluminum wheels are really soft and they tend to get bent or cracked. Potholes are the biggest enemy of this type of wheel. If you hit a pothole at a high speed, you can expect the car’s wheel to get damaged.
If this happens, you will immediately start to lose air and the tire will become flat and you will simply have to stop and replace the damaged tire.
Repairs are also on the expensive side, only if the wheel is repairable. And owning a wheel like this is something I would not recommend doing because having a cracked wheel is rather unsafe and it could get you in trouble.
And here we come to the last con. That is that they become dirty really easily. And for this, you will definitely need a wheel cleaner. But more on the best aluminum wheel cleaner and cleaning rims on a car we are going to cover later on. Now let’s take a look at cleaners and whether they are worth it or not.
Aluminum Wheel Cleaners – Are They Worth It
Now before we share our list of best aluminum wheel cleaners, let’s discuss more about these products and learn if they are worth it or not. We think that this is necessary because people spend fortunes on different products that promise the world but in the end, they don’t deliver the result that you want.
Can you clean a vehicle without any special product? Yes, you definitely can do it. Cleaning wheels without any particular product is not an impossible job.
The only thing you need to clean any alloy wheel is soapy water, or water even without the soap, a big plastic brush, a towel, and you can do it.
It might take some scrubbing to remove all the brake dust without a wheel cleaner. But the difference isn’t that big compared to a product.
Still, there are out there very complex wheel designs that are rather tricky when it comes to cleaning. And could require a lot of time to be cleaned.
So, if you have alloy wheels with a lot of spokes, we would recommend going for an aluminum wheel cleaner.
Cleaning brake dust on these types of wheels can be very challenging and nobody has time to clean so many spokes. And here the brake dust cleaners or spray-on wheel cleaner comes into play to make your life a lot easier.
You just spray it on the surface and after a couple of moments all the dust falls off and you only need to do a few gentle passes with a brush to remove the rest of the debris on the wheel.
So, if you want to enjoy your life more and spend less time cleaning the car. We would definitely recommend the best aluminum wheel cleaner.
Best Aluminum Wheel Cleaners
Now let’s cover the best aluminum wheel cleaner. In the following couple of chapters, we are going to review the products that caught our eye.
We will share the basic information and their characteristics. As well as their ratings and other important facts. So, you don’t want to miss that.
We hope that you will enjoy our list and after we are done, we will take a look at how you can use one of these products.
1. CAR GUYS Wheel Cleaner
The first product on our list is the Car Guys Wheel Cleaner. We all know Car Guys and the really good products that they offer.
And honestly, it is the same stuff with their wheel cleaner. It has more than 5,000 ratings on Amazon and frankly, they are really well deserved. With 67% of the customers giving this product 5 out of 5 stars.
What is good about this product is that it is a versatile solution that cleans brake dust from all types of wheel finishes. As well as from tires. So, it will clean the whole wheel with the tire with no problem whatsoever.
It has an advanced pH formula that will remove even the toughest debris with no problem. And what is most important, is that it is dead easy to use and one of the best aluminum wheel cleaners out there.
2. Sonax Wheel Cleaner
Next on our list is the Sonax Wheel Cleaner Full Effect. This is a product by Sonax who are in the game for a really long time and created a really good reputation when it comes to cleaning products for cars.
This product also has excellent reviews with more than 4,800 ratings on Amazon with more than 70% of the customers giving the product 5 out of 5 stars.
This product also implements an advanced pH formula that will clean any debris from your wheels and tires. It works on any type of material, it doesn’t matter if it’s paint, plastic, aluminum, or rubber. And also, it is dead easy to use, just spray it on the wheel and let it do its magic. It is really easy to use these solutions. Now let’s move to the next best aluminum wheel cleaner.
3. TriNova Wheel Cleaner
Another really popular product out there is this TriNova Wheel Cleaner. They might not have the presence of Sonax and Car Guys. But they definitely offer a really quality product when it comes to the price.
Their wheel cleaner has more than 1,300 favorable reviews on Amazon and is definitely one of the best rated when it comes to cleaning wheels.
What is good with this product is that it removes any unwanted grime and tough stains on the wheel surface and also implements acid-free formula. This means that it will not damage the surface. But still, be able to remove the dirt out of it. Which is a really good pro of this product. So, if you want something new and different, we would recommend this product to you. Now let’s move to the next best wheel cleaner.
4. Carfidant Wheel Cleaner
Now let’s cover another really good product. And that is the Carfidant Wheel Cleaner. What is good about this product is that it has a lot of good feedback with more than 2,000 reviews.
This product as the manufacturer claims has premium quality. It is pH neutral similar to the previous product we reviewed. This means that it is safe on any type of material since there are no harmful acids that will damage the surface of the wheel or the tire. And also, it is unscented.
5. Chemical Guys
And the best we save for last. And this is the product from Chemical Guys. We all know Chemical products and their quality products.
When it comes to this product, it is worth mentioning that it is a gel and it is not in liquid form. So, you will have to dilute it with water. Perfect product if you want to get the most for your money.
So, you spray it on the surface and it will grip the wheel and decompose any brake dust that has collected. It doesn’t matter how thick the debris is.
Then you can choose to wipe it off with a microfiber towel or rinse it off with a hose. This product is also really popular, with more than 5,000 reviews. This product will work well on any type of wheel.
How To Use Aluminum Wheel Cleaner
So, we learned about the best aluminum cleaner and covered the best products out there when it comes to this purpose. Now let’s see how you can use these solutions.
And frankly, it is dead easy to use them. Usually, these solutions except for the Chemical Guys product come in a sprayer.
So, you can simply spray the solution on the rim and make sure that you cover everything. Then wait for a few minutes in order for the solution to do its job.
Then scrub the wheel gently with a soft brush and rinse it with a hose. Lastly, you can protect the tires with some tire shine and the rims with ceramic coating and you will be good to go.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered quite a bit when it comes to aluminum wheels. First, we covered the basics and learned what aluminum wheels are and the pros and cons of aluminum wheels.
Then we covered whether or not using wheel cleaner is a good idea and then we covered the best aluminum wheel cleaner products that you can buy on Amazon. Lastly, we learned how you can use this solution on your car’s wheels since using this solution still requires proper steps to be followed for it to work the best it can.
F.A.Q
Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
How To Clean Chrome Wheels
Cleaning chrome wheels is rather simple. The only thing you need is a brush and soapy water. Simply spray the soapy water on the wheels and brush the wheel gently. Rinse and repeat till all the debris is cleaned from the wheel.
How To Get Brake Dust Off Rims
Cleaning brake dust can be done with soap and water and a brush. Or you can go for a different route and get a special solution for cleaning rims. This solution will basically dissolve the brake dust and then you can just rinse the rim off with a hose. In some cases, you don’t even have to pass the wheel with a brush, it is that easy.
How To Clean Rims With Oxidation
Cleaning rims that are oxidated is almost impossible because the coating is damaged. The only way to get these wheels back in good shape is to repaint them. A respray at home will bring them back to their former glory.
How To Keep Brake Dust Off Wheels
Keeping brake dust off the wheels is impossible. You can try to ceramic coat them but this will only help in cleaning them later on. It will not prevent brake dust from sticking to them.
What Is The Best Cleaner For Aluminum
There are a wide number of products on Amazon that you can purchase. There are products from Sonax, Chemical Guys, Car Guys, and Carfidant. Just get one that you like and give it a try.
