Okay guys, I know Andy@Performance put up a great thread on taking care of your RAYS rims, but nothing on there said anything about caked on brake dust and road grime...

I bought some 05' OEM Rays track wheels from a guy from the forums, and he used them as track tires. They are in good condition except for the fact they have some caked on brake dust and road grime... I've done the dawn soap, water, sponge and some elbow grease... and it still hasn't come off... is there anything else I can use? a brillo pad... acid... a freakin' laser beam (j/k)? I don't want to destroy the clear coat, so I'm desperate, I just want to put them on already... all suggestions welcomed..

 

wheel cleaner/degreaser will work. dawn soap will have a hard time cutting that down.

 

WD40 and wire brush.

 

Reindeer ****, takes it right down to the shine


sry drunk post

 

I bought some Mother's Wheel cleaner, and it says it's okay for clear coat rims... but like Andy's post says.. "only soap and water.." That's why I haven't used it...

A wire brush? won't that cause some big scratches? I was thinking of going lightly on a plastic brillo pad... just enough to move off the caked brake dust... but still not sure...

Deer ****... sounds interesting but I'm in Cali... don't know where'd I get that LOL

 

YES! Do not use a wire brush. I said it with complete sarcasm.

For caked on stuff, try a sponge and rub hard.

 

Use something like Meguiars wheel cleaner, which is safe for OEM wheel finishes. I used it on my Track wheels for 2 years and it never damaged the finish... just spray the wheel down with water, spray on the wheel cleaner, let soak for 20-30 seconds and rinse. This should at least break up some of the tougher stuff a bit.

 

+1 for Meguiars

 

Try using detailing clay and some soap and water. It may be that the brake dust has etched the clearcoat on the wheel. Then there would be nothing you could do but refinish the wheel.

JET

 

Was going to mention clay bar the wheel as well.

 

Thanks guys, I'll try the suggestions tomorrow when I get off work... hope they work..

 

yup yup... been usin the stuff for as long as i can remember, never had a problem!

clay baring?... other than car use i've only used it for polishing my exhaust... but wheels?... interesting, might have to try it out

 

Simple green or orange clean work well for me.

 

Simple green?

Aren't there any additives or detergents in there that might harm the clear coat?

 

Use P21S wheel cleaner.
Works wonders on my TAs

 

Where can you find the clay bar other than the net???

 

Any auto parts store will carry clay in the detailing section.

JET

 

Deer **** can be found at Turnbull Canyon... Lots of deer!!! Tundra x Deer = Tundra Owned! True story.

I didn't do it to my Rays but I did this to my Saleen rims. They're gun metal with clear coat so it might be the same. I used a Dual Action Polisher with the Mothers PowerBall Polishing Tool and finished it off with the Dual Action Bonnet. Combining all of this with Poorboys Wheel Sealant while polishing the wheel will get rid of tar, brake dust etc. Also it will seal the wheels and you will no longer have to worry about doing this all over again. It left them amazingly shiny.

 

I can get the mother's powerball polishing tool at the local Pep boys, but unfortunately you can only order any poorboy's tire care stuff online and the same goes with P21S...

That sucks... why can't local places carry good stuff, not cheap **** that eats up your wheels...

Anybody know where I can pick those up local?

 

I mustve missed it.