A lot of people would love to have racing alloy wheels for their cars and in fact some of the most impressive wheels seen on the road these days are alloy wheels. Although lots of car manufacturers sell their cars with clear coated alloy wheels, drivers of cars who are not so lucky enhance their vehicles with aftermarket polished racing alloy. If you have racing alloys, you’ll want to take good care of them.
Wheels’ Worst Enemy
Brake dust consists of an adhesive and carbon fibers which come off the brake pad along with tiny metal shavings from the rotor. This dust is highly damaging and corrosive due to the intense heat generated by the friction of the wheels. Since people drive around every day, more and more dust gathers on the alloys and if not cleaned frequently can cause serious damage to the wheels.
Step by Step
Here is a step by step guide of how to clean your wheels whenever you wash your vehicle. Remember to clean the wheels first so that brake dust and dirty water don’t end up splashing onto your clean car.
1. First, rinse your racing alloys well to loosen brake dust and other dust particles. You can do this best with a fire hose nozzle.
2. Spray one wheel and alloy at a time with a good non-acidic alloy wheel cleaner.
3. Now use a soft brush to agitate the wheel. This will loosen grime and brake dust without scratching or damaging the wheel finish.
4. Don’t forget to clean around the nuts, since brake dust will hide in tiny spaces. Use a proper lug nut brush for this. Do this while the alloy and wheel are still wet. The water and spray will not only loosen the dirt and grime, it will keep the surface lubricated as well and prevent it from getting scratched.
5. A lot of dirt and mud gets trapped in the crevices of the racing alloy, as the tire rolls on the ground. You might need something a bit stronger than a soft bristle brush, so first spray the entire wheel with an all purpose cleaner and then use a brush with sturdy bristles to clean the wheel well. Now rinse the wheel, alloys and tires well, including the lug nut holes and between the spokes.
6. In the end, always take the time to dry the wheels, since water spots are quite unattractive if left on racing alloys.
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