What do you guys use to protect your wheels from salt/acid-rain etc.? I'm shopping around to find the right wheel protection product for my Work Emotions and came up short. Thanks.

 

Might shoot a PM to the OP in this thread, he applied C-Quartz to his, I don't have any experience w/ it so it's best to give him a shout.
https://www.myg37.com/forums/brakes-...dercoated.html

 

Just tried the same stuff on the new coupe wheels I bought. I haven't put the wheels on the car yet though.

 

You can use car wax. I have done that in the past. I would imagine there is a specific wheel wax out ther too but I also imagine that it is a gimic to make you pay more for something that will do the same as car wax.

 

I'm the OP from that thread. CQuartz is definitely going to offer the most protection for wheels. Wax lasts 4-8 weeks typically, sealant 3-5 months, and coatings like CQuartz are good for over a year generally. Those numbers are less for wheels because they get dirtier than the rest of the car but it's still very protective. Always remember wheels should be as clean as possible before applying any protection too.

 

OP, assuming that your wheels are painted (not bare aluminum), you can use the same methods to protect your auto paint as your wheels. In other words, unless your wheels are fresh out of the box, you should (1) clean; (2) clay/decontaminate; (3) polish and (4) wax or coat for best results.

I use the now-discontinued Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 on my wheels. Link here:

The protection is theoretically permanent but I doubt it is truly permanent. My wheels were coated out of the box so I didn't have to do steps 1-3 above; some IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and Opti-Coat 2.0 is all I used. As with all things paint-related, the prep work is critical!

It's been about 2-3 years and my wheels are still beading water. I like paint coating over waxes in that the coatings usually resist brake dust (which is rather corrosive) better than waxes, and last years instead of months.

Note that Opti-Coat won't eliminate the need to clean your wheels -- it will, however, make them much easier to clean. Opti-Coat 2.0 has been replaced by Opti-Coat Gloss Coat, which has a 2 year advertised life. I haven't used Gloss Coat so I will reserve judgment on that product until I have a chance to use it.

In all practicality, any decent wheel or paint coating should work well for your purposes. If I ran out of Opti-Coat 2.0 today I'd probably opt for one of the other wheel coatings offered by AutoGeek.net (e.g. McKee's 37 Wheel Coating). Hope this helps.

 

CarPro HydrO2: Seal Your Wheels in Less than 1 Minute | Ask a Pro Blog

^ I use this on my cars, including wheels. It's the easiest thing I've used on wheels by far.

 

I'm wondering how your brakes work with this stuff on the rotors?

 

It would all be cleared off the rotors the first time you brake so it wouldn't be an issue.

 

Just started using Poorboy's Wheel sealant...no issues

 

This ^^^^^^^

... Especially nice on multi-spoke wheels that are a PITA to wax otherwise. After they are cleaned, just spray it on, hose it off. It repels water so good, i can easily dry them with my cordless blower - the water just flies off them!