Looking for advice to protect Aluminum Wheels during Northeast winters. Salt a major factor.

 

Should probably move this to detailing.

But I find a good coat of a heavy duty sealant and/or wax should be just fine (Im also in the Northeast). Collinite 845, Wheel Wax, Poorboys Wheel Sealant, etc.

Ive only had one set really "go bad" because of sand/salt, but only because they were polished (not painted) and had curb rash that scraped some of the clear off and caused the wheels to corrode. Plus most (all?) of the stock G wheels are painted, so you have that protection as well.

You can also look into "permanent" coatings like OptiCoat....I have something similar on my wheels now and it works quite well (although its expensive)

 

Assuming they're painted, and/or have a clear-coat on them, just keep the rims waxed. And just like any painted automotive surface, that means washed, claybar'd and waxed. Normal paste wax is fine, although there are some specialty products out there marketed specifically to address brake dust. I'm thinking of Wheel Wax. It's a good product. More of a cream than a paste, but still good protection.

I live in Western New York, so I typically wax the rims on both cars 3 times a year: immediately before and after Winter, when the temps are in the 50's, and once again in the Summer, just because.

 

Where did you get it?

 

Amazon.com