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cleaning inside of wheels

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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 09:07 AM
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cleaning inside of wheels

what do you guys use to clean the inside of your wheels..i was doing my suspension the other day and while the wheels were off i decided to try and clean the insides...i used a little engine degreaser and a nice hard brush and scrubed the hell out of them untill i felt like my arms fell off...yet its still not clean enough...so what have you guys used?
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 09:09 AM
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Wonder Wheels!! I have been advised to wax the wheels afterwards though as this stuff is pretty lethel!
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 09:10 AM
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i use good old 'simple green' which is a degreaser but works really well.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 09:29 AM
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ok so im making a list to review...we got engine gunk that i used and now... wonder wheels, simple green, and some wax i got to try... but did your wheels tun out to be silver again..??
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 09:56 AM
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On stock FD wheels only the outer face is painted. The backside of the face and inner "barrel" of the wheel is raw aluminum. This means they are much harder to clean and keep clean. I scrub mine thoroughly with degreaser and wheel cleaner a couple times a year and never get them nearly as clean as the faces.

If you wanted to go nuts you could bead blast the barrels and then paint or clearcoat them.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 10:01 AM
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yeah...im probably not going to go hardcore like that... just checking to see if anyone had found a simple solution
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 10:17 AM
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Honestly, Wonder wheels is awesome.

It comes in a bottle with a brush, but I pour it into a spray bottle and spray the liquid on the wheels. Give them a scrub and rinse. Then spray and leave. If you can take the wheels off that will help, and so will using a pressure washer.

I will say though, try not to breath in the mist from the spray, it will take your breathe away.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 10:50 AM
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i sometimes use dish soap baking soda and a wire brush to clean cast aluminum, works good.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by KINETIK_FD3S
i sometimes use dish soap baking soda and a wire brush to clean cast aluminum, works good.
If you're using a steel wire brush on aluminum you can contaminate the surface of the aluminum. This could be small deposits that will corrode and pit, physical scratches or surface corrosion. Be sure to use a nylon, stainless steel or aluminum bristle brush on aluminum.

Last edited by DamonB; Nov 6, 2006 at 11:50 AM.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 02:45 PM
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dish soap and baking soda ...hmm...ill try
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 06:02 PM
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Castrol's SUPERCLEAN is THE **** to use on....well, everything! Twice a year or so I take the wheels off all my cars and spray them down with Superclean, scrub lightly, then rinse VERY well.
It is amazing how well this stuff works.
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 07:06 PM
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^^^ i have never seen that happen but most auto parts stores dont sell steel wire brushes they are usually stainless, brass or nylon, so i dont think that would be a problem.

Last edited by KINETIK_FD3S; Nov 6, 2006 at 07:07 PM. Reason: .
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 08:39 PM
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Are the stock wheels aluminum? I thought they were some weird composite. I remember when I had mine chromed that they had to do something to the surface before they could chrome them. . .just curious?
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 10:12 PM
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^ yes, they had to media blast your wheels to remove the paint from the face and clean them.
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