It is inevitable for wheels, especially rims and tires, to get dirty quickly. However, it is essential to keep them clean. Undeniably, maintaining the cleanliness of your car is the best way to enhance its appearance, but it is not just a cosmetic issue. Washing rims and tyres regularly helps protect them from damage caused by road salt, brake dust, and other contaminants, while also improving steering, traction, and braking.
Read this article to find out how to take care of these dirtiest elements of a vehicle.
How to wash rims properly?
Rims tend to get covered by particularly harmful types of contaminants, such as metallic dust and iron filings that come from both the brakes in your own car and the brakes used in the cars moving in front of you.
Obviously, this is not an ordinary type of dirt, and it requires a special agent for effective cleaning. Iron Terminator by the Japanese brand Soft99 is one of the top products on the market designed for this purpose.
Iron Terminator is powerful enough to dissolve metallic deposits, causing the product to turn red as it flows off the wheel. Seeing such a “bloody wheel” effect is an indication of having rather dirty rims that indeed required thorough washing.
Rim protection
Using special agents for protection decreases the susceptibility of rims to accumulate dirt. There are various options to choose from, including car waxes, quartz coating, and other agents.
Quartz coating can yield particularly good results, as it is more resistant to high temperatures typically caused by heating brakes. Soft99 offers QJUTSU Wheel Coat, a dedicated quartz coating for rims, which is resistant to temperatures up to 550°C and exhibits strong hydrophobic properties.
One of the popular car waxes used for protecting regular aluminum rims is Fusso Coat 12 Months from Soft99.
For a faster application, you can try Wheel Dust Blocker, available in the form of a spray. Despite its relative ease of application, this agent can last for up to 1,000 kilometers. Note that its application requires properly prepared wheels.
Keeping tyres clean
Ideally, tyres should be cleaned during every car wash using specialized shampoos. For instance, 4-X Tire Cleaner from Soft99 is an effective cleaning agent that also creates a visually appealing “wet tire” effect with a water-based glossy coating on the tyre sidewalls.
Professional brands like Soft99 also offer dedicated products for tyre protection. Soft99’s Tire Black Wax is a perfect example. With a simple user-friendly application, you can achieve the visual effect of a matte-satin sheen and enjoy the high hydrophobicity of tyres.
Regular maintenance of tyres and rims
The fantastic effect of factory-new tyres and rims is only one of the benefits of using dedicated car care products. Thorough maintenance with the use of specialized agents improves the car’s safety and increases the longevity of its elements, while accumulated dirt can cause structural failure and reduced performance, particularly in the case of tyres.
