I recently received a brand new set of Ronal LS wheels WITH caps and longer lugbolts, with brand new rubber all around (pretty good rubber, too). That's fine and all, but now it has come time to clean them. I was just going to wipe them with my dry wheel-cleaning cloth (was microfiber when it was new... now it's just a dirty ol' rag). Would this scratch the surface if I just dry-wiped the wheels? I'm afraid the scratches would show up, the wheels being machine polished and everything, magnifying any small imperfections because of it. I've got wheel-cleaner that claims to be safe for use on all wheels but I am unsure if it's really safe for use on the machine-polished surface. I used it on the painted Euroweaves and the results were incredible; no elbow-grease required! Anyway, the main question is: Is it OK to just dry wipe with a "microfiber" cloth (quoted for dirtyness )?
I don't think I'd try to clean them dry - if you want to be obsessive about cleaning them, you should pull each wheel off the car and clean it inside and out. (jack stands, wheel chocks, yaddayadda). The safest-for-finish wheel cleaners that I would know are probably P21S, Griots, and Zymol. http://www.p21s.com/products/bis_wc1.html http://www.zymol.com/zymolwheelcleaner22oz.aspx http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...eel tire cleaners/wheel cleaner, 35 ounces.do All of those will work great and pose no risk due to the product itself (if you scratch your wheels using the wrong tools or materials that's another issue). If you want to keep your wheels looking as good as possible for as long as possible, the best way to accomplish is that is washing them frequently. As in - once-a-week-or-more frequently. If you wanted to take it to extremes, wash them after every time you apply the brakes when moving. Of course, that's impractical. If you don't wash you wheels often enough, the brake dust will imbed itself into wheel nook & crannies, and if it can be washed off, might require some of the far-more-caustic acid-based wheel cleaners you tend to find at Pep Boys, Autozone, etc. Over time, those acid based wheel cleaners may strip away your wheel's finish, particularly if you wash them infrequently and have to resort to heavy scrubbing to remove brake-dust residue. Avoid driving with race-pads on much after driving events if you can avoid it. Race-pad dust is difficult if not impossible to get off the wheels if left on for awhile. People who use Hawk Blue pads are often washing their wheels, rocker panels, and sills every day or between sessions, for instance. Great pads - nasty dust. The less caustic wheel-cleaners mentioned may require more frequent use to be effective, but won't damage wheel finishes when using them as often as they should be used. Acid is an effective cleaner for brake dust, but obviously caustic.
So I guess the cleaner that I mentioned I have will have to be used only occasionally for very heavy dusting. It is acid-based I believe, so it probably won't do the finish much good. I'll try my luck with the P21S stuff and hopefully it will be gentle enough for regular usage. Thanks buddy.
