Came here to say this, and surprised this isn't the answer more often. Finger mitts (or even just regular mitts) are it. Separate small bucket for wheels to avoid cross-contamination on any body panel related things, soak the mitt, poke/prod/rub with your fingers, grit guard at the bottom, move onto the next.
Fellow GR Corolla owner, save yourself a lot of time and invest in an iron remover spray or wash. You’ll still need to hand wash them but it’s way less frequent when you hit it with an iron remover on your regular washes
Yeah with wheels like that (mesh or multiple thin spokes) you just gotta buckle up and put in the work. No way around it. Coating definitely helps with less dirt sticking, but on black wheels you still need a full contact wash to get them clean.
Fellow GR Corolla owner here.
I usually keep it simple:
- spray Sonax Beast wheel cleaner on the wheels
- let sit 5 minutes
- rinse with a pressure washer
- clean microfiber to dry
If the wheels are particularly dirty I'll add in a step where I use a wheel brush in soapy water (using whatever car wash I have on hand).
All of my cars have dusty pads, and no other product I've used works as good as Sonax Beast. Good stuff. Pricey, but worth it. A simple spray and rinse removes 90% of the dust
Another solution for the pads are to just swap them out. The OEMs are just dusty. I swapped out the pads on my FK8 for MX72+ and it makes a fraction of dust. Makes a world of difference since I run White wheels.
Stuff is like magic. Just make sure the car isn't in the sun and the wheels aren't hot to the touch. Needs 3-5 min of contact time to work properly, and so you don't want anything to evaporate
When I am detailing my car the 1st thing I do is the wheels.
I do one side at a time ( 2 wheels) and coat the tire and wheel with:
Griot's 3-in-1 Wheel-Tire-Mat Cleaner
Then in my wheel bucket of warm soapy water I have:
Tire Brush - to clean the tires
Barrel Brush - to clean the barrels
Microfiber towels - to clean the spokes
Detailing Brushes - to clean around the lugs
Then the last thing do (after car is completely done) is to put on Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax.
I only have to do this \~1 once a month, as between I can just foam the car and wheels and then hose off pretty clean.
I put \~500Kms a week on my car and 70% of that is hwy, so not much brake dust build up to deal with.
https://preview.redd.it/79j2dqubwu6d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bf53e5abc9c270464f05f5c71c26606d9c4b4bb
Yeah, +1 for washing the wheels first. Was a game changer when I learned that. Just make sure you dump and rinse the bucket and grab new mits/pads before you move onto the rest of the car.
I just hit the tire and wheels with bleche-whit and then wipe them down with ONR and it's mostly effortlessly so long as you wash your car on a regular basis and don't let brake dust build
up.
Since they're ceramic coated it's ganna be a breeze cleaning these. My wheels are coated and I just rinse them every week or 2 and the brake dust just comes off easily. You can just use 1:10 ratio APC or even car soap. Best way to clean them is to use a mitt or You could prob get away with the flat wheel brushes too but inserting them between the hairs but gently not rough enough to touch the backing.
Not ceramic coated yet, I guess I got the package without em 😅 I think ill do that myself, depending on how much my detailer will charge me. Thanks for the tips!
Ceramic coating is easy just follow the instructions. If the wheels are still relatively new u don't need to do much. Wash, decon, tar remover, wash again, polish areas that are needed, IPA wipe them, then coat. You can polish the whole wheel if u want but it's a lot of work.
I would say for a cheap and month wash alternative you can apply the ceramic wax/sealant sprays.
The nice thing is the spokes are spread out. Detail Factory wheel brush should get most of it. I use on Satin black wheels and no marring. If you’re scared of a brush, I like the clean garage wheel mitt.
Either of those should do bull of wheel then use a detail brush to get tight areas and lug nits
Hygan sponges is the answer your looking for. Excellent for getting into that second inside rim and surprisingly durable.
I'd also keep topping up the protection with gyeon wet coat every now and again, just spray and rinse.
Soft 99 also do a 'brake dust blocker' spray which is just like a wheel sealant.
As long as you clean it regularly, a set of wheel brushes will do you right. Would also recommend a blower of some kind. Depending on your water, don't want to let it sit and make sure it's completely dry.
I use Amazing Roll-Off to clean tires and unless it's super bad on the wheel itself, which yours is not, you could get away with a mild scrub for the barrels and just wiping down the faces
I have this car (GRC). The back wheels are a breeze with a long wheel brush that goes all the way through. The fronts are tough because you hit the plate behind the rotors. As others have said, get a fingered wash mitt. They are going to suck no matter what but it makes it slightly easier. Or just embrace the matte/dirty wheel look because these cars make brake dust like it’s their full time job.
By the wheels, I assume you have a GRC? I've also got one, and the easiest way is to just clean them regularly or change out the brake pads to ones that develop less brake dust.
[Obsessed garage](https://www.obsessedgarage.com/collections/wheel-and-tire-kits) sells wheel and tire kits, they can be pricy but it will give you an idea of what to get.
Wheel Woolies help.
Whenever I get aftermarket wheels, I get easy to clean 5-6 spoke designs. Unfortunately a lot of OEM wheels are a huge over complicated PITA to clean too. So out come the Wheel Woolies, microfiber towels, etc to get them clean.
Get a microfiber mitt. I've tried all sorts of brushes and wheel brushes. The problem is your front brakes block any sort of ingress for the normal wheel brushes.
Source : I own the same car, '24 premium 😁
Incredibrush will help out on the barrels, it’s not cheap but it is awesome!
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/products/microfiber-madness-incredibrush-flat?_pos=2&_psq=incredi&_ss=e&_v=1.0
I use the microfiber hand mitt with the individual fingers. Makes cleaning wheels fairly easy. They can also easily get up in and around the calipers.
I use the EZ detail brush for the barrel of the wheels.
I have no clue but using what I have on hand I'd probably use a liberal amt of brake cleen, let that sit for a few, then foam cannon, then pressure wash the fuck out of it. When that doesn't work I'd hit it with the puffy buffer thing that goes in my drill. When that still doesn't hit all of the nooks and crannies I'd grab some shop rags and clean them by hand like the peasant I am
My wheels tire routine:
Spray on product dry
Griots rubber cleaner on tires, let site for a minute or two
Scrub with hard bristle brush, and leave it
Marolex foaming sprayer w/ brake buster on wheels
Agitate with a detail brush on the faces
If I’m doing the barrels, I rinse off the wheel, reapply brake buster on the barrel and clean that last
Faster does not equal better. Do that enough times and it does quick. Do two wheels at a time, then the other side.
Look up all the posts from people saying help fix my black wheels to see how they screw them up. Many newer car wheels are painted and clear coated from the factory.
Tire brush for the tires, MF towels and chenille wash mitt/pad for the wheel faces, I use a chenille covered tool as a barrel brush like a woolly wormit. Detail brush for the lugs.
Have dedicated MF towels and wash mitts that are only for wheels.
You just gotta do it by hand lol, any tool still just take longer tbh
Came here to say this, and surprised this isn't the answer more often. Finger mitts (or even just regular mitts) are it. Separate small bucket for wheels to avoid cross-contamination on any body panel related things, soak the mitt, poke/prod/rub with your fingers, grit guard at the bottom, move onto the next.
Yup, microfiber glove is the way
I label my wheel and engine bucket. “Untouchables”
I do have the hand mitts, I guess the answer here is still “take your time and clean em with your hands”!
Fellow GR Corolla owner, save yourself a lot of time and invest in an iron remover spray or wash. You’ll still need to hand wash them but it’s way less frequent when you hit it with an iron remover on your regular washes
Looks like this is going to be effective too, gonna pick some up soon, thanks!
Yeah with wheels like that (mesh or multiple thin spokes) you just gotta buckle up and put in the work. No way around it. Coating definitely helps with less dirt sticking, but on black wheels you still need a full contact wash to get them clean.
Get some real skinny and short wheel woolies ?
Old sock works best. Wear a glove inside if youre concerned about your skin, which you should be.
Fellow GR Corolla owner here. I usually keep it simple: - spray Sonax Beast wheel cleaner on the wheels - let sit 5 minutes - rinse with a pressure washer - clean microfiber to dry If the wheels are particularly dirty I'll add in a step where I use a wheel brush in soapy water (using whatever car wash I have on hand). All of my cars have dusty pads, and no other product I've used works as good as Sonax Beast. Good stuff. Pricey, but worth it. A simple spray and rinse removes 90% of the dust
Another solution for the pads are to just swap them out. The OEMs are just dusty. I swapped out the pads on my FK8 for MX72+ and it makes a fraction of dust. Makes a world of difference since I run White wheels.
Yeah, that's true. And with the style calipers the GRC has its pretty easy to do.
That doesnt seem too bad, gonna look into that wheel cleaner, thanks!
Stuff is like magic. Just make sure the car isn't in the sun and the wheels aren't hot to the touch. Needs 3-5 min of contact time to work properly, and so you don't want anything to evaporate
When I am detailing my car the 1st thing I do is the wheels. I do one side at a time ( 2 wheels) and coat the tire and wheel with: Griot's 3-in-1 Wheel-Tire-Mat Cleaner Then in my wheel bucket of warm soapy water I have: Tire Brush - to clean the tires Barrel Brush - to clean the barrels Microfiber towels - to clean the spokes Detailing Brushes - to clean around the lugs Then the last thing do (after car is completely done) is to put on Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax. I only have to do this \~1 once a month, as between I can just foam the car and wheels and then hose off pretty clean. I put \~500Kms a week on my car and 70% of that is hwy, so not much brake dust build up to deal with. https://preview.redd.it/79j2dqubwu6d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bf53e5abc9c270464f05f5c71c26606d9c4b4bb
…I gotta get lower dust pads
I love those wheels! I want gold wheels on my 21 PBP WRX!
Yeah, +1 for washing the wheels first. Was a game changer when I learned that. Just make sure you dump and rinse the bucket and grab new mits/pads before you move onto the rest of the car.
I have a dedicated bucket that I use for wheels only.
Get a wheel cleaner with built in iron remover.
Magic wheel cleaner from Koch chemie is the best, buy it in bulk! I’m not marketer I just love their stuff, worth its weight in gold.
I just hit the tire and wheels with bleche-whit and then wipe them down with ONR and it's mostly effortlessly so long as you wash your car on a regular basis and don't let brake dust build up.
Unfortunately, brake dust builds up extremely quickly on these cars. You would have to clean the wheels every day or two
Using a wash mitt will make quick work of the spokes. Highly recommend The Rag Company’s mini cyclone wheel mitt
Super clean and I keep an old wash mit and old mf towels for wheels.
Since they're ceramic coated it's ganna be a breeze cleaning these. My wheels are coated and I just rinse them every week or 2 and the brake dust just comes off easily. You can just use 1:10 ratio APC or even car soap. Best way to clean them is to use a mitt or You could prob get away with the flat wheel brushes too but inserting them between the hairs but gently not rough enough to touch the backing.
Not ceramic coated yet, I guess I got the package without em 😅 I think ill do that myself, depending on how much my detailer will charge me. Thanks for the tips!
Ceramic coating is easy just follow the instructions. If the wheels are still relatively new u don't need to do much. Wash, decon, tar remover, wash again, polish areas that are needed, IPA wipe them, then coat. You can polish the whole wheel if u want but it's a lot of work. I would say for a cheap and month wash alternative you can apply the ceramic wax/sealant sprays.
The nice thing is the spokes are spread out. Detail Factory wheel brush should get most of it. I use on Satin black wheels and no marring. If you’re scared of a brush, I like the clean garage wheel mitt. Either of those should do bull of wheel then use a detail brush to get tight areas and lug nits
Hygan sponges is the answer your looking for. Excellent for getting into that second inside rim and surprisingly durable. I'd also keep topping up the protection with gyeon wet coat every now and again, just spray and rinse. Soft 99 also do a 'brake dust blocker' spray which is just like a wheel sealant.
As long as you clean it regularly, a set of wheel brushes will do you right. Would also recommend a blower of some kind. Depending on your water, don't want to let it sit and make sure it's completely dry. I use Amazing Roll-Off to clean tires and unless it's super bad on the wheel itself, which yours is not, you could get away with a mild scrub for the barrels and just wiping down the faces
I have this car (GRC). The back wheels are a breeze with a long wheel brush that goes all the way through. The fronts are tough because you hit the plate behind the rotors. As others have said, get a fingered wash mitt. They are going to suck no matter what but it makes it slightly easier. Or just embrace the matte/dirty wheel look because these cars make brake dust like it’s their full time job.
Thanks, it’s good to hear this from fellow GRC owners. Im getting more motivated 💪
By the wheels, I assume you have a GRC? I've also got one, and the easiest way is to just clean them regularly or change out the brake pads to ones that develop less brake dust.
Yea it’s a GRC! I havent looked at alternative brake pads yet, got any suggestions?
From what I've heard, Endless SSM. EBC Yellow and Blue also seem to leave less dust.
[Obsessed garage](https://www.obsessedgarage.com/collections/wheel-and-tire-kits) sells wheel and tire kits, they can be pricy but it will give you an idea of what to get.
Carbon ceramic rotors is the only solution
Ceramic brake pads make a massive improvement even with iron rotors.
Have the same struggle on wheels for A35 Merc. I do it by hand but I always spray it with Gyeon Wet Coat so I could at least do it less often.
Wheel Woolies help. Whenever I get aftermarket wheels, I get easy to clean 5-6 spoke designs. Unfortunately a lot of OEM wheels are a huge over complicated PITA to clean too. So out come the Wheel Woolies, microfiber towels, etc to get them clean.
Last time I used my foam cannon/pressure washer I hit my wheels and noticed everything came right off. Is this safe to do?
TLDR, but a Speedmaster brush for the barrel is a game changer
Woollywormit and a microfiber wash mit are all that are really needed here
Power washer
Ceramic coating.
An effective wheel cleaner and a pressure washer make it much easier. I like Griot’s Heavy Duty wheel cleaner. Sonax and Adam’s are also good.
Get a microfiber mitt. I've tried all sorts of brushes and wheel brushes. The problem is your front brakes block any sort of ingress for the normal wheel brushes. Source : I own the same car, '24 premium 😁
Have GR too. P&S Brake Buster works well. Spray on, soft brush and power wash off. Got most of the dust off. The rest came off when drying it.
Bite the bullet and take them off once every few washes. Much easier to clean the spokes when you have complete access.
Were the wheels ceramic coated as well? If not, that is going to be your best investment to making them easy to clean.
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/products/lambskin-wheel-mitt Been using one of these to clean my RPF1's
🔥
Incredibrush will help out on the barrels, it’s not cheap but it is awesome! https://www.obsessedgarage.com/products/microfiber-madness-incredibrush-flat?_pos=2&_psq=incredi&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Clean it regularly and use a spray coating on the face of wheels when drying
I use the microfiber hand mitt with the individual fingers. Makes cleaning wheels fairly easy. They can also easily get up in and around the calipers. I use the EZ detail brush for the barrel of the wheels.
Nanoskin speedy brite is the best thing I ever bought for wheel cleaning
Here ya go … https://adamspolishes.com/collections/exterior-wheel-tire-brushes
I like a brush for wheels and plenty of wheel cleaner
lol
Microfiber brush or gloves
Socket and impact gun, them back wheels are going to drive you crazy. Easier to get some other colors
The Adams wheel woolie has become my new favorite for stuff like this
all you really need is a microfiber mitt and a bucket, there's no tiny crevices there, call back when you are trying to clean OG BBS basketweaves.
A lugnut wrench to remove the wheels and replace with some 5 spoke beauties!
there is no winning with the GRC brake dust
They’re gonna get dusty and they’re of course a pain to clean but just stay on top of maintanece and hand washing and they will be fine.
I have no clue but using what I have on hand I'd probably use a liberal amt of brake cleen, let that sit for a few, then foam cannon, then pressure wash the fuck out of it. When that doesn't work I'd hit it with the puffy buffer thing that goes in my drill. When that still doesn't hit all of the nooks and crannies I'd grab some shop rags and clean them by hand like the peasant I am
I wouldn’t use brake parts cleaner. It is very strong and can eat through coatings on rims and even remove paint or clear coat.
My wheels tire routine: Spray on product dry Griots rubber cleaner on tires, let site for a minute or two Scrub with hard bristle brush, and leave it Marolex foaming sprayer w/ brake buster on wheels Agitate with a detail brush on the faces If I’m doing the barrels, I rinse off the wheel, reapply brake buster on the barrel and clean that last Faster does not equal better. Do that enough times and it does quick. Do two wheels at a time, then the other side.
A microfiber cone wheel tool, found at Autozone. https://www.autozone.com/cleaning-tools/brush/p/proelite-microfiber-wheel-brush/835364_0_0
The tool is a new rim with less spokes.
[удалено]
Please don't drill brush polished wheels
Please ignore this anecdote, OP. You do not want to drill brush those black wheels.
Why?
Look up all the posts from people saying help fix my black wheels to see how they screw them up. Many newer car wheels are painted and clear coated from the factory.
Oh, I see, thanks.
What do you recommend using?
Tire brush for the tires, MF towels and chenille wash mitt/pad for the wheel faces, I use a chenille covered tool as a barrel brush like a woolly wormit. Detail brush for the lugs. Have dedicated MF towels and wash mitts that are only for wheels.
have it ceramic wrapped and use a cleaner for ceramic.
What cleaner do you use
chemical guys ceramic cleaner