Brake dust repel with Wheelwax

[Penguin]

I did a test once, using Wheel Wax on half of the wheel, and nothing on the other half. To my surprise, the Wheel Wax side collected more brake dust than the unwaxed side. A half-to-half comparison should be pretty accurate, vs. a wheel to wheel.

I tried Zaino on one wheel and it seemed to help, but it wasn't a direct half-to-half comparison, so it's not a definitive test.

I may try it again this Spring and see what happens. May I'll try three wheels -- Wheel Wax vs. Nothing, Zaino vs. Nothing, and Wheel Wx vs. Zaino.

[Denalio]

I found they will attract dust after first application. I also found that after removal of the first application wetting the wheels again then lightly drying them helped. Maybe static build up from rubbing and the water may remove some of the charge. Just an observation.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Denalio

I found they will attract dust after first application. I also found that after removal of the first application wetting the wheels again then lightly drying them helped.

I'll try that approach when I test them again in the Spring.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Penguin

I did a test once, using Wheel Wax on half of the wheel, and nothing on the other half. To my surprise, the Wheel Wax side collected more brake dust than the unwaxed side. A half-to-half comparison should be pretty accurate, vs. a wheel to wheel.

I tried Zaino on one wheel and it seemed to help, but it wasn't a direct half-to-half comparison, so it's not a definitive test.

I may try it again this Spring and see what happens. May I'll try three wheels -- Wheel Wax vs. Nothing, Zaino vs. Nothing, and Wheel Wx vs. Zaino.

You have far too much time on your hands!

I just went to a new pad, especially since the M wheels are so difficult to clean.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by JCL

You have far too much time on your hands!

You may be right... Actually, you probably are right.

Now, to be clear, what follows is NOT a criticism of the current thread or any of the posters (I seem to have confused someone on another thread where they took a statement of mine to be a criticism.)

Over the years I've gotten a bit weary of so many discussions without any real data. The main example was people who constantly claim the engines in today's cars do not need a break-in, as they come from the factory ready to go. So in that case, I finally popped a few bucks to get some real data. And the real data showed that, at least for for the 2004 Z4, wear in the engine in the first couple of thousand miles was about 2-4 times the wear in the second couple of thousand. So at least one things was, in my mind, settled with the data -- modern engines still have a lot more wear going on when they are new. Now the debate can at least move onto the implications of this fact.

So maybe it's my engineering education, etc., but I like to get real data, and often wax half of my vehicle's hood with one wax, and the other half with a different wax, to get some more data, since empirical data trumps theory in my book.

[SJCFlyer]

Originally Posted by Penguin

You may be right... Actually, you probably are right.

Now, to be clear, what follows is NOT a criticism of the current thread or any of the posters (I seem to have confused someone on another thread where they took a statement of mine to be a criticism.)

Over the years I've gotten a bit weary of so many discussions without any real data. The main example was people who constantly claim the engines in today's cars do not need a break-in, as they come from the factory ready to go. So in that case, I finally popped a few bucks to get some real data. And the real data showed that, at least for for the 2004 Z4, wear in the engine in the first couple of thousand miles was about 2-4 times the wear in the second couple of thousand. So at least one things was, in my mind, settled with the data -- modern engines still have a lot more wear going on when they are new. Now the debate can at least move onto the implications of this fact.

So maybe it's my engineering education, etc., but I like to get real data, and often wax half of my vehicle's hood with one wax, and the other half with a different wax, to get some more data, since empirical data trumps theory in my book.

MMmMm. I like good data!

[rickp]

I guess I'm old school. I have Zaino'd my wheels and when it's time to clean (every other week):

1. Spray down any brake dust with water
2. Coat with simple green
3. Use a sponge and wipe off the rest

The dust comes off very easy with a rub. No type of wax is going to prevent brake dust from adhering to your wheels unless you do something about the pads.

[Sea Doom]

Originally Posted by Penguin

I did a test once, using Wheel Wax on half of the wheel, and nothing on the other half. To my surprise, the Wheel Wax side collected more brake dust than the unwaxed side.

We just completed a 6K mi. road trip with Wheel Wax on R side front and rear, and another "protectant" L side front and rear, for comparison (OEM rims and pads X '10 35d). L side wheels cleaned up SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the R side. The other "protectant" was: 2 coats of off the shelf "Endust". Go figure.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Sea Doom

We just completed a 6K mi. road trip with Wheel Wax on R side front and rear, and another "protectant" L side front and rear, for comparison (OEM rims and pads X '10 35d). L side wheels cleaned up SIGNIFICANTLY easier than the R side. The other "protectant" was: 2 coats of off the shelf "Endust". Go figure.

I do the half-a-wheel test, rather than Left or Right. as I figure the amount of dirt/dust might vary between left and right, one side being near the edge of the road and the other near the center and opposing traffic. But, as I said earlier, my first test of Wheel Wax showed it actually got "dirtier" than the untreated half, so I'm not surprised.

I suspect another problem with a lot of these products is that many wheel cleaners may remove them. This means either not using wheel cleaners, making cleaning the wheels more difficult, or re-applying it every time you wash the wheels.

I typically use S100 and a soft brush to clean the wheels, and it makes it really easy -- just spay the wheel with water, put 3-4 fine mist squirts of S100 on the wheel, brush a bit with the long-handled soft bristle brush, and spray off with water. If I have to forgo the wheel cleaner or re-apply the treatment every time, then what have I really gained?

I did note that the Wheel Wax seemed to have a lot of "cleaner grit" in it, as compared to other wheel products, so it may make sense to use it periodically to more aggressively clean, smooth, and polish the wheel. But for routine use, I find it to have a rather poor effort to benefit ratio, particularly since my first test showed it actually attracted brake dust.

I've heard that PAM Cooking Spray works on wheels, so I might give that a test as well... making sure not to get any on the rotors or pads.