Take your wheels off to clean the backside ?

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Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
No. I have far better things to do with my time.


Amen!


But if the wheels are already off?

If something is removed dirty, it gets installed clean...



Exactly. When I rotate my own tires I clean them as needed. Usually about every other rotation. Whether there is any benefit to it, I can't say but I like knowing it was clean going back on.
I don't consider the 2 - 3 minutes per wheel I spend cleaning a "waste of time." But I guess not doing the cleaning would give some people the extra time to be on a forum and make pompous remarks!
 
I tend to grind the scale and rust off of the mating surface when I do winter-summer tire swap.

Unfortunately the wheels that have the most clear-coat damage on my cars are the OEM Mercedes wheels on the E320 (Go figure)..
 
Sweet Walter P. Chrysler on a bicycle... no! Not unless there's a buildup that might affect wheel balance. The things people waste time washing (and making youtube videos of themselves washing and waxing) on cars amazes me. I'd rather turn wrenches and actually DO something.
 
Not specifically but whenever they're off they get a thorough cleaning.
smile.gif
 
The only time I clean the rims from the backside is just before I buy new tires on them. I do it to ensure that the tire balancing will be as perfect as possible.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Yes, twice a year when I change from summer to winter wheels, I thoroughly clean the wheels front and back.


That's what I do.
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I won't remove rims just to do that. If I happen to have them off for something else, and I have the time, then yes.




Great answer in my opinion.

It can be a lot of trouble to go through, but if you are in there for an oil change, brake job, greasing alamites, then yeah....or tire rotations etc.......but some folks might not rotate tires and may not remove the wheels for a decade or so at a time......then it makes better sense to pull the tires specifically for cleaning, oiling, inspection. I like spinning the brake rotors/hubs by hand while 'in there' to feel the smoothness of the wheel bearings!
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Sweet Walter P. Chrysler on a bicycle... no! Not unless there's a buildup that might affect wheel balance. The things people waste time washing (and making youtube videos of themselves washing and waxing) on cars amazes me. I'd rather turn wrenches and actually DO something.



Easy fella.....i think you are on my UBB buddies so I will chime in......so, you want to wait until it is broke before it gets fixed? Wait until the engine grenades then throw in a reman? OR get on top op preventative maintenance and fix a one dollar part or do some free labor before stuff gets ruined.............I am here to help
 
I will do it whenever I am doing a rotate. I will probably have the wheels off Saturday to work on my brake cooling kit, so I will do it then as well. It is easier for me because I will put them on my front yard grass while I work on the car so they are out of the way.
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
I only do that when I polish the muffler, or wax my axles.,,,


or refill my blinker fluid
 
For the people who call it a waste of time, in theory think about the weight added to your wheels from a thick layer of brake dust. I have measured before due to the sheer amount of dust that collects on my rx7's wheels. 2.5lbs lighter after cleaning inside and out. So in reality, it does make your car ever so slightly more efficient as it is weight reduction. It isn't useless. Just negligible.
 
Originally Posted By: mazdamonky
For the people who call it a waste of time, in theory think about the weight added to your wheels from a thick layer of brake dust. I have measured before due to the sheer amount of dust that collects on my rx7's wheels. 2.5lbs lighter after cleaning inside and out. So in reality, it does make your car ever so slightly more efficient as it is weight reduction. It isn't useless. Just negligible.

These are the same people that wax their cars yearly, annual oil changes and change their filters every other oil change
crackmeup2.gif

I pull my wheels off and clean the backside after all the winter rains have come and gone, custom rims look like [censored] when you see all the gunk on the backside.
 
Originally Posted By: Malo83
Originally Posted By: mazdamonky
For the people who call it a waste of time, in theory think about the weight added to your wheels from a thick layer of brake dust. I have measured before due to the sheer amount of dust that collects on my rx7's wheels. 2.5lbs lighter after cleaning inside and out. So in reality, it does make your car ever so slightly more efficient as it is weight reduction. It isn't useless. Just negligible.

These are the same people that wax their cars yearly, annual oil changes and change their filters every other oil change
crackmeup2.gif

I pull my wheels off and clean the backside after all the winter rains have come and gone, custom rims look like [censored] when you see all the gunk on the backside.


See, I don't wax my cars as much as I should, however yes wheels do not look anywhere near as good when they end up having a thick layer of black on the back of them and the shiny is dull. Gotta wash rims at least once every two weeks to keep them looking good.
 
Just finished cleaning and waxing the winter wheels today.
So yes I do. Now have the summer tires and wheels on. They were cleaned and waxed front and back in the fall. Also polished the SS exhaust pipes and mufflers.
 
I've been most of the top detailers do it on a routine basis. With the right products it doesn't take too long. Especially when we're talking about nice cars.
 
I bought a wheel brush from Griot's Garage (I think?). It comes with a large and small brush. I use it every time I wash the car. Maybe adds 10 mins to the wash cycle. I used to do it when I rotated the tires, but I prefer to do it this way now. Its nice to have the inside of the wheels looking good!
 
Originally Posted By: mazdamonky
Originally Posted By: Malo83
Originally Posted By: mazdamonky
For the people who call it a waste of time, in theory think about the weight added to your wheels from a thick layer of brake dust. I have measured before due to the sheer amount of dust that collects on my rx7's wheels. 2.5lbs lighter after cleaning inside and out. So in reality, it does make your car ever so slightly more efficient as it is weight reduction. It isn't useless. Just negligible.

These are the same people that wax their cars yearly, annual oil changes and change their filters every other oil change
crackmeup2.gif

I pull my wheels off and clean the backside after all the winter rains have come and gone, custom rims look like [censored] when you see all the gunk on the backside.


See, I don't wax my cars as much as I should, however yes wheels do not look anywhere near as good when they end up having a thick layer of black on the back of them and the shiny is dull. Gotta wash rims at least once every two weeks to keep them looking good.





Or you could get better brake pads or try the armor all wheel protectant.
 
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