[DavyNM]

bought a set of almost new 20" wheels(early birthday present for myself).

how do I ceramic coat them before installing them on my car? is it pretty much the same way as ceramic coating the rest of the car? inside of the wheels is always the dirtiest part of the car due to crap from the road and brake dust. are there heavy-duty and/or special ceramic coatings designed for the wheels?

thanks in advance!

[lllRazorlll]

Clean them with rubbing alcohol and then apply wheel ceramic coating on them. It's just like ceramic coating that you apply on the body paint.

This is what I used https://amzn.to/4uQ1a3R

[TboneS54]

I would use a proper "panel wipe" spray (like often used on car paint, pre-coating) rather than simple IPA. They're only like $10-15 for a bottle. But IPA is better than nothing I guess. Soapy water would prob be fine given that it's a new set of wheels.

Get some vinyl gloves and a foam or MF applicator and wipe them down with the coating, then wipe off with with a short nap (pearl is best) weave 80/20 mf towel (probably 2 wipe offs). Some coatings need to be wiped off immediately; some up to 10 minutes sitting.

I like Gyeon, but Carpro, Gtechniq, armour detail supply, adams et al are great.

[daryl rsv4]

There are a ton of You tube videos on how to do this.

[mmarsalone]

Originally Posted by lllRazorlll

Clean them with rubbing alcohol and then apply wheel ceramic coating on them. It's just like ceramic coating that you apply on the body paint.

This is what I used https://amzn.to/4uQ1a3R

I've used the Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armor on two vehicles now, my previous Macan, and my recently arrived Z4.

I just did the wheels on the Z4 yesterday. I bought two bottles. I guess I lay it on a little heavy. Plus I wanted some to do the calipers too. I also not only the barrels, but the inside of the spokes as well.

My wheels were just a few weeks old, and had been cleaned recently, so they were not too bad to begin with. Yesterday I still cleaned them with Griots Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner. Then hosed them down and dried thoroughly. And prior to ceramic coating each one, they were cleaned with CarPro Eraser.

The wheels are tedious, but well worth the effort. And changing to ceramic brake pads for daily drivers or weekend cars helps too to keep them clean.

[TboneS54]

You might be surprised how little coating is needed on the surface.

[spazzz]

Don't put it on heavy around the wheel weights. The coating will soak into the foam and sit on the edge making a ridge.
You will not know until it's time for new tires.
I take my own weights off and this last time I had 2 wheels with a ceramic line that is better left alone after removing the weights.

[Phillies8008]

Though it's more of a pain, applying the coating to a wheel that's off the car is easier in the end and allows you to better reach hard to get to parts of it. If you're going to take the time to coat the wheels you might was well put in a bit more effort to do it right, IMO.

[fiveightandten]

Consider the wheel weights. So be sure not to coat the barrels until after the tires are mounted and balanced. When I coat the barrels, I wipe the coating on and don't buff it off. Use the applicator to level it and leave it. This leaves a lot more product on for longevity, but if you get the tires changed in short order you will need to polish it off.

For the faces, it's the same as doing the car. You clean them thoroughly, wipe with a panel wipe and/or 50/50 iso/water, then dry completely. Using a blower is pretty much essential if you're going to coat them right after washing. Wheels have tons of little crevices where water gets trapped and they will take a while to air dry. Either leave them in the sun, or blow them off completely with a blower to get ALL the water off. That's essential to ensure the coating adheres.

If you get a little water on your applicator, it'll contaminate the product and you'll be wiping water around on the wheel and the coating won't adhere. You won't be able to tell water from product. 100% dry is key.

And I'd say you need to do them off the car for best results. There's just no way to get the coating into all the little crevices with the wheels on the car, and the job is much more difficult.

[CL305]

Piggybacking on the OP's inquiry...

If I purchase a new set of rims (tires not installed yet), considering the wheel weights need to be installed BEFORE the Ceramic Coating, what is the recommended order of operation?

1) Bring rims + tires to local shop to assemble them together, and add wheel weights (dumb question... do the wheels need to be installed on the car to properly install weights?)

2) Bring set back home to apply ceramic to fully assembled wheels (off of car)

3) Bring finished wheels back to local shop to install on the car (I don't own tools or have the space to remove/install the wheels myself)

Thank you in advance...

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

Though it's more of a pain, applying the coating to a wheel that's off the car is easier in the end and allows you to better reach hard to get to parts of it. If you're going to take the time to coat the wheels you might was well put in a bit more effort to do it right, IMO.

once I coat the wheels and install them to the car, can I still use wheel cleaners in the future? or will wheel cleaner or iron remover chemicals end up wiping out the ceramic coating?

thanks!

[TboneS54]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

once I coat the wheels and install them to the car, can I still use wheel cleaners in the future? or will wheel cleaner or iron remover chemicals end up wiping out the ceramic coating?

thanks!

They may break it down faster. I don't believe the chemistry of the iron removing wheel sprays would be too bad, as it is often suggested to use the same technology on your car paint every so often to keep your coating from getting "clogged."

I would assume the typical, more caustic, wheel cleaners would break down the coating faster. LIke those wheel brite type cleaners. Not to mention the physical abrading while cleaning.

So I use touchless as much as possible. Wheels coated, use the iron removing type spray (griot's wheel HD or meg's ultimate wheel), then hit it with nanoskin recharge (like wetcoat) to help keep the coating alive so to speak. Then blowdry.

[fiveightandten]

Originally Posted by CL305

Piggybacking on the OP's inquiry...

If I purchase a new set of rims (tires not installed yet), considering the wheel weights need to be installed BEFORE the Ceramic Coating, what is the recommended order of operation?

1) Bring rims + tires to local shop to assemble them together, and add wheel weights (dumb question... do the wheels need to be installed on the car to properly install weights?)

2) Bring set back home to apply ceramic to fully assembled wheels (off of car)

3) Bring finished wheels back to local shop to install on the car (I don't own tools or have the space to remove/install the wheels myself)

Thank you in advance...

In your case I would coat the faces of the wheels before going to the installer. Then after install you could do your best to reach in and coat the barrels, but that’s going to be tough. You may just have to skip it.

The weights are added after the tire is mounted to the wheel. Then they are mounted to the car.

Wheel coating doesn’t last as long as coating on the car’s paint, and is something you generally need to repeat once per year. So without being able to remove the wheels from the car, you’ll have to re-coat them while mounted next time. You won’t be able to clean the barrels sufficiently to re-coat those, hence why I mentioned skipping that and just doing the faces.

Hope that helps.

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

once I coat the wheels and install them to the car, can I still use wheel cleaners in the future? or will wheel cleaner or iron remover chemicals end up wiping out the ceramic coating?

thanks!

Most recommendations I've seen are just to use a pH neutral car soap and occasionally something like Brake Buster if needed. Theoretically Brake Buster, etc. shouldn't be needed nearly as often as a non-coated wheel.

At any rate, this is the strategy I'm going to use and adjust as needed.

[M5Rick]

Presume they're not noticeably kerbed in which case they'd need diamond cutting first.

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

Most recommendations I've seen are just to use a pH neutral car soap and occasionally something like Brake Buster if needed. Theoretically Brake Buster, etc. shouldn't be needed nearly as often as a non-coated wheel.

At any rate, this is the strategy I'm going to use and adjust as needed.

I didn't think of this until the wheels arrived. They have a satin/matte finish.(not glossy clear coat)

What happens if I apply ceramic coating to the satin/matte finish?

Thanks!