Car Detailing Step #4 - Wheels and Tires

Nothing stands out about a set of dry-looking tires and dusty wheels. To get the attention you want, you've got to make them shine.

Like I mentioned earlier, you should have already soaped and rinsed the tires when you were pre-washing the car. This removed excess brake dust (black), mud, dirt, etc. from the surfaces. They should be clean, just not sparkling. Now it's time to add the bling.

For the wheels (the metal part), there are various substances that are very good at removing even stubborn brake dust from alloy and steel wheels. This step is important if you have alloy or chrome wheels. Since they are of a silver-color, dark brake dust dulls the shine and just looks messy. If you have gunmetal alloy (like me) or black steel wheels, you don't have to worry as much.

I have been using Turtle Wax Foaming Wheel Cleaner for years and I'm very pleased with the results. I'm not sure if they still make it though. It probably goes by another name. You just spray it liberally on your wheels, then attack it with a brush. It foams as you scrub, and when you rinse it off with a hose, your wheels are incredibly clean. It might be handy to invest in a brush tool especially for this job (if you are very picky about the look of your rims). They make them with tough bristles to scrub away dirt without damaging the finish. Plus, examples like mine have bendable heads to help scrub in tight spaces and behind spokes.

Notice the difference:






















(*ignore the text in the image - I borrowed it from an ad)

For the actual rubber part, many products advertise high-shine and gloss, but really it also depends on the age and style of the tire. I recommend borrowing different brands from your friends and testing them out on your ride. Then go buy the one you like. I used to use Armor-All for mine, but I found that the rich, black effect wasn't long-lasting. Regular Armor-All is too thin of a solution for tires; it is better suited for interior pieces.

I used Black Magic Tire Wet and was OK with the results. The consistency is like that of olive oil, meaning that it goes on thicker. I just sprayed it on the rubber sidewall of my tire (no need to dress the treads), let it soak in for a minute, then rubbed off the excess and evened out the application with a rag. The results were darker, healthier-looking tires, but not really any shine.

Hmm... this is more like the end result that I was looking for: