That is the same procedure I use, just a different product. I hear that CG stuff works well too. Mine are the painted Lariat wheels, so I usually have a microfiber rag in some wash soap to get in the tighter areas that the wheel brush doesn't hit.

Using one of these non acid wheel cleaners really does minimize the effort needed to clean the wheels. They are safe on all wheel finishes, but their ingredients make them far more effective at removing brake dust than just a straight wash soap.

 

on my 2015 f150 i have after market black powder coated wheels, and i use dawn dish soap, its a degreaser and gentle on the paint, but it will strip any coating (like wax) off the wheels

 

I use simple green for everything. I got used to using it when i worked at a toyota dealer getting cars cleaned for sale, and just kept using it after I quit.

 

So it seems a lot of effort goes into cleaning the wheels... I have the 18" Sparkle Silver Painted wheels on my 22 and so far I haven't used any cleaners on the wheels themselves... Typically I wash the truck with Mequiar's Wash and Wax and as I am going around the truck I hit the wheels with the water hose. After I finish washing the truck I get the leaf blower out and knock most of the water off the truck and then finish the truck body with a Griot's Drying towel. Sometimes I will use the Meguiars Hot Shine on the tires to give them that wet shine look, but on the wheels I just use a cheap, clean, dry microfiber towel. I first wipe the hub covers off and then I wipe the wheels down, starting with the back wheels because the front wheels are the worst with all the brake dust. The wheels clean up real easy and really good, even without any soap or cleaners.

Saying that, after reading your comment about the Hot Rims Wheel & Tire I picked some up. It would be nice if I could just squirt some of this on the wheels and then rinse it off for those quick washes. But now that I have it I am wondering if it is ok to use it on the Silver Painted aluminum OEM wheels on my truck. I'd sure hate to mess them up because of some cleaner. I don't think it will, but just curious what others may have to say about it. This is the warning on the bottle:

 

Well you got to start somewhere. Get over the initial effort by cleaning the wheels by hand. Then find some spray on wheel cleaner that you want to use. Every week spray the wheels, get a brush, let the spray work, brush the wheels, rinse. Once a month do it all by hand. My wife just HATES cleaning her X3M wheels....she doesn't want to listen to me either.

 

I used chemical guys' wheel cleaners. They have a few products that can help. I would also take your truck to a self-high-pressure car wash. Spray the wheels with the product, wait 5 minutes and spray off. The results will be amazing. Some elbow grease may be required depending on the amount of brake dust

 

My whole truck is ceramic coated. No chrome, it’s all black. I hand wash with deionized water once a week whether it needs it or not. Like I said, it’s black and a farm truck so it needs it 😂. The ceramic makes the bath and detail easy. Takes about an hour start to finish. With the ceramic, I don’t have any swirl scratches or water spots yet and the truck is 8 months old

 

Boy, reading this thread reminds me why I got a white truck with standard STX wheels. I washed my truck maybe three times since I got it last April. I can't imagine having to washing my CCLB every week...

 

I’d still be washing it even if it was white!

 

That's my new years resolution, to wash it at least once a month once the dry months get here. But between the yardwork, the stuff around the house, the rugrats, and the work schedule, there are always excuses :/

 

The best way to clean black wheels is to remove them from the truck and deposit them into the nearest dumpster. Then, go buy some machined, polished, or chrome wheels.

 

So to follow up with the Hot Rims Wheel and Tire.... I wasn't a fan.The good thing is that it was only $7 at the local Walmart, but I ended up using over half a bottle on my (small) 33" Wrangler wheels and tires. Plus, like some other's commented on Amazon and other places, the spray tip is more of a squirt than a spray (on either of the settings). This is partly why it took so much just to do all 4 wheels just once, and it sure enough will wear your hand out just having to pull the trigger enough times to coat the wheel. A better designed spray tip could have fixed this... and speaking of nannies... the spray tip has a notch built into it that makes it child proof or something... you have to push the notch in so that the spray tip can rotate. It's a huge pain in the butt and I ended up breaking most of the tab off with my knife just to use it.

Anyway, according to the directions, I rinse the wheel and tire off, then spray this stuff on the wheel and tire, let it sit for 30 seconds, then rinse it off again. Simple. Like I mentioned above, I don't typically put a lot of effort into cleaning my wheels, but they clean up perfect with just a dry microfiber towel. I was interested in this product because if I could just spray it on and then rinse it off at least I wouldn't have to break out the microfiber towel every time I washed the truck. Being that I had washed my truck less than a week ago, the wheels and tires weren't that bad at all. The tires were still clean, and the rear wheels looked good, but I don't have to tell anyone here that the front wheels already had some brake dust building up on it. This is the perfect time I was wanting to use this product.... and it didn't really do anything. Sure, after I sprayed it on I saw it start eating away what looked like a little dirt around the edge of the wheel, but the rest of it just seemed to roll right off onto the ground. I even let it sit on the wheels for a full minute before rinsing it off, twice as long as what the instructions said. As well, I thought it was going to leave the tire itself with a deep shine, but it just looks clean and dry, kind of like before I started washing the truck.

Anyway, I have enough to do the front tires again in the bottle, and I will probably finish using it up next time I wash the truck, but I know I will still have to follow up with a clean dry microfiber towel, and then some sort of tire shine if I want the wheels to shine. At $7 I am not super disappointed, but figured I would share my results.

 

On my black wheels, I just use the car wash shampoo I use on the rest of the truck.