Best way to preserve my wheels?

[Gipson]

Hey wheel nuts I have a set of as new ronal turbos and want to keep them in this condition, been having nightmares that theyll eventually get the little metal worm look under the clear like so many wheels do

is there a way to prevent this from happening or do all wheels deteriorate after a while. other than keeping them clean and in the dry is there anything to put on them etc that will keep them in top nick?

cheers in advance
Dan

[Mrk_Mickey]

Grab some sealant from a detailing store spray it on, let it sit, buff it off and rest easy

I only know of Carcareproducts here in sydney but I'm sure there's someone in Perth in the business. The products I'd go for would be either OptiSeal, Duragloss and Zaino (I think they're made by Duragloss). DMS Dan will be able to give you exact product names.

[Manaz]

My understanding is that the "worm" occurs when people use harsh cleaning agents on the wheels and it eats into the surface and you end up with pitting, etc. Some wheel cleaners are very harsh - they can be quite caustic. Alternatively, it happens when people don't clean the wheels at all!

I've recently purchased a set of 17" Aristos that I want to protect, and I asked DMS Dan what he recommended - he said to give them a good clean, and then to give them a coat of wax or sealant - he recommended Opti-Seal (a synthetic paint sealant - synthetics last longer, particularly under harsh conditions such as your wheels experience), and that's what I've used. Once that's done, just wash them with regular car shampoo each time, and once they stop beading nicely when wet, just give them another quick coat.

It's really easy to put on (I grabbed a microfibre mitt and have kept it dedicated to wheel sealing) - I sprayed it on the mitt and then rubbed it onto the paint - the wheels looked fantastic, and I'll know next weekend how well it's helped in shedding the brake dust and other dirt off the wheel at wash time...

For the Ronals, if they have a different finish, Dan may recommend something different.

[rayray086]

Just keep the wheels looking clean and nice. I'd imagine the Turbos would be quite easy to clean!

I've heard of the "metal worm" effect occurring from cracks in the clear followed by water seeping in, causing the metal underneath to oxidise. The cracks could be caused by a number of things, including moving debris on the road like rocks that hit the wheel while you're moving.

The sealants mentioned above should provide extra protection from the elements. I've used wheel wax myself and although it helped with cleaning (brake dust would just wipe off clean), it felt like it didn't do much in the way of blocking out flying rocks hitting my wheels.

[Mrk_Mickey]

Yeah, unfortunately even waxes that are dedicated to wheels aren't that strong. A sealant is your best bet because as Manaz stated, it's made for harsher environments and the synthetics are just stronger to begin with.

[Mika]

I just use toughseal wheel wax on my wheels. The wheels I have arrived from japan with that crazed oxidisation all over the dish on them, so I had to have them refurbished. The guy who did the refurb gave me a cleaning solvent called "powersolv" to clean them, which is pretty good with brake dust and non-acidic, and the toughseal wax. Wheels were refurbed without the clear coat, so I wax them once a month or every second wash.