Hit me up...REJEX

With less than 400 miles and 1 week of driving this is what my wheels look like:

[i266.photobucket.com]
[i266.photobucket.com]

In person, they look worse than the pics. I did wash them this evening and fortunately, they washed really easy. I didn't have to use the wheel cleaner on them. Same car soap I use on the car with a soft brush. I feel much better now that they are clean, but they will be dirty again tomorrow. How come they are so dirty from the break dust? I don't remember my 986 doing this.

Joanne

Looks pretty typical; stock pads are pretty soft .Also, the 981 has cross drilled rotors, which may cause a bit more wear than solid discs.
If you ever get the chance to remove the wheels, wax both the inside and out side with Rejex or regular wax--it does make it a bit easier to keep them clean.

I agree with Mike. I found both on my 987 and on the 981, the wheels get really dirty from brake dust when the brakes are new. Once you use them for a 1000 or so miles, the discs become smoother (mine had a fine crosshatch pattern when they were new.) and pads develop a bit of a hard surface. On our road trip, there was hardly any dust on the wheels after 400 - 500 miles.

If you don't let the dust sit on there too long (I wash mine once a week.), it will wash right off. And, like Mike, I find by waxing the wheels, the dust washes off even easier. I have never had to use wheel cleaner of any kind. Just use sponge and water and wax them once every 6 - 8 weeks. Another nice thing with the design of your wheels, aside from looking great, is that it's easy to get behind the spokes to clean the back of the wheels.

As Mike suggests, recently, when I removed my wheels (to have them rebalanced), I thoroughly cleaned not only the fronts, but the backs (or inside) as well.

Then I gave them a good coat of Rejex.

You'll find that rain accentuates the nasty appearance of brake dust. Wheels that look a bit dusty when they are dry, will turn absolutely gross once they've been driven on wet roads.

As Guenter says, it will subside somewhat after 1000 miles.

I switched to Hawk HPS pads on the front wheels, years ago, for the sole purpose of reducing brake pad dust. That helped. They now dust about the same as the rears (they used to be twice as bad).

If you wax them, DON'T use a chemical wheel cleaner, as it will likely strip the wax. Use regular car wash soap, and be as gentle as you would be with the car's body. After all, the wheels, too, are painted. Yup, that's right; that pretty silver is not bare metal.

HTH

R

Too bad there isn't an aerodynamic design where the brake dust is sucked away from the wheels...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2013 10:53AM by RainyDayGarage. (view changes)

I've found that my grey wheels hide the dust very well. I don't have to clean my wheels often. Lol

On my SUV, I've noticed that I hardly ever have brake dust, and can go months without dirty wheels. Maybe Japanese cars use pads that give off less dust?

Spray on a 50/50 water and simple green solution. Let set for a min. then rinse off. Works better than anything I have tried. I used this on my Fikse profil 10s which are the hardest wheels in the world to clean.

Not sure if you've used wheels brushes on your other car, but they sure making cleaning the inside of the wheel a lot easier.
I use something like this one--there are lots of variations, at different price points:
[www.kmart.com]

Will help, won't stop the dust, but will make cleaning easier. We have fresh stock in and ready to go.

I have it on all my vehicles for a reason.

This is my favorite cleaner, it goes on sale every March
P21S 5 liter Jug

German cleaner for a German car

On the plus side you 19" Boxster S wheels are one of the easier styles to clean.

I had the same problem with my Cayman. I hated the fact I couldn't drive around the block without my wheels getting filthy. I bought ceramic brake pads. Aside from the fact that the supplier and the mechanic couldn't figure out what size fit until my third trip, the results have been fantastic. I no longer have a dust problem. Period. If there is any less braking performance, I haven't noticed it. And no squeaking, either.

To reach way inside the wheels, I use this long wheel brush. Great for also reaching calipers and inside wheel wells.

[www.autogeek.net]

To clean the wheel spokes I use a softer material such as this:

[www.autogeek.net]

Happy cleaning

I hate cleaning wheels for all the obvious reasons.... Do these cleaners really work? Honestly.

I have tried cleaners before and they never work. They all say (or said because it has been a while for me) that agitation is required for difficult or heavily soiled wheels. I guess my wheel always met this criterion hence they did nothing more than ordinary detergent and water. I use an old tube sock over my hand to get my fingers into the crevice where the spoke meets the out wheel, one by one. I hate this and NEVER found a spray on cleaner that worked. I shoot my wheels with Zaino and sometimew with a wax to make it "easier" next time..... it never is.

So some honesty here, is there a product that will brake up the dust in those hard to get to areas without rubbing?

Peace
Bruce in Philly

On my prior Boxster I used the Meguiars wheel cleaner. Just sprayed it on, washed the car, then used the wheel brush 1 time over and rinsed with hose. They always came out really clean. Never had a problem.

Joanne

I think the key is to clean your wheels regularly. ( I usually wash my car, which includes the wheels, once a week). Brake dust is corrosive and will eat into the finish, so if you leave it on too long, there's nothing that will clean up pitted wheels. I've never had to use anything but water and sponge to clean mine up, along with an application of wax every couple of months.

Here are my wheels after 67K miles. This was on our way to BRBS after 450 mi. of driving since being washed.



Close up of front wheel.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2013 02:37PM by Guenter in Ontario. (view changes)

The cleaner helps if you've gone a couple of weeks without washing the car, car wash soap works well and is probably the safest approach. I like the tubesock idea

1. put wheel wax (heat tolerant wax) on the surface
2. clean them often, with the same cleaner you use to wash the car

Remember, wheels are painted. Treat it like paint.

Low dust brake pads, in general, have side effects. Mostly low temperature ( including many ceramics, whcih sound good but are not, really high temp). OK if you dont actually need exceptional brakes. Which would be a shame.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Quote
Harvey in FL
To reach way inside the wheels, I use this long wheel brush. Great for also reaching calipers and inside wheel wells.

[www.autogeek.net]

To clean the wheel spokes I use a softer material such as this:

[www.autogeek.net]

Happy cleaning

I bought the x-mas tree brush a couple years ago - and used it one time. It's sitting in the cabinet collecting dust. The problem? When your inner barrels and behind the spokes are covered in brake dust, inserting this thing into the wheel, then pulling it out causes nothing but CHAOS. It was a real mess. Splattered wet brake dust (after rinsing too) all over me, my clothes and the car and wheels. Never again.

I use the long handled sponge versions from Griots (and others)...works well, no splatter.

If someone has figured out the xmas tree brush trick, please let me know. It's a fine product, but its use is simply a mess.

I use the P2 car wash and used it to clean the wheels with a brush and then microfiber towel. They cleaned easily. I'll get the Rejex for the next clean, real soon.

I don't remember the break dust being this bad previously. I think I'm up to 500 miles on my car, can't wait to get to the 1000 where this will be less.

Joanne

Rationalization: I've always considered dirty wheels on a sports car a sign that someone has got their priorities in order: more time driving, less time washing. So, good for you!

Paint the whole car and wheels in brown primer (not a new idea - it was cool in the 50's). No need to wash and wax. Just drive through a puddle every once in a while if it gets too dirty.

Actually, I purchased my track BBS RS-GT's in anodized black just for that reason. That way all that nasty dust is hidden in plain site...