Thinking of applying Opti-coat 2.0 on Sport Techno's (in painted Black), wondering if anyone has any experience with this on Wheels..

I keep the Sport Techno's very clean, (inside surface as well with a weekly or every other week wash) but even within a couple of days of the cleaning the brake dust quickly coats them, (dulls the black sheen off).

Ideally I'm really looking for something that would make the brake dust stick less easily as well as would allow it to wash off easier (brake dust won't come off with rinsing, must use sponge or brush)..

Anyway, thinking Opti-coat or alternative as a way of helping with this.. Any thoughts or experience appreciated.

 

my friend just did his whole car, apparently it works amazingly well, im having my audi done soon, ive heard nothing but good things about the product

with regards applying it to paint, its all about the prep, you really should have good paint correction then apply it, the application doesnt take long and doesnt cost much.

With wheels im guessing they just need to be as clean as possible before applying.

 

Yeah, I'm not looking to do the paint just the car only the wheels.. (Already have the car nano-coated and am satisfied with that for now.)

What I'm hoping to find out is how well the wheels resist brake dust (and other dirt) buildup.

 

Been there and done that! Opti-Coat, Zaino, Adams, Meguiars, Wheel Wax, even cheapo NuFinish. In fact I've tested many different heat resistant nano and/or polymer based sealants on wheels. Some were better than others but nothing was a huge stand out. All of them help with brake dust and most allow cleanup with just car wash soap which in itself is a huge benefit. (Many people wax their wheels then clean them with wheel cleaner, most of which take the wax right off.)

Clean wheels are a pet peeve of mine, hence all the testing. I wash my cars and wheels weekly so normally brake dust isn't a huge deal however my '14 991S brake pads have been a real challenge! One day and they are a wreck.

The best thing I have found for my own wheels is to top the sealant with ArmourAll Wheel Protectant. It's a spray-on and walk away coating. For best results it takes about an hour to dry. The full effect lasts a couple weeks. I would say it has reduced my brake dust accumulation on my Sport Techno's by about 70-80%. As time goes by the wheels will accumulate enough so that you will need to wash. But in my case instead of really needing washing several times a week, I can keep them looking darn near perfect the full week. As I said, I wash weekly anyway. I am a geeky perfectionist.

Just yesterday I did another test. I coated the left side wheels with ArmorAll and left the right side ones uncoated. I did a roughly 60 mile PCA drive and then checked the wheels. The coated side still looked fantastic. The uncoated side already had huge amounts of build up, especially in the barrels. Friends at the PCA event were pretty amazed. (Sorry, didn't take pictures and aren't near the car now)

The ArmorAll has been the absolute best thing I've used so far. And as a detailing pro, admitting that is like scratching my fingernails on a chalkboard! But it's true. It's the only ArmorAll product I've purchased in 25 years!

Give it a try. You have nothing to lose but dust!

 

Since your wheels are black, it's almost near impossible to have something on them that won't show brake dust after a few miles of driving. You can however, use a spray wax on them to help with the cleanup.

I think you may have p21s gel wheel cleaner. If you do, simply do an initial spray on while the wheels are dry, wash the car as usual, then come back and hit wheels with pressure washer and wash them as usual. Almost 80+% of the dust will rinse off, and what's left over should be easy to get to with ex detail brush and another round of gel wheel cleaner.

I've also heard several people raving about armor all wheel protectant...but as you would have guessed it, I'm very skeptical of the long-term effects of the product on the clear coat of the wheels.

Also, we've got CQuartz Finest and Modesta now...an improved nano coating than what we put on your 991 when we did initial service.

When you're ready, we can apply that and do the wheels at the same time.

If you do decide to do opticoat, make sure to dismount wheels and polish them to remove swirls and scratches. Coatings like that need as flawless of a finish to adhere to.

 

I have the Sport Classic wheels...a bit harder to clean than yours. I Opti Coated the wheels myself and have found that I can just use a pressure washer on them and towel dry. Don't need any other brushes, cleaning products, nada. I kind of laugh when I hear about peoples wheel cleaning regimen, seems like a big waste of time, energy and product.

The Armoral wheel protectant works well. Keeps wheels clean for a couple weeks. But, you have to learn how to use it and be very thorough. If not, you will get build up of brake dust in the areas that you missed spraying...

Good luck!

 

I have your exact wheels. I applied opticoat 2 to front wheels. Didn't have time to do all four. I washed, clayed, and polished before applying. At next wash I did notice the water beaded more and they cleaned easier but I didn't notice any less brake dust.
After 5000 miles I have several pinpoint 1 mm and less tiny stone chips. I guess comes w the territory.
That armor all product sure sounds good but I thought I remember reading somewhere that it may not be appropriate for my painted sport techno wheels.

 

Just be cautious of any spray/aerosol products. My service guy for my Mercedes daily driver said on one AMG model he gets in had some unknown tire product accumulate on the rotors and totally screwed up the pads with all the gunk.

One reason I wish I had the ceramic option. No dust. Would be worth the cost!!

As far as rusty rotors go. I've heard Hyde's is great at preventing rust which ends up getting all over your wheels after the first drive. I'm going to try it soon.

Getting it from DetailedImage.com

 

I read that also, ArmourAll leaves some sort of sheen or rainbowish effect on chrome and painted wheels, but works well on aluminum wheels.

 

I had my wheels dismounted and opti-coated inside and outside by Auto Concierge here in N. Cal. I concur with socalsteve's comment with the power washer taking most of the dust off. I still hit my wheels with Sonax Full Effect afterwards, but I may stop that in the future.

 

If you have them coated, just use your normal car wash soap on them. Those harsh cleaners will strip off those expensive coatings just like that!

 

I too have the black technos and I'm having a hell of a time keeping them looking nice after a day of driving. Also a huge detailing freak here, but the black rims are tough to keep looking nice. I'm a sonax and p21s guy and I use powerlok by menzerna on my cars and rims. It works well, but the black rims are tough--I won't buy black rims ever again. I have a few tiny nicks too, curious to see how they look at 20k or 40k miles (won't be with me, but I can't imagine they'll look too great).

Btw, I thought that rust spray was bad for the brakes, remember reading about something similar before. I may be done with steel rotors after this car too, I hate the rust and dust.

 

I think the 8K or whatever is worth years of irritation and extra hours of ones lifetime cleaning wheels!

Ha ha.

 

Haha, I hear ya, now go tell that to the $400 oil change crowd
Sorry I couldn't resist

 

I got a good laugh out of that one! Thanks a lot

I needed that. It's been a long day.