[Titleist71]

check out my solution in my journal. hehe.....black on black would look sick.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/toddem.../ph//my_photos

[rzezeski]

Originally Posted by Titleist71

check out my solution in my journal. hehe.....black on black would look sick.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/toddem.../ph//my_photos

Trust me, i've been thinking about painting them black . P.S. What's up with the GTI? My past 5 cars were VWs .


2fas4u, I tried simple green and it did nothing. Then I tried WD-40 and the crude came off like it was whip cream on there (if that makes any sense at all). However, there are still little specs that seem to be totaly embedded into the clearcoat/rim. I just don't see how any typical cleaning solution (short of some paint thinner or something) is going to remove them. I think a clay bar could possibly work, but even then i'm skeptical.

[VSGTS14]

please don't use simple green...not made for cars...

PLEASE FOR GOD SAKE use this

http://204.202.239.40/product_info.p...8ad351a267a203

you can use this ANYWHERE and it's safe and strong.
home depot sells it...
i use it for rims, tires, the paint, wiping down interior, engine bay...

it's just awesome stuff.

[ammarX786]

use clay bar, I use it every few months and even the little black dots come off

[lokutus1]

damn! those are some clean @$$ shoes yo!

[JuniorRSX]

mine look just like that, all clean and what not. i cleaned mine before i stored them in the basement for winter. sometimes i sneak down there just to look at them, and smell them... they still smell new. can't wait till spring so i can put them back on.

[HarlanPepper]

I absolutely hate cleaning STI rims. My version of hell would be having to clean an unending pile of rims with a toothbrush.

Does anyone have a specialty brush or tool of some kind to make it easier? I just use a fuzzy wool mit car wash thing and by the end of the job my right hand is useless. Here's my workflow - I never take the rims off:

1) clean the tire
2) clean the lip of the rim all the way around
3) clean the center cap & bolt area
4) clean the recessed areas on the front of each spoke
5) clean the inside wall of each spoke to the nook near the center cap
6) clean that little bit behind where the spoke meets the lip - little half-circle bit you have to reach around to get a finger back there. hardest near the front brake calipers
7) clean the spaces between where the spokes meet the lip. Where all the dust accumulates and the little pits seem to form.
8) clean the brake calipers. usually have to roll the car forward a few inches to complete the job.

Part 7 seems to take more time than anything. But I have to say, they look damn good when they're clean. Until you drive 5 miles...

[rzezeski]

HAHA, i hear ya man. Part 7 is the worst by far. I think the STi is a hard car to clean in general, everything seems to take forever and require a lot of effort (and I'll still have water spots here and there). My VWs were so easy to clean, especially my GTIs.

[thomez]

my solution = dark charcoal metallic paint

looks great on psm IMO!

I'll post pics when I get the car back

I bought the darn thing to drive, not spend hours trying to make the wheels look good for the next couple hours!!!

I feel everyone's pain on this issue lol

[rzezeski]

OK, i just came up with the ULTIMATE solution. We'll all put big flappers on our roofs and install a button that opens our doors with hydraulics and we will just use the extra drag to stop (kinda like ariplanes) . Maybe add a paracute or even a boat anchor for thoose "emergency" situations . This way we never have to use the brakes and mess up our pretty wheels.

[Pkskull77]

Originally Posted by rzezeski

Yea that's why I applied the mothers. Back when I had my 2000 GTI I applied a coat of mothers about once a week for a few months straight. The wheels were so slick I could almost blow the dust off my rims.

If I get a chance I may try the clay bar tomorrow on the bad spots and see where it gets me. Mainly I have a bunch of small black spots I can't out, but they seem to be invisible to the camera.

Clay will definently get those off!

[ghibli99]

Looks amazing!

Hopefully you have some Hawks on there or something so that you don't burst into tears 5 minutes after driving those pristine rims around, and find them covered in the stockers' infamous grime.

[ldivinag]

Originally Posted by rzezeski

OK, i just came up with the ULTIMATE solution. We'll all put big flappers on our roofs and install a button that opens our doors with hydraulics and we will just use the extra drag to stop (kinda like ariplanes) . Maybe add a paracute or even a boat anchor for thoose "emergency" situations . This way we never have to use the brakes and mess up our pretty wheels.

unfortunately, we are not going fast enough to use air brakes...

the parachute migh work.

boat anchor does, but it needs to hook onto something...



me? screw it, they are just rims. spray on some rim cleaner liquid, and high pressure away...

like everyone says, in about a day or so, it's all over again... lol....

[mx_9]

I went to Carbotech Bobcats last year. These pads dust far less than the stock pads and the wheels never get as dirty. It use to be dirty wheels that forced me to wash my car, now it's a dirty car that forces me to wash the car. The wheels simply don't get that dirty anymore.