Nick@Autogeek

When it comes to wheel cleaners, the options are endless, the tools are diverse, and it's almost certain that you can find a combination of chemicals and tools for your particular application.

With the never ending search for a better product in each respective category, Griot's Garage has done it again with their new Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner. This wheel cleaner is pH balanced, non-acidic, and features a non-caustic formula so it is safe for even the most delicate wheel finishes - including uncoated aluminum.



Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner clings to the surface of the wheel to release stubborn brake dust and other contaminants to make cleaning a breeze. Save time and money by having only one wheel cleaner in your arsenal of car care products.

I had the opportunity to put Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner to the test on severely neglected wheels that had not been cleaned in several months. When trying any new wheel cleaning product, I'm usually pretty skeptical because they all claim to be the best, but with Griot's Garage reputation for manufacturing high quality car care products at a great value, I can honestly say I wasn't very skeptical when it came time to use their newest creation.

You can see right away how filthy these wheels were. It's always critical to clean your wheels often because brake dust particulars are ferrous and will damage the surface of your wheel.




Before spraying on the wheel cleaner, thoroughly rinse the wheel first. It's very important that the wheel is also cool to the touch prior to cleaning.




Liberally spray the Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner on the face of the wheel and in between the spokes.




Let the wheel cleaner sit for 3-5 minutes while it breaks up the brake dust and road grime. As the wheel cleaner interacts with iron particles and road grime, it changes color from being translucent to red.




After the cleaner has sat for a couple minutes, agitate using your favorite wheel brush. I always grab my Daytona Speed Master just because it's quick, easy to use, and effectively cleans in all the hard to reach areas because of its flexible design.




Give the wheel a good rinse with a strong jet of water, dry it off, and apply a protective wheel coating such as DP Wheel Glaze and you're good to go until the next round of cleaning!




Griot's Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner is a safe, effective means of cleaning any neglected wheel finish. It doesn't burn or dry out your skin and contains no harsh chemical smell that lingers in the air. Griot's Garage HD Wheel Cleaner is also much more cost effective than similar heavy duty wheel cleaners, a 35oz is only $16.99 and a gallon is $49.99.




Have fun in your garage with Griot's Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner!

Nick@Autogeek

We've been getting a lot of great feedback on the Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner so far. It's now in stock in both the 35oz and 128oz refill size.

S197GT07

How is this VS the Sonax wheel cleaner?

I picked up some Sonax and wasn't impressed with it. From all the pictures I've seen I expected there to be tons of red, and yet it remained green. Unless the cars they use to do the pictures have been neglected for 20 years, I wasn't to happy.

I used this on my DD that hasn't seen a wheel cleaner in at least 6 months.

Nick@Autogeek

Sonax turns red when it reacts with ferrous iron particles, the color changing is a chemical reaction. If your wheels weren't that contaminated with iron particles, then it won't be changing color to red, however that doesn't mean the cleaner isn't working.

Was the wheel cool to the touch prior to cleaning? What kind of brush did you use?

The Griot's Garage HD Wheel Cleaner is very easy to use, and has excellent cleaning ability. It's definitely comparable to Sonax, although it's a much better value considering how much you get for the price.

If you haven't seen it already, check out my How To: Properly Clean, Protect, & Maintain Wheels & Tires thread. It will give you plenty of helpful tips and tricks to proper wheel and tire care.

S197GT07

Wheels were cool to the touch and I didn't use a brush at the time. Every writeup I've seen showed massive amounts of red before agitation was applied.

I'll continue to use up the bottle, then give this stuff a try.

Thanks for the reply.