ZO6_Dom

Hey guys having trouble keeping my CCW classics polished with the light rain we've been getting in Socal. I've had quite a few sets of polished wheels before but never had this bad of a problem!

I try to hand wash my car once a week every week, its my daily driver. I had the CCW's freshly polished at a shop about 4 months ago, in those 4 months there has been zero pitting or spotting, but once the rain started its almost as if its acid rain or something eating the metal.

Almost exactly one week ago I went to wash down my wheels after the rain and nothing came off!
I spent the next 3+ hours hand polishing them using Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish and they went back to a nice mirror finish. I was hoping now they would be sealed and protected for the next rain.

Here are some before / after Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish











This past weekend it poured again, Yesterday it cleared up,I went to wash off my car and my wheels are just as bad again! literally 7 days later and they look destroyed. Now another 3+ hours bent over hand polishing them to make them look half way decent.
Heres how they look in 7 days.





This does NOT wipe off, I have to polish and scrub hard to get them to shine again and remove the spots.
Is there anything that will actually protect them? Or should I just get them powdercoated / painted and be done with the polished aluminum?

Cutlassmaster

What brake pads are you running? The dust can have a lot to do with what you are seeing when combined with driving in the rain.

ZO6_Dom

OEM pads, pads and rotors next on the list, any recommendations? Ceramic pads? Dilled / slotted rotors or OEM replacement?

Black 03 Z06

I have never had that problem with my CCW wheels. What a mess and I know how much effort it takes to keep the looking great.

Mr. Peabody

OP if you use the advanced search feature and just type in: clearcoat polished wheels....... you will find a dozen different discussions on this particular topic with several alternatives for you to consider.

ZO6_Dom

I'm aware of having polished wheels clear coated but CCW's dont come with a clear coat, I cant imagine everyone who's paying a few grand for a set of wheels and they look like this the first time it rains?
Also once you clearcoat you can never "polish" them again, over time the clear coat yellows and peels.
Im okay with hand polishing my wheels once every few months but every time it rains, weekly to get this bad is insane! I've had other raw polished aluminum wheels and never had this problem

6speedsteve

Research Aluminum sealers there are many to choose from, I use Black Diamond but not saying it is the best.

BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant protects all metal surfaces with a revolutionary acrylic polymer that withstands heat and bonds to metal surfaces – perfect for auto use. BLACKFIRE creates an extremely slick finish that sheds water effortlessly, helping to prevent water spots. BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant prolongs the beauty of just-polished metals and maximizes the time between polishing. BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant is designed for protection of daily drivers and any metal surfaces that regularly come into contact with the elements.

~Josh

Vetteman Jack

Man, I can understand your frustration with having to do a time consuming re-polishing so often. Here are a couple of Word files that talk about polishing bare aluminum wheels and then putting a protective coat on them. Read them over and maybe they'll give you some ideas. I also have a file on Refinishing CCW Wheels but it is too large to make as an attachment on the forum. If you would like a copy of it, just send me a PM with your e-mail address and I can send it to you.

ZFLASH

This why I like you Jack as a moderator,instead of being a *ss, you're always trying to help. Thanks , to the OP, I've never had this problem either. I'd be wondering about the pads too or what's on the roads coming off them. I did a set that had been sitting in the Harvey flood waters for 9 weeks and they looked like that, but never from just regular rain water.


After the flood



After polishing
Good luck, L8R ZFLASH

Mickeyrx70

You might try ceramic coating the wheels. I have a set of CCW 505As that I’ve not mounted yet, but used an Adams Polishes wheel ceramic coating product that’s supposed to protect the wheels for a long time and make cleanup much easier.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

You sure those are OE pads... Some pad material when it gets wet it sticks to your wheels like that especially Hawk material.

For new pads take a look at the Carbotech 1521 100% non-corrosive dust will not harm your paint or wheels.

The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

C5Dobie

That seems like excessive pitting to me - could be an issue w/ the billet AL used, an error in their machining/forging(if they're forged)/polishing process too......but at the end of the day its bare AL - no protection, just polished/buffed shiny. There are loads of microscopic pores/fissures that will pit & oxidize.

Best measure - as others mentioned - probably bring the wheels to a reputable paint shop & have them sprayed w/ a couple coats of clear. I'm sure ceramic coatings are good, but they're not going to last as long or provide the same kind of protection from acids/solvents as a clear coat.

soofrsh

I'd look into ceramic coating the wheels. I will be trying the Adam's ceramic booster on my wheels to see how well they keep the wheels clean as a test

road pilot

My suggestion.
After you get the alum. polished, use a good wax on the wheels
I have tried all kinds of polish.
Stopped at the Speed Shop and they wanted me to try
SmithBrite metal polish.
Wow No rubbing at all and it is easy to use and the wheels were as good as pro polish.
A little weird use a cotton ball to apply, one per wheel.
Later good luck.

leadfoot4

I've had two different sets of CCWs, and neither of them ever looked like that. On my Camaro, I had Porterfield Racing brake pads, and on my C-5, I had the OE pads.

OP, one other thing, it looks like your bolts are on backward. On all the CCWs I've ever seen, the bolt head is visible, and the retaining nut is on the inside of the wheel....

RSbeast

1Willy1

I just refinished a set of auto couture magnafiques for my lexus .

They were brushed finish with a clear coat , stripped down , sanded from 220 to 2000 then machine polished with mothers metal paste.

I'm not aware of any real miracle coatings you can apply to bare aluminum, I will just be using a regular car wax on mine and hope for the best.

Usually you will have to repolish them every couple months regardless.

1Willy1

I was looking into the ceramic coatings as well, apparently they leave the metal somewhat cloudy and looses some of its lustre, a few guys have tried it already but I haven't.

Revolver ZSTi

polish them up, and have a body shop or a wheel painter clear coat them