Autopia-CarCare

A (color) Changing of the Guard? German Wheel Cleaner Showdown Round 1

When P21s Wheel Gel gained popularity over a decade ago, detailing enthusiast took notice. This simple, green formula changed the way we thought about wheel cleaners. They were no longer a tacky-labeled, shiny-bottled, acid-based concoction we found at the local auto parts stores. They were engineered formulas designed to safely remove brake dust from wheel finishes without chemically dulling the shine.

Why Germans? Amongst beer and wienerschnitzel, Germany is famous for their sports cars and sedans. Whether it is the tight, winding roads that ascend through the Bavarian Alps or the quick switch corners that scatter the farmlands, Germans demand more from their brakes. Most automobiles, courtesy of Duetschland, have aggressive braking systems that quickly coat in a blanket of brake dust. A new style of cleaner had to be developed, one that could quickly cut through the horrific grime without harming the delicate surface of the aluminum wheels, which adorned most of these terrific machines.


Round One



Three German wheel cleaners : Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner, 1Z Einszett Colour-Tec Wheel Cleaner and Scholl Concept's RIM7 Wheel Gel each make a claim as the most effective (consumer-use) wheel cleaner available. All three products feature iron (the primary component of brake dust) dissolvers which change color as they attack ferrous iron particles. Each is pH neutral (near 7) which reduces the changes of staining and makes them safe for all wheel finishes!


Testing



To but these wheels to the test we selected an appropriate German automobile. A Porsche Canyee which seams frequent use and whose wheels were coated in 3 weeks of brake dust. After dividing the wheels into the three sections (with tape), a cleaner would be applied to each section. The first test was to measure the un-agitated cleaning power each. After a dwell time of 3 minutes, the wheel was rinsed and the amount of remaining residue was carefully examined.

The second test involved spraying the cleaner onto it's specific section, allowing a 3-minute dwell time and then agitating the surface with a damp Wheel Woolie Brush. This would test the agitated cleaning power of each.

While these are wheel cleaners, we did test their effectiveness on tires as well. Many enthusiasts and detailers prefer to limit the amount of chemicals they need for cleaning, so we felt the dual-action (wheel & tire) cleaning was a necessary test.


Grading

Each cleaner was graded in several categories, each category given a different value, to a total of 100.

Wheel Cleaning Power – 60 points – Being that this is the most important category, it is worth over half of the total points. Both the non-agitated cleaning power and the agitated cleaning power are considered in this test.

Tire Cleaning Ability - 20 points – The ability of the wheel cleaner to effectively clean brake dust and road soil off of the wheel when scrubbed with a brush. Judged on the amount of visible dirt during scrubbing and the appearance of the tire after drying it.

Color-Changing Effect - 10 points – One of the benefits of using a color-changing wheel cleaner is that it, in fact, changes color. The amount of color changing recorded, while not indicative of the overall performance, is one of the reasons these cleaners have gained so much popularity.

Application/Use – 10 points- The last 10 points are reserved for the subjective category: which is the most pleasurable cleaner to use. This is judged on application (trigger spray), uniqueness, smell and the general feeling one gets when using each wheel cleaner. Because, like the Color-Changing Effect, it is a subjective category that doesn't effect the overall performance, it is giving a weight of only ten points.


In testing:


For each test, the wheels were divided into three sections, separeted loosely by tape. While taping did provide some product mixing on the edges, it was deemed more favorable than using a separate cleaner on each wheel (do to front-to-rear breaking differences and even side-to-side).



Each cleaner was applied to a dry wheel (one that was not wet or was rinsed first).



Timed intervals were recorded at 30 seconds/1 minute/and 3 minutes after application to discern differences in each wheel cleaner's color-changing ability.



The lime-green colored Sonax Full Effect 30 seconds after application.



Scholl Concept's RIM7 produced far more immediate, far more concentrated color changing in the same time frame.


1Z's Colour-Tec produced a color-changing effect in the middle of the other two, but the solution also featured a foam that clung to the surface better. It was the only cleaner to produce visible, brown-colored, sludge on the tire as well.


1 minute:


Sonax vs. Scholl 1 minute into the test.


3 minutes:


Three minutes into the test the test, Sonax had considerably less color changing.



Scholl Concept's, by comparison, had considerably more.



Don't be fooled by the apparent lack of cleaning by 1Z! Much of the residue has run off the surface and the clingy foam slide off.



To complete the first test, the solution was was rinsed clean. The cleaning ability of each wheel was checked.



Despite having the least color-changing effect in this test, Sonax rinsed very fairly clean.



Scholl Concept's provided a simliar amount of cleaning power.



1Z Colour-Tec provided the best cleaning, because the residue constantly ran off the rim during the cleaning process, encapsulated in the suds.



For test two, the cleaners were once again applied and allow to dwell for 3 minutes (clockwise from left: 1Z Colour-Tec Wheel Cleaner, Scholl Concept's RIM7, Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner).



A clean, wet Wheel Woolie was used to agitate the wheel cleaner, testing how quickly it releases road dirt and brake dust from the wheel. First up, Sonax.



Next up, 1Z, which cleaned well but required additional scrubbing to remove the brake dust film.


Finally, Scholl Concepts, which required no scrubbing, just a light wipe, to clean the road film from the wheel.


Ultimately, each wheel cleaner was able to get the rim completely with little effort. When it comes down to the final scores, remember that each cleaner was more than capable of cleaning the soft, sticky, German brake dust from the wheels with little agitation. Each is a great product, and each will do a great job. The difference really is in the details, so let's see how each wheel cleaner scored.



Sonax Full Effect provided the least color changing effect. It released dirt/brake dust better than 1Z Colour-Tec when agitated, although provided the least amount of cleaning power without scrubbing (slightly). Armed with the easiest to pull trigger sprayer, and with a unique Predator-blood green color, Sonax scored high in the usage category. Ultimately, Full Effect came up a little short, to the newer formulas, but still provided more than enough cleaning power.

Scholl Concept's RIM7 Wheel Gel turned brake dust into a blood-red liquid. This colored-charged effect exemplified what else Scholl Concept's did well: clean! It didn't rinse clean the best with just rinsing, but it released more dirt and brake dust when agitated by enough of a margin to give it first place in the cleaning category. With an okay (but cool-looking) sprayer and strong odor, Scholl did just okay in the Application category. In this test, that places Scholl in second place, although it will be number one for those looking at wheel cleaning power.

Last, but not least, 1Z Colour-Tec Wheel Cleaner did well at everything. It wasn't the most powerful cleaner, nor did it have the most color-changing effect (Scholl won both of those categories) but it left a powerful (and clean) impression. 1Z was the only cleaner that was effective enough on tires to eliminate the need for a separate tire cleaner, it offered a moderate amount of color change, and with it's clingy foam-clean-run off nature, it was a pleasure to use.

Conclusions

While 1Z was the "winner" in this test, all three products performed well and provided a sparkling-clean shine. The differences between the wheel cleaners is far smaller than the numbers would suggest. If you are a fan of Full Effect (which has been on the market the longest), there is no real need to change. It is still a highly-competent, powerful wheel cleaner. If dramatic color-changing, and powerful cleaning fits your bill, pick up Scholl Concepts RIM7. If you appreciate unique formulas and/or need something with tire cleaning power, 1Z Einszett Colour-Tec should find its way into your shopping car next.