Brake dust is a wheel's arch enemy. The chrome hammers on our test subject are plenty dusty, but we're confident their original shine and luster can be restored.
Step 1: Wheel/Tire Wash
Believe it or not, cleaning your Mustang's wheels and tires should be the first task of your detail job. Why, you ask? By doing so, you're clearing away all of the brake dust and road grime, and greatly reducing the chance of getting your freshly cleaned ride dirty again (if you washed it first), from flying gray water. Cleaning the tires promotes a more effective adhesion of tire dressing. "The dressing will look better and last longer if the tires are thoroughly cleaned first," says Mike.
Using liberal doses of spray-on cleaner and good brushes make this job fairly easy. However, going at it with a bucket of car-wash solution and a clean mitt is the best method.
Selecting the right cleaner for a particular wheel material or finish is critical. Products for chrome wheels are the most aggressive, so you don't want to apply one to a highly polished or anodized wheel, as it certainly will cause severe damage. Although our test subject has chrome 20s, the coatings on its aftermarket brake components are a concern. As such, we're using Meguiar's Hot Rims aluminum-wheel cleaner, which is more of an all-purpose solution that can be sprayed liberally without causing harm to the powdercoated brake calipers or anodized hats. Mike applies the cleaner by working upward from the bottom of the dry wheel; watering the wheel first will dilute the cleaning agent.
Believe it or not, brushes can be wheel- and tire-specific, too. Try to use a good, high-quality wheel brush for cleaning the wheels on your 'Stang.
Some have soft, flexible nylon bristles that can be shaped for easy access to areas between and behind a wheel's spokes and various openings and contours.
Thoroughly rinse each wheel with a hose or high-pressure water sprayer to remove all of the cleaning solution from the rim. Don't get your face too close to the action, as chemical-laced sprayback will probably find a home in your eyes if the water stream hits a sweet spot in a wheel-stud socket.
Pace yourself and only work on one wheel-and-tire combo at a time.