Back in April, I wrote about techniques for taking care of your Track Rims. After some serious rounds of fighting with the dirt, grime and brake dust that afflicts my white wheels, I continued to do research on chemicals and techniques for keeping my wheel investments tip-top. An older, and maybe lesser known, product is Zymol’s “Coat” – marketed as a protective “wheel wax.” It is made from natural ingredients including things like “spearmint oil” and claims to repel brake dust and other road grime.
I recently received a brand-new “fresh from the factory” set of Team Dynamics wheels (above). These are a painted silver finish and look great. Despite my wheels being new, I followed the directions and quickly washed the wheels.
Shake well and spray down the wheels giving them a nice thick coating of the liquid wax.
Allow the solution to dry for about 20-30 minutes. Once the drying process is complete you’ll notice most of the solution has evaporated and a small amount of what looks like “blueish water spots” remains on the surface. Zymol recommends you give the wheels a quick buff with a terry cloth to smooth out the finish. (much like waxing a car).
Next step – mount on your car, go to the track and HAVE SOME FUN!
My first test was probably one of the best conditions I could have hoped for: 3-days at Watkins Glen with mixed weather conditions. Rain is always the worst enemy causing the brake dust to quickly adhere to the wheels and rust.
As you can see in the picture above, the wheel is covered in a fine layer of dust and track grime. Zymol’s claim is all you need is a light wipe with a terry cloth and everything should come off the wheels. Hmm...
Terry cloth in hand… let’s do this. #sendit
I did my best to photograph, before/after in the same spot so you could easily see the differences. You can see the remaining grime around the valve stem and wheel hub where I purposely didn’t wipe. The results were better than I expected! – Zymol’s “Coat” really does do what it claims. There was little effort to remove even the most caked on grime, and the wheel had very little clag as well. Despite the cost ($26 for 8 oz – available on Amazon), I am very happy with the results, and plan to use this not only on my race wheels but also on my daily drivers. #knowingishalfthebattle.
Live Demonstration!
…And after 5 on-track days of brake dust abuse,
… an almost “like new” result after a proper cleaning (below).
Note: I also reapplied the Zymol Coat for good measure once I was done! 🙂
Merry Motoring.
