I'm new here, so please forgive me if this has been addressed before.
I insisted on getting white wheels on my Cooper S. They look very smart! However, it looks like the brake dust is going to keep me busy keeping this puppies clean.
What is the general consensus of the best way to keep them clean. Are there any specific products that I should go buy? Are there any specific towels, brushes, etc, that I should get?
Also, on another note, what does everyone use to wash your cars? I've never waxed my cars, but I think that may change now.
Thanks everyone!

 

If you're looking for information about cleaning them, you'll probably get a better response here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ailing-101-12/ (let me know and I'd be happy to move the thread for you)

What year MINI do you have? There's a few brake pads out there that are very good at the low-dust creation par of things. Which wheel style do you have?

 

I have a brand new 2010, so I'll be using whatever brake pads MINI gives me for the next 6 years/100,000 miles.

I have the white bridge spoke wheels.

 

You mean other than washing them everyday?

Waxing them seems to help. Search around in the detailing forum for "wheel wax". You'll have to take them off to wax them, but it is supposed to make them easier to clean (haven't done it myself).

The other option is to replace the brake pads. Mini (BMW) uses brake pads that work well, have great feel and generate a ton of dust. You can still have the first two, but with a lot less brake dust if you replace the stock pads with high-quality after-market brake pads. Here's a link to another thread that discusses a few of these:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...rake-pads.html

Welcome! Enjoy that Mini....

 

To summarize, the best way to keep white (or even silver) MINI wheels clean with the stock pads is to avoid driving the car. Since this isn't practical for most, the best alternative is frequent cleaning and a wheel-specific wax (pardon the Elmer Fudd reference). I've found Wheel Armour drom Detailers Paradise to be very effective, but there are others. Check out the detailing forum for more options.
I've found the wheel wax keeps the wheels cleaner because they're slicker and a lot of the dust washeed right off when you start to clean them.

Overall, the downside with the wheel dust is minor compared to the upside of driving a crowdpleaser like a MINI.

Enjoy!

 

The only way to keep your white wheels clean is to pull them off and wash them off the car. I hate to see the outside clean and the inside still dirty. I do not drive my every day, in fact I'm lucky if I drive it twice a month so I pull the wheels every other car wash. I have tried the wax and for me it didn't work.

 

While this is the most cost effective the best way to keep white wheels clean is to switch to ceramic pads.
The cost is not much if you do the work yourself and the difference in dust is very large.

 

I am selling my Uncle's electric blue MINI, white roof and white S-lites. Even after cleaning them the wheels still looked dirty. Used a magic eraser on them and it was indeed magic. They looked new again. Tried the same on my silver S-lites on my car with similar results. The magic eraser took off all the marks on the wheels, even the ones that wouldnt come off with bug and tar cleaner, a rag and liberal scrubbing.

 

I imagine that works quite well...I'd be concerned about the clear coat on the wheels though...the Magic Eraser is pretty abrasive. I would think if you did it often you'd have no clear left.

I would highly recommend changing the pads to something lower dust. I like the Carbotech Bobcats but there are lots of other options. Changing the pads to low dust ones is the most effective solution - the OEM ones dust like crazy.

The next best solution in my experience would be to spring for a gallon of Meguiar's Wheel Brightener. It's a professional grade wheel cleaner and does a good job of melting that dust off without a ton of effort...spray, wait a few minutes, swish it around with a brush, and rinse. The cons to it are that it's pretty harsh chemically, and that it's kind of hard to find - I know OctaneGuy here sold me my gallon, maybe he still sells it.

After that, waxing is the next best option IMO. Prima Wheel Armour works well. You just give it a good soaping and wash with soft brush, and then rinse. You have to reapply every so often, but it definitely helps.

White wheels require some work to keep white...but they look so great! It's totally worth the effort. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

As others have said changing the MINI brake pads to ceramic brake pads will dramatically reduce the dust. If you want to keep the MINI pads, you will need to wipe them down every day.

To make cleaning easier (i.e., prevent dust from sticking to the wheels) applying a good wheel wax helps a lot. I apply wax 3 or four times a year.

For the daily wipe down, use a QD (quick detailer) spray like Prima Sick and a microfiber towel. I bought a package of mf towels from Sam's Club dedicated for the wheels that fortunately are fairly good quality (they don't scratch my plastic-lensed glasses). If you get ceramic pads, you will need to wipe the wheels down only every few days---not daily.

White wheels look great on the MINI, but they do need some tlc. Good luck!

 

I really don't find white wheels any more work to keep clean than any other kind of wheels. IMHO any wheel that is dirty looks like crap.

Mark