So you’ve got your tools, you’ve protected your alloys from brake dust – now how do you actually clean them? Follow our step-by-step guide below for foolproof, sparkling results. You can incorporate this as part of your regular car cleaning regime, but we’d advise washing the wheels before the rest of the car – this ensures you don’t have dirt and brake dust splashing over your clean bodywork!

1. Clean your tyres and wheel wells using specialist tyre cleaner and brushes – this stops you making a mess over your clean alloys later. Remember that your tyre brush should be stiff and should under no circumstances be used on your alloys!
2. Give your wheels a thorough rinse

This helps to remove brake dust and any loose dirt, saving you work later. Ideally you want to create a hard stream of water so a hose is best, or you can use a plastic water bottle if you’re in a pinch!

3. Apply the wheel cleaner

Follow the instructions on the cleaner you’ve chosen – they really are there for a reason!

4. Scrub the wheel with your soft alloy brush

Your soft brush will gently work away all that grime and brake dust, without damaging the surface of your alloy. Remember to keep the alloy wet throughout the process (otherwise you’ll ruin your finish) and work all around the back and front of the wheel to ensure you scrub off all the dirt. Your clean and dirty water buckets will come in very handy here.

5. Rinse everything thoroughly. There’s no point scrimping at this stage so go to town with your hose or buckets.
6. Dry your wheels with a towel

For best results you’ll have to dry your wheels manually – it stops water spots appearing and ensures you get the optimum finish. Your towel will accumulate residual brake dust over time so never use this on other parts of your car, unless you like the corroded paint look.

Now you’ve mastered the basic thorough clean of your wheels you’re ready for clay detailing, which can be done straight after this process. Stay tuned for our next blog to find out how to master the art and ensure you remove every last bit of dirt and dust from your wheels.

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When you think of top hypercar brand McLaren, the pictures that normally form in your mind are of shiny metal, perfect symmetry and huge, roaring engines. It is typical of the brand’s innovative thinking, therefore, that their new wheels are entirely the opposite of this – their design instead taken from the chaotic and unpredictable life found in nature

The keystone of their inspiration for these wheels is tree roots, giving rise to a unique design that’s never before been seen on an automobile. It’s no surprise that they’re looking to nature for their design concepts – after all the most beautiful concepts in art and mathematics are all rooted here (excuse the pun) – but it is symptomatic of the marque’s fearlessness and confidence in their audience.

Whereas ‘normal’ wheels have symmetrical spokes, the McLaren designs will borrow the intricate patterns formed by roots to create new, lightweight and entirely irregular wheels. While we’re yet to see the design, we’re going to go out on a limb (or should that be branch?) and say these may be the most eye-catching wheels ever made.

Those with an engineering mindset will appreciate how difficult it will be to create these wheels, something that’s little concern to perfection-obsessed McLaren but a significant deterrent to anyone looking to copy their designs. Not only will wheels inspired by roots be beautiful, but they also have other surprising benefits – because the spokes will be curvy, there is much less impact on the centre of the wheel when the wheel gets hit. It’s looking like the lightweight, think spokes will be counterbalanced by material behind them, which in turn will add extra strength to the whole design.

The wheels are due to grace the McLaren P1 at some point in the near future – we’ll bring you pictures as soon as we can.

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