Start with soap and water

Heritage's advice is simple: clean your wheels with soap and water only. That comes straight from our Warranty page. Acid-based cleaners void the warranty, and damage from harsh or corrosive chemicals isn't covered.

That one rule covers most of what you need to know. The rest is habit.

Know your finish

Most Heritage wheels wear one of these finishes:

• Powder coat. Stock MonoC finishes like Classic Silver, Midnight Black, Arctic White, Sakura Pink and Satin Bronze are powder coat. Custom colors are powder coat too. Forged centers are powder-coated as standard.
• Chrome and other plated or brushed finishes. Chrome is available on some MonoC models. Forged wheels can be finished in Triple Chrome or Hand Brushed Shadow Chrome. Kokoro lug nuts come in triple chrome and neochrome.
• Polished. Forged wheels come standard with a high-polished outer.

Why it matters: the Heritage finish warranty covers powder coat on Forged wheels and on custom powder-coated MonoC wheels. Raw, polished, brushed and plated finishes like chrome are not covered by the finish warranty. On those, the way you wash them is what keeps them looking right.

The wash routine

• Let them cool. Wash wheels when they are cool to the touch, never right after a hard drive. Stay out of direct sun so soap doesn't dry on the finish.
• Rinse first. Knock off loose dirt and brake dust with plain water before anything touches the wheel.
• Soap and a soft brush. Use car soap and water with a soft wheel brush or mitt. Keep a separate bucket and tools for your wheels. Brake dust is gritty, and you don't want it on your paint.
• Get the whole wheel. Clean between the spokes, around the lugs and inside the barrel, not just the face.
• Rinse well. Don't leave soap behind.
• Dry it. Use a clean microfiber towel. This is the step people skip, and it is the one that stops water spots.

What to avoid

• Acid-based wheel cleaners. They void the warranty.
• Harsh or corrosive chemicals.
• Steel wool, scouring pads and wire brushes.
• Polishing or rubbing compound on powder coat.
• Tire shine on the wheel face. Wipe off any overspray.
• Automatic washes that use strong chemical pre-soaks or scrub wheels with brushes. Hand washing is the safe bet.

Chrome tips

• Dry it right away. Water spots show up fast on a mirror finish.
• Don't let brake dust sit. The longer it stays, the harder it is to remove, and the more scrubbing it takes.
• Wash often, wash light. A quick wash every week beats a hard scrub once a month.
• Soft tools only. Anything that scratches glass will scratch chrome.

Powder coat tips

• It is tough, not armor. Powder coat holds up to normal driving, but curbs, potholes and road debris can still chip it. Road hazard damage isn't covered by the warranty, so park and drive with some care.
• Soap, water, soft brush. That is all a powder-coated wheel needs.
• Skip the compound. Abrasive polish can dull a powder-coated finish.

Winter and storage

• If you drive on salted roads, rinse your wheels often. Grime left sitting is hard on any finish, and weather damage isn't covered by the warranty.
• Swapping to a second set for the season? Wash and fully dry your Heritage wheels before you store them, and keep them somewhere dry.

Mounting and lug nuts

Care starts the day the wheels go on. When you mount them:

• Hand-start the lug nuts, then torque them with a torque wrench to your car's factory spec, in a star pattern.
• Skip the impact gun. It can damage the lug nuts and the finish around them.
• Use the right key for Kokoro or Hoshi lug nuts, and keep a spare. Keys are sold separately: Kokoro key and Hoshi key.

Finishing touches

Small parts wear finishes too. Triple chrome straight valve stems and 90-degree valve stems get the same care as chrome wheels. Custom-color MonoC center caps clean up with soap and water like everything else.

Questions about a finish?

Email info@heritagewheel.com before you try a new product on your wheels. We would rather answer the question than see a finish get damaged.

Picking a finish for a new set? Browse Finishes, then shop the MonoC collection or start a Forged set.