Wheel Wax Comparison: SV Autobahn vs. Prima Wheel Armour

Discussion in 'Pre Wash, Wash, Decon, Claying, Engine, Wheels, an' started by DirtyWeRX, Dec 26, 2011.

  1. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    Hey everyone,

    I wanted to do a "long term" comparison for wheel wax. By "long term", Im gonna try my best to update this over the next couple weeks,

    The contenders are:

    Swissvax Autobahn: $59 /50 mL

    [​IMG]

    50 ml
    • Carnauba Wax enhanced with PTFE specially developed for the care and protection needs of automobile wheels
    • Provides a smooth shine and long-term protectionfor your wheels by repelling brake dust particles as well as othercontamination
    • Minimizes the time required to clean the wheels thanks to its non-stick properties
    • Safe for aluminium, polished aluminium, magnesium, clear coat and painted wheels
    As its name connotes, the Swissvax Autobahn wheelwax was developed for German customers driving fast sportcars withalloy or Magnesium wheels and had to be tested on German Autobahns withtop speeds of 300+ km/h, in Switzerland during winter (which has one ofthe harshest "road climates" in the world using salt and harsh winterchemicals) as well as on European racetracks.


    The Swissvax Autobahn wheel wax enhances thesurface of every type of wheel with a smooth shine and helps to repelbrake dust particles and other negative immissions. Brake dust, roadsalt, harsh winter chemicals, moisture and road contaminates can veryhardly penetrate the protective and heat resistant Carnauba wax coatingwhich has been additionally enhanced with PTFE.


    PTFE is a completely fluorinated polymermanufactured by free radical polymerization of tetrafluorethylene. Witha linear molecular structure of repeating CF-CF2 units, PTFE is acrystalline polymer offering a melting point of a very high 327_C. PTFEis exceptionally resistant to chemicals. Its dielectric constant (2.1)and loss factor are low and stable across a wide temperature range. Itscoefficient of friction is lower than almost any other material.


    Thanks to its good resistance to both hightemperature and chemicals and its exceptional low friction coefficient,PTFE is the perfect ingredient for an innovative and powerful wheel waxallowing the unique synthesis of gloss (provided by Carnauba) andlong-term protection (provided by PTFE) for your wheels.The application of Autobahn wheel wax will reduce the time required forcleaning your wheels to a fraction of how long it originally took.


    Swissvax Autobahn Wheel Wax is safe for aluminium,polished aluminium, magnesium, clear coat and painted wheels. It isapplied after thorough and detailed preparation (Wheel Cleaning kit,Paint Rubber Kit, Cleaner Fluid) of the wheels using a Wax Applicator.

    The Wax can contains 50ml which is sufficient for approximately 12 applications with every application lasting about 3 months.




    Prima Wheel Armour: $15.99 / 8oz.

    [​IMG]


    Wheel Armour is a super-durable wheel protectant. Our goal with Wheel Armour was amazing heat resistance. What we ended up with was a serious defender against brake dust.

    The product is so easy to use. It is literally wipe on/wipe off. Direct sun is not an issue. Wheel Shield applies and removes with ease in all conditions. Super-polymer protection means your wheels stay cleaner longer and clean up easier. A harsh wheel cleaner will no longer be necessary.

    Wheel Shield contains some sturdy cleaners which mean light tar and road gunk will lift as you protect. Of course you will want to thoroughly clean your wheels prior to applying Wheel Shield. It is the stuck on gunk that Wheel Shield removes best. It is safe for all wheel types including painted, polished and anodized.

    Wheel Shield will clean, shine, polish and protect in one easy step.



    What we're protecting against:

    My 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX.

    Brake pads: Hawk HPS

    Brake Rotors: DBA Slotted Street series

    The car is my daily driver. I put an average of 20k miles on it in a year. Gets driven about 50/50 with highway and city driving. I doubt I will be tracking the car in the next couple weeks. I do drive like my bumper is on fire so the brakes have their work cut out for them.

    Wheels were dirty so I cleaned them up with Wolf's Chemicals Decon Gel. (me gusta!)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Now I will be applying wax to the passenger front wheel. The driver front wheel will serve as a control.


    I applied each product following instructions.

    [​IMG]

    To the left of the valve stem I applied the Prima WA.

    [​IMG]

    To the right I applied the SV Autobahn

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Very thin, light hazing

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Thicker hazing
    [​IMG]


    Test wheel: Before

    [​IMG]

    Test wheel: After

    [​IMG]

    Control Wheel (nothing applied):

    [​IMG]


    Notes on SV Autobahn:

    I love the way it smells. I applied it by hand (or rather, fingertips). Went on very thin and easy. This is my first time using any SV product.

    Notes on Prima WA:

    Ive had this stuff for a while and it does a pretty good job. Never had a chance to apply it on to my own car before. I filled a squeeze bottle with the WA because I hate the dispencer on the original bottle. Just makes too much of a mess. I applies it with a foam applicator. Goes on kind of thick but it only needs about a minute till you wipe it off.


    My prediction-

    Im not expecting a night and day difference between the two. But I will be expecting a noticeable difference between the test and control wheels.

    Ill try my best to update on a weekly basis with photos and thoughts. If I neglect the thread, feel free to bump it to get my attention.

    Thanks

    Seth
     
  2. frankiman

    frankiman Birth of a Detailer

    looking forward!
     
  3. oldcracker

    oldcracker Jedi Nuba

    Nice! cool stuff
     
  4. scheerspeed

    scheerspeed DB Forum Supporter

  5. mrd0t

    mrd0t Obsessive Detailer

    Sweet Mudflap.
     
  6. JoeyZ

    JoeyZ Obsessive Detailer

    Nice. Thanks for posting. I have used the SV for years. I apply with finger tips as well. My only issue is that I have found that it does not protect as long as a coat of 476s would. I love the product and use it often in the summer months, but for the winter, Ill always apply the 476S to ensure protection against the elements. Just my 2 cents.
     
  7. dschia

    dschia Jedi Nuba

    Thanks for sharing.
     
  8. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    Lol thanks, I made a set of them out of a semi-truck mudflap. Only cost 30 bucks
     
  9. JoeyV

    JoeyV Welcome to Detailing

    Maybe this thread should be renamed and the first post edited, because when I saw it, I was looking for a comparison with "Wheel Wax"...the actual product. Maybe change it to "wheel sealant comparison"?


    I'll be reading the whole thing anyways.
     
  10. hamza7

    hamza7 Welcome to Detailing

    It'll be interesting to see what the out come is, great job Seth
     
  11. drew935

    drew935 Auto Salon Works

    Looking forward to the results!
     
  12. mrd0t

    mrd0t Obsessive Detailer

    Any updates?
     
  13. Kilo6_one

    Kilo6_one DB Forum Supporter

    my money is on the prima..............


    very nice write up.
     
  14. P1et

    P1et Official DB Moderator

    This will be good. You should do this one two wheels, and just never clean the second wheel for two or three months. See if there is a difference.
     
  15. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    Almost forgot. The weather was nice the other day so I washed the car.

    I took cotton makeup applicator pads, wiped each section, and took photos. I'll try to get them up tonight (1am)

    The results thus far may surprise you.

    :D
     
  16. Kaban

    Kaban Welcome to Detailing

    Very interesting. Thanks
     
  17. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    Its been about 2 weeks since I first applied the sealants to the wheel.

    I wanted to wash the car because the weather was so nice.

    I took a white cotton pad and wiped a mark on to the test areas to show how much contamination had was on the wheels.

    First up: Control Wheel

    [​IMG]

    Close up
    [​IMG]

    Wiped area
    [​IMG]

    Cotton pad
    [​IMG]

    I had to rub quite hard back and forth a couple times to get a good amount of contaminants off of the surface

    Test Wheel
    [​IMG]

    Prima Wheel Armour: Close up
    [​IMG]

    Wiped area
    [​IMG]

    Cotton pad
    [​IMG]

    Wiping the contaminants required little effort. Came off smoothly and looked pretty fresh once removed

    Swissvax Autobahn: Close up
    [​IMG]

    Wiped area
    [​IMG]

    Cotton pad
    [​IMG]

    When Wiping the area, it took almost no effort what so ever to remove... Easier to remove than the Prima, but even that didnt take much effort. I didn't think to take the hose alone to it, but I wouldn't doubt that the contaminants would fall right off! Very impressive.


    Thoughts: I was surprised to see that wheel with the sealants on it had more contamination on it, but it came off with little to no effort with a dry wipe. The unwaxed wheel took a good amount of pressure and rubbing back and forth. I like the waxes so far and I think I might neglect them for a little while to see how well it works over a longer period of time.

    Thanks for following so far. I'll try my best to post further results, but I am a very forgetful person LOL, so bump the thread if I forget to update it
     
  18. DirtyWeRX

    DirtyWeRX DB Forum Supporter

    I washed my car yesterday. Took some photos. I'll post them up probably tomorrow
     
  19. HeavyD

    HeavyD DB Forum Supporter

    ""Thoughts: I was surprised to see that wheel with the sealants on it had more contamination on it, but it came off with little to no effort with a dry wipe. The unwaxed wheel took a good amount of pressure and rubbing back and forth. I like the waxes so far and I think I might neglect them for a little while to see how well it works over a longer period of time.""

    Thanks for taking the time to do this. Very Cool. Ive used Glanz wax on my wheels and I swear it was pulling break dust off of other peoples cars onto mine! LOL Came off like a dream though.Ive never used a wheel specific sealant.I have always used the same as what I would use on the car. 845,PL,Klasse whatever.I know some specify that they are heat resistant,but wheels dont get hot, so I never bothered.Keep us updated on the long term. Thanks again

    Darren
     
  20. P1et

    P1et Official DB Moderator

    Great results. I still reach for the Jetseal 109 for the wheels.
     

Share This Page