Following up on an earlier thread I participated in about clay barring and going the extra mile to keep the car looking nice, I also took another tip from Meguiar's website and decided to wax the wheels. I removed each wheel in succession, cleaned them up really well and then waxed them with Meguiar's NXT wax. I've noticed since doing it that the wheels accumulate FAR less brake dust than when the wheels were unwaxed and I just need to spray them with water to clean them off instead of having to use wheel cleaner. Using a synthetic wax is great for this, as well, since you only have to do it once or twice per year (twice is obviously better). The wax will also help protect the paint on the wheels. I took my time and did it carefully and the whole process still only took about an hour so it wasn't bad at all. I highly recommend this tip to everyone else.

Thanks for the great tip. It certainly makes sense.

I'll try that as soon as I get around to cleaning the Bu, been procrastinating all weekend.

The OP is correct. You can use wax on your wheels, and it does really help.

I've used Collinite DoubleCoat for this for a time -- On painted wheels -- And it works well.

Since its carnauba though its amazing I havent noticed any significant degradation. I think i might try my FX Synwax next time. Good thinking!

One of the tricks I've learned is you can use a carnuba-based product directly on top of a synthetic to get the best of both worlds, so my suggestion would be to lay in a base coat of synthetic and then keep using the carnuba-based on top of it to get that deep shine.

A polymer sealant under a carnauba is a great looking combo on paint -- I suppose I was more leaning towards not having the carnauba on them for the heat. A polymer sealant or a synthetic wax is a good idea for me to accomplish that.

If you're layering, though, id encourage a sealant and then the carnauba. Some of the synthetic "waxes" are cleaner waxes with polymer sealant added. A cocktail I don't prefer but to each his own. I like to use the products one at a time. A polish to start clean, and then seal and layer with wax.

In reality, the care and time you take is the main factor though. Make sure you only do as much as you enjoy -- keeping in mind of course the benefits as you progress.