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Just invested in a new set of shoes for your ride? Or are you maintaining the stock rims on your car? Shoes, wheels, rims, mags - whatever you may call them, they say a lot about your car, and consequently, they say a lot about you!

You want to keep your wheels in great shape, and we’ll tell you how with a couple important wheel care tips:

1. Wash your wheels with a mild soap, nothing stronger than what you would use to wash your car paint. Be very weary of “wheel cleaner”, these soap compounds use chemicals that can easily damage your rims.

2. Use a wheel brush. Rather than rely on a chemical compound to clean your wheels, use a good wheel brush. Two excellent options are a boar’s hair flat wheel brush (for the surface of your rim), and a cylindrical shaped wheel brush to reach beyond the flat surface of the wheel, into its inner barrels.

3.Keep your wheels clean and dry to mitigate the effect of weather, road grit and grime. If you live near the ocean, you want to keep the salt-water off your rims by washing regularly. If you live in a cold climate, where they use road-salts, be sure to wash them off frequently. Even if you live in a mild climate, your wheels will gather unsightly brake dust and grime. Wash your wheels weekly, if possible.

4. Don’t use fix-a-flat unless absolutely necessary! Call a tow truck to tow you to a tire shop when you have a flat. Fix-a-Flat can damage your sensors and your wheels. If you must use it, be sure to clean your wheels thoroughly without the tire on it, to remove all of the compound.

5. Hit a pothole lately? Bent wheels can affect tire wear, alignment and ride comfort. Wheels can frequently be repaired when they become bent, cracked or curb-rashed. Oftentimes people think they need to replace their wheel, when a simple wheel repair will solve the problem.