Dirty windshield sparks
idea to keep tires,
and streets, cleaner

"Suck it up" can also mean to persevere or move on through pain.

COURTESY SUCK IT UP The new Suck It Up grime filter is mounted on a car's wheel well, and costs $185 for a pair.

In this case, the phrase is the name of a Hawaii Kai man's invention, born of a rainy morning, an empty windshield washer fluid reservoir and his three astute children.

Suck It Up is an automotive device, mounted in a wheel well, that keeps tire rims cleaner by sucking grease, grit, grime and other pollutants into a special filter, much like a household vacuum. Six patents pertaining to the product are pending.

The inspiration came one morning when Jeff Krantz was driving his car and noticed his windshield washer fluid had run out. Neither a misty rain nor bottled water would clean the oily film from his windshield.

Enter the restless children, two sons and a daughter. Krantz asked what they thought the origin of dirty film was and the kids decided it was road grime.

Dad's mind was off and running. Each day, thousands of cars leave deposits on the road, which eventually get washed into the ocean. Krantz said he wanted to stop that pollution.

Suck It Up made its debut in Las Vegas in November at the 2004 Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show for the automotive aftermarket. Enthusiasts often spend large sums on chrome or alloy rims, after all.

Response to the product got Krantz revved up, including that from local folks at the show. "Several (Hawaii) people ... participated in the SEMA show and stopped by the display and they've been waiting for us to get ready," he said.

The price is $185 for two Suck It Up filters, for two wheels. The company recommends buying two filters for a car, but says buying filters for all four tires is optional.

The product will be available locally and elsewhere by the end of next month, via investors, manufacturers and distribution Krantz has been lining up. Three Web addresses have been registered: www.suckituponline.com, www.streetvac.com and www.grimetech.com .

Krantz has commissioned research to show how many pollutants are removed by his product. Before Krantz became an inventor, he and his wife, Courtney, ran Hawaii Kai-based ocean recreation companies, which cemented his love for a clean environment.

Suck It Up's marketing strategy is to appeal to vehicle owners' desire to keep expensive rims clean, but Krantz sees that as a side benefit.

"I didn't set out to try and keep your rims cleaner; I set out to change the world," he said.