More interesting than the rust was all the traction sand and gravel from the road that caked on the top of the wheel. It was not evenly distributed and in adequate supply that it could have affected the wheel's balance. I imagine the sand and gravel sloughed down whenever I parked the car. Where it dried is where it stayed.

 

are u running steelies? ive not had this happen on regular aluminum alloy wheels. i wash and inspect my snows after every season and havent seen any caked on gravel/sand, only some brake dust/gunk stains dat i can wash off with a soft boar's hair wheel brush and car shampoo.

 

 

wow u drive on gravel ?

 

I bought a General Altimax Arctic snow tire/steel wheel package (4 tires/wheels) from them for my '15 EX. I ordered them on a Saturday afternoon. They were at my house when I got home from work Monday afternoon. Fast delivery, and the tires work great in the snow.


Downsides? Well, one of the tires was VERY out of balance. I had to have a local shop rebalance the tire/wheel. Also, the steel wheels are VERY cheap quality. They only have a thin coat of sprayed lacquer over bare steel, and after less than two winters are rusting right through the paint. I will have to strip and repaint the wheels this summer, and I have better things to do with my time.

 

When do you replace winter tires?

I now own my first set of studless winter tires. They work great. I read the minimum tread depth for winter tires is 5/32" and the minimum tread depth for regular tires is 2/32". A question for those who have experience replacing worn winter tires: when it looks like you'll need new winter tires next winter, does it make sense to leave the winter tires on during the summer to get you some extra miles out of them before tossing them?

 

as long as you are not doing any performance driving i suppose you can run them in the warmer months.

 

On a tire like a Blizzak once you wear through the unicorn tread compound they no longer work well as a winter tire. Leave them on & use them up. Not sure about an Ice-X tire. Call tire rack & see if the compound changes as they wear.

 

They're not going to give as much traction as regular or especially summer tires. If your driving habits make this a non issue, then I can't really think of a reason to take them off. Keep a close eye on them, though, as in warm weather they will wear surprisingly fast.

 

Press Fit, we leave our worn-out snow tires on the car after the tread gets too thin for traction. (Some brands have additional 'wear bars' to indicate the winter traction threshold.)

As stated, unless you drive REALLY hard on twisty paved roads during the hottest days of summer, you won't have any issues. (That said, I DID 'chunk up' a pair of snows by running them on a road rally one July!)

 

Just got the $80 rebate (master card) from tire rack today. We bought a set of michelin x-ice. Plus we got $150 cash back from the card we used to purchase the tires. The tires cost $500 and change.