real dumb winter wheels question

[Samir]

I have never left mags on a car in winter. If I do it, will the snow/ice getting onto the braking mechanism, or steering, cause any problems?

[downloader]

Lots of people roll with mags in winter, snow/ice does get in, just like it gets in with steel wheels. The main reason mags are removed in winter is protection against corrosion.

[mudmojo]

BRAKING: basically if you're using all OE components for this particular car, no worries

STEERING: depending on what you use the vehicle for and your driving patterns, there may be a problem that may or may not be easily correctable. if you drive through heavy snow (especially sideways), snow and or ice, will form around the rim insides, weight the rim and throw the wheel balance/integrity off. This will manifest itself as a shimmying of your steering at speed.

Solutions:

o stop to clear out packed snow/ice with a snowbrush/hockey stick [careful not to knock out any stick on wheel weights]

o let snow/ice melt out normally

[Narci]

problem with steelies is that it exposes the center hub and rusts out.

[MP3_SKY]

I'm sick to see black steel rims on my car for 6 months in winter and decide to get a cheap set of 16" OEM rims for this winter. I hope it will be alright. I used to have 14" steel and they all rusted by now after 3 years.

[waitin4BOOST]

Salt will eat away @ the clearcoat on the rims...then it will start eating away @ the aluminum. But...yeah, having mags on during the winter will not affect braking.

Hub caps to save the center hub from rusting.

I sand off the surface rust on my steelies everytime before winter and re-shoot with high-temp paint (BBQ paint or Engine Enamel) This pretty much delays the inevitable by alot...every year i'm sanding off the same surface rust..doesn't really get much worse. Then soap/water clean when putting away for the next season.

[pandaharo]

I wax my rims everytime I wax my car, it makes it easier to clean and protects against corrosion.

[DJ_Peanuts22]

use hub caps if you have them to protect your steelies from road grime and salt that can corrode them and cause rust

[ES_Revenge]

Salt will eat away @ the clearcoat on the rims...then it will start eating away @ the aluminum. But...yeah, having mags on during the winter will not affect braking.
Salt won't do anything to clearcoat. It's when the clearcoat gets scratches in it from sand, rocks, other particles that the salt can get through. Even then the salt won't really "eat away" at aluminum as unlike iron (and like every other metal that isn't iron) oxidation occurs differently. Where iron-based metals will turn to rust upon being oxidised and start to flake, other metals oxidise but the oxidsed layer remains actually protecting the metal thereafter (just look at copper rooftops that turn green instantly when they are oxidised but remain intact for many years despite that).

Of course the aluminum is going to become dull and horrible looking if oxidised badly enough but that type of thing mainly occurs from general neglect of the wheels (lack of cleaning, waxing, touching up scratches, etc.), not just from driving on salt-covered roads.

Hub caps to save the center hub from rusting
Hub is eventually going to look rusty whether you have alum/mag wheels on or not, whether you have hubcaps or not; especially if the car is winter driven. The covers (whether it's a wheel centre cap or a wheel cover) hide the hub anyway so it isn't a big deal.

I sand off the surface rust on my steelies everytime before winter and re-shoot with high-temp paint (BBQ paint or Engine Enamel) This pretty much delays the inevitable by alot...every year i'm sanding off the same surface rust..doesn't really get much worse. Then soap/water clean when putting away for the next season.
A good idea for sure, but the sanding/painting is not really necessary unless the wheels have significant paint damage, are really old or just never had a good finish on them to begin with (poor manufacturing quality). I've had my factory steel wheels for 9 years (used every winter for those years) and they don't really have any significant rust on them to this day. Still completely useable, don't look bad, and could probably be used for another 9 years without problems...

[waitin4BOOST]

Salt won't do anything to clearcoat. It's when the clearcoat gets scratches in it from sand, rocks, other particles that the salt can get through. Even then the salt won't really "eat away" at aluminum as unlike iron (and like every other metal that isn't iron) oxidation occurs differently. Where iron-based metals will turn to rust upon being oxidised and start to flake, other metals oxidise but the oxidsed layer remains actually protecting the metal thereafter (just look at copper rooftops that turn green instantly when they are oxidised but remain intact for many years despite that).

This is the nasties that i'm speaking of....in "lamen's terms"...for all to understand...its "eating away" via oxidation!!

http://www.schlol.com/pics/hx_rims_web/DSC_0108_sm.jpg

But yeah, i stand corrected on the clearcoat...the clearcoat peels away due to scratches from what you've mentioned. Silly, it didn't click in what i wrote...before i knew it i was kicking myself because the rest of the car is CC'd!!