If you dont do it, what do you do to protect them?

 

I don't bother taking off the aftermarket wheels on my cars... never have. If you keep the car clean as possible throughout the winter (here that means washing off the salt), it helps. I am a fanatic about keeping my car clean and in top condition. But I guess I've always wondered, what is the point of dragging the car through the winter months, and sparing the wheels? So that I can have shiny, near perfect rims on a rusty car in a dozen years? If you are really worried about wearing the old girl out, I figure getting a winter car for a couple hundred bucks makes a lot more sense than spending about the same amount for a second set of wheels and tires....

 

Since my alloys have summer-only tires on them and it snows in winter where I live, from November through March I switch to my OEM steels and tires.

 

I used my good wheels for the winter last year, not a good idea. They were perefctly fine in appearance its just that there are alot of potholes in the winter which I hit. And craked one of my rims.

This year Ill be using some 16" crap wheels for the winter.

 

I just bought the winter tire package from Tirerack: black 15" steelies and Dunlop Graspics.
Main reason is last year, first real snow, I was driving home from work and the roads were
really slick. The, uh 'all season' stockies slammed me right into a 6" high concrete curb and I gouged out a big chunk of aluminum. My car was three weeks old at the time, and I was really pissed!
I replaced the wheel but swore I would never run them again in the winter.

 

...did THAT result in an all-night bender with a bottle of Jack?

 

Yep, I switch back to the stock 16s during the winter. I've been able to save the tread on my tires by swapping back and forth. Here in OKie-homa we don't really get too much actual "snow", however we do get ICE. Ice usually means someone is going to slide into a curb at some point and I would rather do that with my stockies than with my aftermarket rims!!

 

Not Jack--Dewar's.

God, I was pissed, but I got over it--the next week I was rear-ended!

 

stockies go on towards the end of november. here in VA weather is unpredictable so i switch out just in case of an ice storm or excessive road salt.

 

Straying off topic....

Just for you, juddz, I tried to upload but the forum won't allow .wav files...

http://www.geocities.com/evildeadpage/

 

i have seperate 15" wheels with snow tires now. but if you don't change them then I'd say give your wheels a good waxing to give it some more protection. other than that just keep washing your wheels regularly to get the salt off.

 

I used to use the same ones for both seasons-I just threw on a coat of wax before the season came.

 

The reason I got my rims was because my brother drove my car into a ditch and bent 3 of the stock rims. So taking advantage of the oppurtunity I said screw it and got 17's with nice summer tires. Now I don't have a choice but to keep my aftermarket rims on. I did finally get some Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S so I can drive in the Chicago winters as opposed to the Yokohama Prada Spec-2 that I had on there (not reccomeded for winter driving). Bastard at the body shop didn't give me back my one good rim with the good tire on it, I was planning on using it for a full size spare.