Aluminum mags are cool and everywhere but may cause a McHenry winter problem

Cragar S/S mags were the choice of hotrodders

years ago, and for some today. But custom-

look mag wheels are common today and found

on almost every car in McHenry.

Years ago, mag wheels were rare. Today, they’re everywhere – nearly every car, truck and SUV comes with mag wheels. They’re stylish. They’re cool. But, when it gets cold as another McHenry winter approaches, they do come with one potential problem.

In days gone by, most cars, trucks and SUVs came with steel wheels. For appearance’s sake, they usually had shiny metal covers that were pounded into place called hubcaps. Hubcaps were notorious for flying off the rim if you hit a bump too hard.

You might see a driver pulled over on Route 31, right here in McHenry, so they could get out of the car, truck or SUV they were driving and retrieve a hubcap that took flight after they hit a pothole. Of course, not everyone stopped to find their errant hubcaps, especially since they would sometimes roll for considerable distances after coming off the steel rim.

There were roadside stores that sold nothing but hubcaps. If your hubcap came off and you were unable to find it, you could stop at one of these stores and there’s a good chance they would have a replacement for your lost hubcap (hubcap didn’t match up simply because it was the right size for your wheels – they also had manufacturer logos and unique designs which could change, not just manufacturer to manufacturer but year to year).

Most of the time, if you saw mag wheels, they were on a hotrod; someone had fixed up their car to go faster and they had bought some chrome mags that were visually appealing while they also weighed less than the steel rims because the mags were made of aluminum.

Cragar S/S Super Sport 5-spoke wheels were probably the most popular. But companies, such as Keystone, also made mags.

People liked them. They looked nice, they weighed less and there was generally nothing to fly off the wheel if you hit a hard pothole.

Unfortunately, they they look cool, those

aluminum mag wheels can go flat as the cold 

weather sets in.

Today, it’s difficult to find a car from the factory that doesn’t have aluminum mag wheels. The manufacturer’s have their own designs and companies, such as Cragar probably haven’t sold as many S/S wheels in a while. But there is one winter-time potential drawback to aluminum mag wheels for drivers, such as you.

The aluminum reacts differently to the cold. As another McHenry winter sets in, they’re apt to contract and leave the bead of the tire behind. When this happens, the tire looses its air. To fix the tire, it’s best that you, first of all, not drive on it while it’s flat anymore than necessary (that could ruin the tire) and, second of all, bring it in to a trusted auto repair shop where they can reseat the tire bead with the aluminum rim so that it will hold air.

It's quite likely that, if you have this problem with your aluminum mags, it will happen while the car, truck or SUV is parked. But that’s not always the case.