Tire Balance Weights?

You can use the standard weights but they will screw up your aluminum wheels. They are a lot softer than steel wheels and most decent tire shops will use the stick on weights.

 

I definitely recommend using the taped on weights versus the edge clamp on types.

they look a lot better and do not mess up your aluminum wheels. I have not found any adverse effects of using them on any of my cars.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FuelMiser @ Oct 29 2006, 07:24 PM) [snapback]340410[/snapback]</div>

Any way I can talk you into considering ugly black steel rims instead? I'm serious

First of all, it makes the seasonal changover much easier. You just jack up one corner of the car at a time, take off the "all season" tire/wheel, use a grease pencil to mark where it was ("RF" or "LR" etc), slap on the winter tire/wheel, and move on to the next one. I can do the changover in 15-20 mins.

Second of all, the factory alloy wheels are clearcoated at the factory to prevent oxidation. You *must* use the stick-on balance weights to maintain that resin-like coating. If you happen to apply a regular wheel weight - which is usually hammered on - you will very likely damage that coating. What will happen next, and it may take a few months or a year to notice, is "filiform" corrosion. It looks like fine hairline cracks, maybe a brush-like appearance.

About the only way to "cure" it would be to have the wheel stripped and recoated, an expensive proposition.

Third, I'll assume the state of CO applies salt to the roads to minimize icing. That alone can eventually cause filiform corrosion. I had a 2000 GMC Sierra SLT pickup, with shiny polished aluminum wheels. After four years, that effect started just because of the salt exposure. I also made the mistake of mounting/dismounting winter and "all season" tires on the same wheel.

If your winters are as long, severe, and cold as mine up here, I think you'd probably want to run "real" studded snow tires for the winter, then efficient "all season" tires for the rest of the year.

I should add that if you do run ugly black steel wheels, get regular tapered lugnuts. I got mine at NAPA for around $18 for all four wheels, iirc. The factory nuts don't appear to have the proper taper, they would loosen up on my Prius with steel wheels. These I torque correctly once, and they stay that way.