How to Keep Slush Out of Your Wheel Wells

A heavy buildup of slush can affect your car's handling.

Maintaining your vehicle is important at any time of the year, but especially so in the snow and slush of winter. It's a good time to make sure your fluid levels are correct, that you have the right tires for the road conditions, and that the tires are inflated properly. It's also a good time to prepare for some of winter's more unpleasant side effects, such as the accumulation of frozen slush that builds up in your wheel wells. Left unchecked, it can grow large enough to abrade your tires and affect your steering. However, the risk of buildup can be minimized.

Things You'll Need

• Jack
• Heavy plastic bag
• Duct tape
• Hose
• Nylon scrubbing pad
• Cleaning rags
• Silicon-based automotive protectant spray
• Replacement splash guards (optional)

Instructions

1. Jack your car to raise one of the tires from the ground. Remove the tire, and cover the brakes with a heavy plastic bag. Tape the bag in place with duct tape.

2. Hose out your wheel well, and use a nylon scrubbing pad to loosen any areas of caked-on dirt. Blot the wheel well dry with a clean rag.

3. Spray the inside of the wheel well with a silicon-based car protectant product, the kind used to keep your tires and hubcaps from collecting dirt. It provides a nonstick surface on the inside of your wheel well, minimizing slush buildup.

4. Check the splash guards at the corner of your wheel wells, to ensure they're intact and securely attached. If not, replace them.

5. Remove the bag from the brakes, and replace your tire. Lower the car, and move to the next tire. Repeat, until all four wheel wells have been treated.

6. Repeat this process through the winter as needed, to restore the nonstick coating.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to cover the brakes carefully, to prevent any nonstick coating adhering to the brake shoes or drums.

• This is a good time to treat your tires and hubcaps with protectant as well, to reduce the potential for damage from wintertime road salt.

• If your coating has begun to lose effectiveness and you don't have the time to repeat the whole process, use kitchen pan spray on the areas where buildup is typically worst. It will only help for a few hours, but is a reasonably effective stopgap until you can reapply your silicon coating.

• Depending on your local weather, you might need one to three applications to get you safely through the winter.

• Replacing your factory splash guards with larger aftermarket splash guards can also help reduce slush buildup.

References

• Alaska Department of Public Safety: What's So Different About Winter Driving?
• King County, WA Department of Transportation: Winter Driving Tips

Resources

• JJ Tracks Tire and Auto Center: Care Care Tips