slush and ice buildup

[51mavhatter]

For those in snow country where you get a cycle of thawing and freezing and get a lot of slush on the roads I experienced a massive buildup of ice in the wheel wells to the point of a lot of rubbing (245/65/17 Falkens) when turning and all kinds of noises as the slush accumulates and builds up over time and freezes. Seems to interfere with springs and shocks and everything else behind the wheel that has to move. Finally went to the car wash and got all the ice out with the high pressure wand and problem solved. Anyone else having to do this?
regards

Sponsored

 

[710-oil-614]

I thought for sure this was going to be about the headlights...which I was going to agree with.

Haven't had enough snow yet to know if it is an issue for me personally but when it has been an issue for me in the past it is when I'm hooning my vehicle all over the place having fun.

 

[Jah.]

Haven't had that problem yet and don't plan on it in near future . warmer than normal here in Florida . when living in Cleveland Ohio many years ago I had that problem on numerous vehicles .

 

[Grand Nat.]

It's normal for any vehicle being driven in a salty slush mix in freezing temperatures for this to happen. The tires on Mavericks with 235s /65 or 245s are close to the body panels.

 

[NJBob]

I have had ice buildup on the inner side of the wheels. Throws the balance off big time.

 

[fossil]

Yes I've had to hit the car wash to clean out the wheel/wells on different vehicles in the winter. Not this year as we are in a snow drought in my location.
Don't know OPs setup with oversized tires but if he doesn't have a lift it's a self inflected wound. If he has the molded, cup shaped mud flaps it only adds to the situation.
Not unique to the Maverick.

 

[todd92]

Puts oversized tires on that have minimal clearance. Complains when tires rub on ice in wheel well.

 

[tom_tucker]

Puts oversized tires on that have minimal clearance. Complains when tires rub on ice in wheel well.

Seems ill advised to change specs on a new car, especially tire size. Now he's the engineer. Not a job I would want.

Not too many snowy climates left but Colorado is one them. Sounds like a job for an old broomstick and hopefully it's not too cold to flash freeze before you get to it.

Yes, I kick the tires, splash guards and wells out when it's snowy but I have the space to get in there and it's not too cold. Needs to be done every time I stop. I use the car wash wand too. Probably a lot tougher in the Rockies.

 

[Gray Goose]

For those in snow country where you get a cycle of thawing and freezing and get a lot of slush on the roads I experienced a massive buildup of ice in the wheel wells to the point of a lot of rubbing (245/65/17 Falkens) when turning and all kinds of noises as the slush accumulates and builds up over time and freezes. Seems to interfere with springs and shocks and everything else behind the wheel that has to move. Finally went to the car wash and got all the ice out with the high pressure wand and problem solved. Anyone else having to do this?
regards

I made myself a crud remover. It's an old window ice scraper mounted to a long handle. I've used it for years to clean out wheel wells. Once the tire has clearance the rest of the suspension has enough movement to dislodge the remaining crud. This might not work for 245's since there isn't much clearance remaining.

 

[Luthinator]

I used to have an issue on my 99' firebird. I eventually started to coat the wheel wells with a Teflon coating like I do now for my snow blower. had to do it a few times a season. It seemed to help. I never had any issues behind the wheels after that. Still one of the best vehicles I had in the snow. Huge tires. the car would go through snow drifts like a plow. I was lucky I never had damage to the front end from that... You know stupid indestructible teenager. Just make sure to cover the tires with some rags or paper so they don't coated... unless you are looking to have some crazy fun.... lol (DO NOT coat your tires with Teflon spray). We have not had any snow in Illinois since I have had my Mav. We will see what the next few weeks will bring.

 

[Montana]

Puts oversized tires on that have minimal clearance. Complains when tires rub on ice in wheel well.

There is plenty of clearance.

225/60/18 is the same height as 245/65/17. Width doesn't attribute as much to something like this as you are assuming unless it's on an offset that puts the tire further under the wheel well, and that rarely happens. It's still pretty centered all things considered. Half an inch isn't going to be the make or break all in radius' when slush is that bad. It's likely going to happen anyways.

I never had that problem on the Maverick but I did on my Escape. We have not had much snow this year but I have driven through the thick of it. I also have 245/65R17's on the Maverick. My Escape had stock tires on 19's and it was terrible to the point where I had to stop at the car wash almost daily sometimes during winter. Ice would also build up on the underbody and caused a flapping of those composite panels that shield the underbody. Something must've broken those plastic retainer clips and it was a nightmare to fix. I didn't order a new part but I did mend it and it became clear the design was very poorly thought over. I also had the same issue on a previous Subaru Crosstrek. So it's really got nothing to do with the tire size. Now if you went up a level that you could not even turn the wheels... then duh. But there is more than enough space for 245's on the Mavericks. Anything beyond that is overkill.

Sometimes slush is just that level of sticky and it happens for most vehicles on the road.

 

[Bob The Builder]

Part of living up here where there is 9 months of winter and 3 months of lousy skiing.

 

[tom_tucker]

Part of living up here where there is 9 months of winter and 3 months of lousy skiing.

It's been a stinker winter in many places. I'm still thinking to hit Jay Peak, Cannon Mtn and SaddleBack, ME last week in Mar. with the Maverick. I have 2 lift days at each paid for. Cheaper than flying to Colorado. Hopefully snow will get stuck in the wheel wells.

Sponsored