Ice in tires

olPete · Jan 28, 2017

SC2555HST said:
I have straight water in my rear tires for ballast. I'm in Aiken, SC. We get a few freezing days a winter, but usually thaws out by mid-day. I see all the YouTube videos of people putting windshield washer fluid in for the -20 anti-freeze attribute.

My question is, besides a big chunk of ice stuck to one side of the tire creating unbalance if rolling, will ice freezing in a tire damage anything? My thoughts are that the rubber will flex enough to compensate for the ice expansion.

What are your thoughts?

We've only ever had water in and can only remember it being lumpy once. That was after about 2 weeks of nothing thawing out.. we didn't attempt to go 28mph and it broke up in the first 100yards. I'm not gonna be the wise guy who says to just go for it and then you have a flat and think I'm a $@//$., but I think there's a lot of benefits to just running water. First of all its free and second you can run it out on the ground anywhere you like. It doesn't cause that much rust unless you fill old 1960's tractors with rusty rims up. I gave a couple of little spots a tidy up and sprayed on some paint, which is still probably a lot cheaper than any additive I can imagine. That's my 2 cents, we have mild winters compared to what I see you guys post on here.

RandyT · Jan 28, 2017

The water as long as it stays above the rim shouldn't have rust problems. they are starting to run CaCl in tubeless tires. To prevent corrosion the calcium has to be above the rim. You have to have air present to get corrosion. So no air no rust. Or that is the theory anyway.

SC2555HST · Jan 28, 2017

A lot of good responses. Thanks to all. Here in southern South Carolina, we rarely get more than a day at a time that's below freezing, and corrosion isn't a big concern for me, so I guess it's water.

Deere Dude · Jan 29, 2017

I would be concerned with the valve stem freezing and breaking off, although I never heard of that happening from freezing. I would inject a couple gallons of antifreeze in with the water.

adventure bob · Jan 30, 2017

Interesting thread...
My only concern with CaCL is that if you do spill it makes a large dead spot in your field. Salting the earth has a always been a way to wipe out food production of an enemy. Same thing with windshield wiper fluid, the dead spot not that windshield wiper fluid was used as a crop buster in history... Beet juice is pretty PH neutral and doesn't kill off everything it comes in contact with. Stinks to high heaven after its been in your tires a while. Straight water is prbly the best in terms of spillage but if your not in the south, its not a great solution. CaCL in water is by chemistry more corrosive than straight water and will corrode things even in an "airless" environment. Ships rust out just fine at the bottom of the ocean. You need oxygen to oxidize anything and strangely enough water is 1/3 oxygen.