It’s officially winter and Lexus has made a seasonally-appropriate modification to its NX crossover. Going where no tire company has gone before, Lexus has created a set of ice wheels and tires for its compact utility vehicle.
No, these aren’t your typical snow tires, but an actual set of wheels formed totally of ice. Lexus says the idea for its take on winter tires was inspired by the company’s mission of “creating amazing.”
Although it only takes an hour or so to make an ice cube in a freezer, Lexus’s ice wheels took substantially longer. It took a team three-month to research, design and test the NX’s frozen-water wheels. It then took an additional five-days to deep freeze the car at -22 degrees Fahrenheit. Lexus notes that the chilled NX started on the first try. To enhance the look, Lexus also included in-wheel LED lighting.
The Lexus NX and its ice wheels were successfully taken for a test drive somewhere in London. Lexus didn’t mention how long the ice wheels lasted before conventional rubber had to be put back on.
Though admittedly pointless, there is something cool about seeing a crossover riding around on essentially on four blocks of ice.
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