They use the gravel-like substance here as well on certain roads mainly for ice traction since in really cold weathers, the salt does nothing.KuroNekko wrote:I know the Kizashi does have some corrosion-resistance like zinc-plated undercarriage parts and wax-sealed components, but salt can do damage regardless unless your car is entirely aluminum or a composite material (meaning the car is an atrociously expensive exotic).
The mountains where I used to live in California used this gravel-like material as traction assistance instead of salt. I believe the main reason was because salt has some adverse environmental effects (can affect the lakes up there?), not to mention rusting out cars. However, I can see that salt can be more suitable in large, non-alpine cities. This gravel material did not dissolve and just became part of the dirt on the side of the road once the snow melted. It wasn't a problem in the mountains, but it could gum up sewer systems in a city. Also, this gravel stuff did not do much about melting snow and ice like salt does. I guess it was suitable for the mountains, but not so much in large cities like in the Midwest, etc.
However, when it comes to just considering cars, the gravel stuff is much better as it does not contribute to rust. When I sold my Subaru Impreza to my buddy, it did not have any rust despite having 225,000 (California) miles. It was my trusty ride when I was in California until I moved out East.
Good to know there is some corrosion resistance built-in. It's going to be nice just having everything clean again once I can rinse the car down. I really like its agressive stance. It's truly grown on me, even though it's supposed to be the wife's car.
Parked it in my friend's driveway and looked over my shoulder at the Kiz to see it grinning back at me with dabbles of green and small wings stuck in its grille...BLISS!
Got a pic?