Driving in snow is a tricky task, as poor tires cannot grip on icy road. But what if the car wheels are literally frozen? Well, Lexus NX actually comes fitted with crossover wheels that are made out of solid blocks of ice. Yes, you read that right. These glowing ice wheels not only hold the car up, but are fully-functional and the SUV would be able to drive on them.

Lexus UK has commissioned Hamilton Ice Sculptors to recreate NX’s real wheels in frozen water. Although the wheels aren’t made from 100-percent ice, but they’re close. A moving flow of softened water is used to ensure the ice was perfectly clear. Each wheel is made a team of four expert sculptors, who took 36 hours to hand-sculpt these frozen wheels.

These unusually frosty tires are created using high-end techniques like laser-scanning, CAD designs and multi-axis machining. Moreover, the ice contains acrylic inserts that help the tires to support full weight (nearly 4,000 pounds) of the car and LED lights are added for glowing visual flair.

After three months of thorough testing, ice sculptors approved of getting it to the streets for a safe drive. However, before hitting the road the car was stored at minus 30-degree-Celsius for five days. According to Lexus, the SUV on ice wheels was successfully driven down a road in London. It’s quite hard to believe that how safely these ice-cold wheels (with virtually no gripping capabilities) can roll on streets.

But it’s not a practical driving solution- as ice tires for winter driving in snow are a big ‘no.’ Plus, these frozen tires will even melt in summer heat. Nevertheless, Lexus NX ice wheels provide an incredible design and engineering perspective. It’s definitely an impressive advertising stunt to draw all attention at end of the year.

Via: Gizmag

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Sunil Chandel

Sunil has been blogging about autos, consumer gadgets and home improvement ideas from a couple of years. When he is not writing, you can find him riding his royal enfield motorcycle, listening to music and showing off his football skills

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