Kal Tire, which has more than 200 locations throughout Canada, is offering steel wheel weights "with the hopes of phasing out lead wheel weights altogether in the future," according to Kal Tire officials.
"The use of lead wheel weights is a common industry practice. It is estimated that 65,000 tons of lead wheel weights were used in the U.S. alone last year, with about 3% of those falling off and entering the eco-system.
"Once off the wheel, the weights drop to the road surface, where they become abraded by vehicle traffic, eventually becoming dissipated into the environment by wind and storm water."
Kal Tire officials have reassured customers that switching from lead weights to steel weights will not change their vehicles' performance.