Winter is coming, and it's time to prepare yourself AND your car for this tricky season.
If you're lucky enough to live in the south where your wipers never get frozen to the
windshield, it's one thing.
But being not that lucky, I sometimes have to spend hours digging my car out of snow!
Well, it’s good I have some useful tricks in stock.
- To check how well your car tires are prepared for the winter season, you can use a simple
quarter!
Put the coin between your fingers and push it head down into the tread, one tire at a
time.
Then, depending on how much of the coin is still showing, you can figure out if it's
time to do some maintenance!
For example, if the tread reaches the head of George Washington, there's still a lot
of it left on the tire, and you're good to go.
But if there is some space left between the tread and the head, it's probably high time
to replace the tires.
- Try to check the pressure in your tires every now and then, especially before the
winter season.
If the tires aren't inflated well enough, you'll waste more fuel for each mile you travel.
Plus, low pressure in the tires during the winter will make it more difficult to control
the car.
The tires won't last as long as they otherwise could either.
And it will also reduce traction, which is particularly dangerous when the roads are
covered with snow and ice.
- Every time you drive somewhere in winter, make sure that your car is filled up on gas.
Many people believe that they have to do it because, otherwise, their gasoline will freeze.
Well, the truth is that gasoline can't freeze, but not having enough fuel in the tank can
cause other problems.
For example, when your gas tank is almost empty, some condensation may form inside and,
later, freeze in your fuel lines.
And one morning, your car just won't start!
Another great reason for keeping your tank full in the winter is that its heavier weight
increases your car's traction, which is particularly useful on slippery days!
- Let's say, you ended up in a snowbank on your way to work, it’s not your day, and
you're not sure that your boss will appreciate this excuse.
And if there are no other drivers around to help you, you'll have to deal with the situation
on your own.
First, remove the snow that's blocking your car.
(That's when that shovel you've had in your trunk for ages will come in handy!)
After that, make sure that no important car parts, like exhaust pipes, headlights, or
the windshield, are blocked by snow.
Put something that can improve traction under the tires.
The most effective solution will be sand, salt, and cat litter (if you happen to have
it in your car, of course).
Make sure you have the lowest gear possible - the lower it is, the more traction your
car will have.
If you have this option, turn on the 4-wheel drive.
While keeping the wheels straight, start to rock your car forward and backward, just a
few inches at a time.
That's how your vehicle will build momentum and gain more and more traction.
Do NOT spin your tires!
It will do nothing but dig you even deeper into the snowbank.
- Make sure you know how to recognize black ice and when you should be particularly careful
on the road.
Black ice gets formed when the temperature drops down to 32 degrees F and below, and
at the same time, it's raining.
When the water coming from the sky touches the ground, it turns into a thin layer of
ice.
Black ice can also form because of a slight difference in temperatures.
For example, in the evening, the temperature is above freezing, and the snow starts melting.
But during the night, it gets colder.
That's why when you go out in the morning, you find out that the melted snow has frozen
again and created black ice.
- But (surprise-surprise!) black ice isn't actually black.
It got such a nickname because when a thin layer of clear ice appears on the road, it
looks shiny black.
And if you know that the conditions have been favorable for black ice to appear, be extra
careful.
Drive more slowly than usual, don't make sharp turns, and try to spot areas that look as
if they are covered with water.
If the temperature is below freezing, it can't be water - most likely, it's black ice.
- If you didn't manage to identify black ice in time and hit a patch of it, do NOT slam
the brakes or start to steer your car.
It may lead to a crash.
Try to stay calm (I know, I know!) and slow down naturally by taking your foot off the
accelerator.
It will be great if you manage to find a non-icy patch of the road or a spot covered with snow.
Driving over those places will help you to get additional traction, and your car will
slow down.
And if you've completely lost control of your car, carefully pump the brakes and steer in
the direction you need to go.
Don't panic, sooner or later you'll reach some solid ground and regain control of the
car.
- Not to waste tons of time in the morning trying to defrost and warm up your car, try
parking it in a particular way.
Make sure that you leave your car with its front facing the east.
This way, the rising sun will warm your vehicle, melting all the frost and ice from the windshield
in the process.
This method might turn out useless when the day is cloudy and there is no sun, or if you
drive to work so early that the sun hasn't risen yet.
In this case, you'll have to use other defrosting solutions I'll tell you about a bit later.
Also, this recommendation won't be super-useful if you park your car in a garage, I guess.
Well, good for you, a person who doesn't know the struggles of the overnight frost.
- So, let's say that the day is cloudy, and the sun hasn't helped you in the hard task
of defrosting your car.
You can use a scraper, but it needs plenty of muscle, your hands freeze, and, honestly,
the whole process might be not worth the effort.
But there's an effective solution that can help you to deal with this nasty frost in
a matter of minutes.
Mix two-thirds of isopropyl with one-third of water and pour this liquid into a spray
bottle.
Then dig your car out of the snowdrift that has formed overnight and spray the solution
on the windshield.
Here you go: the ice is disappearing right before your eyes!
The good news about isopropyl is that it doesn't freeze unless the temperature drops down to
128 degrees F below zero.
It means that you can easily leave the spray bottle with the solution in your car trunk
at night!
You can also spray the same liquid on the doors and door handles if they have frozen
shut.
But don't get rid of your scraper just yet: you can use it to remove chunks of ice.
- Or you can prevent your windshield from getting frozen altogether!
If you leave your car outside, cover the windshield with an old sheet, a towel, a tarp, or whatnot.
As for the wipers, dress them in socks for the night.
Yes, they might look silly, I'll give you that, but at least they won't freeze to the
windshield!
- But whatever you do, do NOT pour warm water onto the windshield.
The most insignificant problem it can cause will be an additional layer of ice on the
glass.
But if the difference in temperatures between the water and the air outside is too big,
this hot-water-pouring trick is likely to leave you with several cracks on the windshield!
- Never save on windshield washer fluid!
Winter driving can be a very dirty business (and I mean it literally).
That's why you're likely to use the wipers more often than you do in the summer.
If you run out of washer fluid somewhere along the way, your visibility will drop, which
will mean DANGER!
The best idea is to keep an extra gallon of this fluid in your car trunk at all times!
Good Luck – and don’t forget your mittens!
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