How to winterize your car
The cold weather is here, and your automobile has to make some accommodations much like your pets do when Jack Frost pays a visit. Richard Reina, the product training director at the online auto parts retailer CARiD.com, provided some extra advise in addition to the excellent winterization ideas we had compiled.
Car maintenance and human safety are the two main areas of winterization duties. Both are crucial; the majority will alter the driving experience in the winter. Since personal safety helps you and your automobile survive the season, we’ll start there.
SWITCH TO WINTER TIRES
The best winter tyres for 2023
Winter tyres are advised by all the qualified sources we are aware of. There are several videos on YouTube that show how much more effectively winter tyres work in snow and ice than all-season tyres. Winter tyres enhance braking, steering, and acceleration.
We are aware that you purchased all-wheel drive at a premium to avoid taking this action. But AWD is only part of the solution for winter driving. These AWD drivetrains may offer more traction, but they offer no assistance for steering or braking on slick roads, according to Richard Reina. In other words, AWD may direct power to the wheel that has the highest traction. AWD is pointless if none of the tyres grip.How to winterize your car
In order to preserve their flexibility and grip while everything else outside, like an all-season tyre, is turning hard and slick, winter tyres employ rubber compositions that are designed to resist hardening in cold temperatures. Their tread patterns are made to remove slush and snow.No matter which tyres are on your automobile, ensure sure they are properly inflated and have enough tread. That is a year-round advice, not only for the winter.
WASHER FLUID AND WINTER WIPERS
How to change the washer fluid and wiper blades
Consider selecting winter wipers built to be more flexible since they are comprised of rubber materials, exactly like tyres. Every time a blade moves, a slushy streak is left on the glass, which is both bothersome and potentially hazardous.
Keep a spare pair of blades either at home or in the car (preferably). According to Reina, blades should be replaced every six to twelve months. You don’t want to wait until the first drops of frozen rain to realise you need new wipers. Ask any employee of an auto parts store; that’s when the stampede starts. Reina suggests Bosch razors such as the Snow Driver, claiming that “Beam type blades tend to fare better in the winter” because of how difficult it is for snow and ice to build up on them. Another excellent alternative is Rain-X Latitude blades, which lack conventional metal frames that can freeze and “introduced water repellency, doing a better job of driving moisture off the glass than other blades.”
Reina also said, “On waggons and SUVs, don’t forget the back wiper.”
PACK A WINTER SAFETY BUNDLE
Not quite a year ago, I was driving through a snowfall in my Corvette and parked on the side of the road. I had broken both the unwritten rule about having snow tyres and the written rule about driving in the incorrect automobile. I also had no safety equipment and only a quarter tank of gas in the automobile. The only option I had was to spend 36 hours sleeping in the two-seater while sporadically running the engine until the weather warmed up enough to melt the ice on the road.
Be different from me.
Put together a tiny duffel bag with enough supplies to keep two people safe in a car for 48 hours. A blanket or sleeping bag is a must-have item, but only fill any container halfway; you need to provide room for frozen water to expand. A thermos will desire to keep any frozen water frozen, so avoid using one. Add flares, triangle reflectors, a safety jacket, and a folding shovel to your complete preparation arsenal. As long as you can keep it outside the car, a glycerine de-icer isn’t a terrible idea if you have an older mechanically locked vehicle
Always keep an ice scraper with a brush with you. Please also scrape your roof, taillights, and headlights! Jumper cables, a flashlight, additional fuses, a tiny funnel, a tyre pressure gauge, and a spare key tucked somewhere outside the car should be kept at all times.
These are the advice for personal safety. All seasons, but particularly in the winter, grip and vision can be the difference between life and death. On to the auto maintenance advice.
HAVE THE BATTERY CHECKED
The 12-volt battery in your automobile performs best when the surrounding air is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit warmer. The battery has to work harder in the cold to start the car since output decreases with temperature, exactly like with batteries in electric vehicles. Test your battery to make sure it produces the correct voltage both while it is cranking and when it is idling. How to winterize your carIf the terminals are corroded, spend five minutes cleaning them.
CHANGE TO LIGHTER ENGINE OIL
How to change your engine oil and filter
In the cold, oil thickens, making it more difficult for the battery to start the automobile. Additionally, thick oil takes longer to reach the areas that need protection, and the majority of engine wear occurs at starting. For advice on what oil to use at what temperature range, consult your owner’s handbook. In chilly locations, several manuals suggest converting to a lower weight.
Even if you utilise a block heater and you currently use 15W-40 in your diesel vehicle, your engine will appreciate the change. Make that the necessary oil levels are met for differentials and transfer cases.
Look for advice on coolant while you’re in the handbook.
WASH YOUR CAR
Wash and wax your car before winter arrives and maintain frequent car washing throughout the season, unless you live somewhere where it never snows or where snow ploughs utilise sand rather than salt. On metal and paint, the mixture of water, grit-filled slush and ice, and salt acts as a sandpaper-like solvent. Spend more money on the undercarriage wash if you utilise an automatic vehicle wash. Your financial account and the resale value of your automobile will be grateful.
FUEL TIPS
Contains paraffin wax in diesel gasoline. As the temperature decreases, the wax starts to solidify, changing the fuel’s appearance from waxy to hazy to gelled as a result. Diesel also contains more water than gasoline, thus in really cold weather. ice crystals may clog the fuel filter or, if one is present, the water separator. Before the temperature drops to the floor, add some fuel additive to the tank.
No matter if you’re using petrol or diesel, aim to keep the tank at least one-quarter full.
Reina advises using a stabiliser when storing an automobile during the winter. using a fuel stabilizer
EV TIPS
Winter will be tough on range; that much is certain. Utilize your pre-conditioning functions while the EV is still plugged in to get the most of what the battery can offer. Reduced usage of the defroster. While driving may save a 7-kW pull on the battery and increase range by taking actions as simple as applying de-icing and defogging solutions to your windscreen.
Even if you have lots of range remaining, pull into a charging spot if it’s convenient to do so while doing errands. The battery and interior of the EV may be heated using grid electricity. Aim to keep the battery at 20% or above at all times.
