WINTER DRIVING: If you’re heading over the mountains or into snow area, be ready for the worst.
Know your route, keep to major highways. They are plowed and sanded. If you do have a problem, help would be close.
Be well rested.
Let someone know where you are going and when you’re getting back if you’re planning to go off the beaten path in snowy conditions
Always have traction tires or chains.
Keep your fuel tank close to full,
Carry warm clothes and blanket and some food and water, more if you going off the beaten path.
Kitty liter is good to have in the trunk if you should get stuck, pour it on front of the slipping tire to get traction.
If you get stuck away from cars and people, stay with your car. It is easier to find, water proof, windproof and can be started for heat.
Winter preparations for your vehicle..
1. Coolant check, 50-50 mixture of antifreeze/water. That will bring it down to -34.
2. Battery check. A battery receives its electric energy from chemical reactions. The colder it is, the less power a battery has. And on top of this, a cold engine requires more power to crank it over. Cold weather is a test for a battery. Get your battery checked before it deserts you.
3. Tires. Rain, snow, and ice all come with winter. Your tires are your first line of defense between you and the road. Poor tires are just plain dangerous for you and the other people on the road. Check your tire pressure, the pressure is determined by the automobile manufacturer, not the tire company. You will find your recommended tire pressure on the driver’s door jamb or in your owner’s manual.
4.Replace your windshield wipers every fall.
5.Make sure your heater operation and defrost are working.
6. Check your washer fluid and operation. Make sure your windshield is clean both inside and out, that the headlights are clean and adjusted correctly. Sight is 99% of the input for driving, make sure you can see.
7. Car is tuned/ serviced. Be sure the correct oil is used. If it’s too thick, it will cause the engine to crank slow and cause excessive wear during warm up.
8. If driving in the rain, I put Rain-x or another window polish on you windshield. It really improves your vision.
9. have your exhaust system has no leaks for exhaust contain carbon monoxide is poisonous odorless gas. The first affect of carbon monoxide is that it makes you sleepy.
10. No need to warn up your vehicle before driving, it only wastes fuel and pollutes the air. Just drive without putting the engine under heavy load until the temperature is normal. The only reason for warming it before driving is get ice off the windshield or warm the interior for you.
Storing you vehicle for the winter, these tips will help you.
- Fill the tank with fuel
- Make sure that the oil has been recently changed
- Wash and wax the car, clean the interior
- Make sure tire pressures are proper
- Drive the car for about thirty miles to get the engine warm before shutting it off.
- Ideally, keep it in an enclosed area, heated if possible, with a cloth car cover.
- Disconnect the battery and install a “battery tender” or other equivalent battery maintenance charger to keep the battery in good condition.
- Keep all pet food away from the car and surrounding to keep mice out. If you have a mouse problem, put Decon in the car.
- If storing longer, the car should be lifted off the ground onto jack stands
- If storage is over a year and a half, spark plugs should be removed and a couple squirts of oil should be put in the cylinders and the engine cranked over to distribute the oil onto the cylinder walls.
- When starting the engine after storage, disable spark and crank the engine over for about thirty seconds to distribute oil. After starting, let the engine idle for about a minute before driving and then drive carefully.
- Do not have the engine started and run for a few minutes and then turned off. This is more damaging on the engine then not being run at all.