The cold is upon us, and just like your pets need certain concessions when Jack Frost comes to visit, your car does, too. We put together prime winterization tips, and got some additional advice from Richard Reina, the product training director at online vehicle parts portal CARiD.com.
Winterization tasks fall into two categories: Car care and personal safety. Both are important, most will change the winter driving experience. We’ll start with personal safety since that helps you and your car survive the season.
SWITCH TO WINTER TIRES
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Every knowledgeable source we know of recommends winter tires. YouTube is full of videos demonstrating how much better winter tires perform than all-season tires in snow and ice. Accelerating, steering, and braking are improved by winter tires.
We know you paid extra for all-wheel drive so you could avoid this step. But AWD is half of the winter driving equation. Richard Reina said, “Those AWD drivetrains may provide extra traction, but they provide no help with steering or braking on slippery surfaces.” That is, AWD can send power to the wheel with the most grip. If no tire will grip, AWD is useless.
Winter tires use rubber compounds formulated to resist hardening in freezing temps, maintaining their elasticity and grip when everything else outside – like an all-season tire – is getting hard and slippery. Their tread patterns are designed to clear snow and slush.
No matter which tires are on your car, make sure they have sufficient tread and they’re inflated to the proper pressure. That’s a tip for year-round, not just winter.
WINTER WIPERS AND WASHER FLUID
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Windshield wipers are made of rubber products just like tires, so consider buying winter wipers designed to stay more pliant. Having a blade leave a slushy streak on the windshield every time it travels is annoying and potentially dangerous.
Keep an extra set of blades in the car (ideally) or at home. Blades should be changed every six to 12 months, Reina saying “The 6-month regimen is best conducted every spring and fall.” You don’t want to wait until frozen rain starts falling to find out you need new wipers. Ask any auto parts store employee – that’s when the stampede begins. Reina recommends Bosch blades like the Snow Driver, saying, “Beam style blades tend to fare better in the winter: their design makes it…
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