Winter may not officially start until December 21, but we here in Canada know better. It's winter now. The temperatures have dropped and depending on where you live the snow and ice have made their appearance as well. And with the colder temperatures come driving conditions that can be challenging for even the most experienced of drivers.
Now is a good time bring your car into the shop for a thorough maintenance check to make sure it is ready for the cold months. The technician should check the brakes; make sure the antifreeze has sufficient strength; check all belts and hoses; check the strength of the battery; look for any fluid leaks; and change the oil if it’s due. Summer breakdowns are bad enough, but throw in the cold and the snow, and winter ones can be even worse.
Build a winter emergency kit (and remember to put it in the car!)
It is also a good idea to put together a winter emergency kit for your car. Such kits might seem like a no-brainer for drivers in remote locations, but they're a good idea for city folk as well. No matter how short the trip you have planned is, it can’t hurt to have an emergency safety kit.
Your kit should include things like blankets and warm clothes, bottled water and snacks, booster cables, first aid supplies, visibility aids, a flashlight and batteries, a small shovel, sand or kitty litter for extra traction. If you have kids, you may want to also carry a few extra toys in the car as well. If your car breaks down you will likely be stressed enough without having to worry about entertaining the kids.
If you already have a kit built from previous years it's a good idea to check if there is anything that has gone missing or needs repleneshing. And of course, make sure you actually put the kit in the car.
Get a good snow brush
Depending on where you live, winter generally mean lots of snow and ice so you will want a good snow brush with an ice scraper. You need to clean all of the snow and ice off your car before driving away. Not only is it unsafe, it is actually illegal to drive with your windows covered - you need to be able to see all the way around your vehicle.
You should also sweep off your headlights and taillights, so other drivers can see you. Brush snow off the roof, hood, and trunk, too. If it’s powdery snow, it’ll blow onto your windows and obstruct your vision, and if it’s heavy and wet, you’ll waste fuel carrying it around. Use a soft snow brush to avoid scratching the paint.
Put your winter boots on
Winter tires are far better than all-season tires in cold weather and you should really consider getting a set installed on your vehicle. They are not just for snow and ice, either. When the temperature falls below -7 C , the specially-formulated rubber in winter tires does a better job of staying soft and gripping the pavement. That contact with the road is essential for safety, and can be the difference between stopping your vehicle in time, or getting in an accident.
Winter tires also have special tread designs to help channel away slush and preventing hydroplaning, a dangerous situation where your tires “float” on top of puddles and leave you without control.
A good rule of thumb is that if you can see your breath, it's time to put on your winter tires. If you have winter tires from a previous year, make sure they have enough tread left and that they are free of any cracks or other damages before putting them back on your car this winter.
You should also keep a tire gauge in your vehicle and check your tire pressure regularly. For every five degrees Celsius the thermometer drops, your tires lose one psi of pressure. Not only does fuel economy suffer, but behaviour and traction at speed is affected too.
Check your wiper blades and wiper fluid
Good wiper blades are essential for visibility, patricularly in the winter, but most people don’t change them often enough. If your current blades leave streaks, don’t clean portions of their sweep, are damaged, or chatter across the windshield it's time to get new ones. Winter wiper blades, such as the Reflex Ice Winter Wiper Blade, use a special rubber formulation that keeps them supple in weather as cold as -40C, and they’re shaped to reduce ice and snow buildup.
You’ll also go through windshield washer fluid at about twice the rate in winter as in summer so you want to make sure you are topped up with a winter-specific fluid. Summer-based washer fluids can have more detergents to help clear bugs and tar off the windscreen while winter-friendly mixes are formulated with a de-icer to help prevent freezing when the fluid hits the cold windshield. You should always carry a spare jug for top-ups.
Warming up your car
Contrary to what many people believe, you don't need to let your car warm up for a long time before driving off. Even when it’s really cold, modern cars need only a minute or two of warm up time before you pull out. Drive gently for the first while until your engine's temperature starts to rise—don’t accelerate hard, and avoid hard braking if you can. Driving will get the engine speed up, and everything will warm up faster.
When starting your vehicle in winter, it's also a good idea to put your defrosters on the highest setting before you start scraping the ice off your windshield. It should make the job easier, and will clear the fog before you start to drive.
If the temperature regularly reads lower than -15 Celsius where your car is stored it is wise to invest in a block heater if your car doesn't already have one. They are cheap and easy to install and will make for much easier cold starts on those extremely cold days.
In the winter months you should also keep your gas tank at half full or higher at all times as this will help prevent condensation from forming in your tank. Foul winter weather can also easily turn short trips into long ones and if your tank is running low, you could end up running out of fuel if unexpected traffic ties you up.
Should you ever get stuck in the show, having ample fuel in the tank will also allow you to keep the car running and warm until help arrives.
See and be seen
Any time the weather is anything but clear, you should turn your headlights on as snow, sleet or rain can make it very difficult for others to see you without them. Even if your daytime running lights are illuminating the front of your car, you could be invisible from behind so turn the headlights on as this also turns on your taillights.
Less sunlight in the winter months also means you will be doing more driving in the dark. Check to make sure that all of your lights are functioning properly and that the lens cover has not become overly cloudy or opaque. Replace any burnt our bulbs and if your lenses need it you, can easily restore the clear finish with the use of a headlight restoration kit.
And of course, if conditions are less than ideal when driving make sure you travel at an appropriate speed and give lots of space to the vehicles ahead of you.
