Cover Photo of Brenten Kelly at the Sno*Drift Rally courtesy of RallyAmerica
If you’re one of the millions of us who live in areas of the world that get some sort of frozen precipitation, Winter is generally the worst season of year for car enthusiasts, but it doesn’t have to be. Sure, it may be too cold to wrench on a project car too extensively and your convertible top will almost certainly remain in the “shut” position, but with some basic preparation, you can remain happily motoring even when the white stuff is falling. Most insurance companies and AAA have some solid checklists on how to prepare your car, but if you have time for only twelve things, here is what I’d recommend.
Ice Scraper/Brush
This sounds pretty basic, but when you’re cleaning out your car in the spring, it’s easy to chuck that scraper in a bin in the garage and forget you don’t have it in the car. Take the time and get a decent scraper that will help you reach all the way across your windshield and clean the whole damn thing off. There’s a reason the front of the car is glass and limiting your field of view for convenience sake is just plain irresponsible. A scraper with a soft brush is nice for cleaning the snow off your car, which you absolutely must do, because we’ve seen what happens when you don’t.
Coffee Can and Tea Candle
This is one of those last-resort items when you’ve run out of fuel and your battery won’t circulate warm air anymore. Having a simple tea candle and placing it inside a metal coffee can will radiate heat into the car for an hour or so, and there are candles that burn longer, but you’ll want one that doesn’t produce much smoke. If you’ve spun off in the ditch and are waiting three hours for a tow truck during a blizzard (as I did when moving to Chicago many years ago), these could be the difference between hypothermia and relative comfort.
Flashlight and Flares
Visibility can be pretty tough in snowy conditions, and if you’ve been involved in a wreck or even just pulled over to wait out the worst of the weather, having a way of alerting other drivers to your presence is essential. Tail lights and hazards won’t always do the trick, so it’s worth carrying a flare or bright flashlight with you. They don’t take up much space and they could save your bacon from the idiots barreling along in unsafe conditions.
Snacks and Water
The last thing you want to be while waiting for a tow truck is hungry and thirsty, so keeping some crackers or other not-expiring-soon snacks in your car will certainly make the waiting more comfortable.
Belt Check
Cold weather causes rubber to contract and if your belts are getting on a bit in age, you might start to see some cracks, which is a good indication you should get the belts replaced. Even if everything else is in fine working order on your car, a snapped belt could mean a loss of power steering, your water pump or your alternator (or all three simultaneously), all of which spell bad news for your ability to get anywhere.
Jumper Cables
It’s always a good idea to keep these in the car in case you accidentally leave your headlights or even dome light on, but especially during the winter, when batteries have a harder time cranking anyway. Keeping jump leads in your car could help you or someone you know get home, or at least to the nearest Sears or AutoZone for a replacement, which leads us to…
Battery check
The most common cause of a breakdown in winter is a dead battery, so it pays to get this checked out, and many shops will actually do it for free. Jump leads will help you out in a pinch, but if you want to reliably trust your car to start, check out your battery and make sure it’s in good shape to handle the colder conditions.
Shovel
Living in an area that consistently dumps large amounts of snow on and around your car can mean just getting out of your garage or parking spot can be tough. Fortunately, there are handy little folding army shovels that you can stow in the trunk or under a seat that will help you clear enough room to gain some momentum and carry yourself over the snow.
Bag o’ Sand or Traction plates
Even shovels can’t help too much with snow that’s been packed down or ice, and you’ll need to find another way to get some traction, which is where sand comes in. You could also use kitty litter, as I’ve heard that’s an excellent substitute, but when it’s not providing traction directly, sand can help offer better weight distribution inside your trunk, keeping the rear wheels from sliding around too much. If you want a lighter weight option, some plastic traction plates work remarkably well, but you would have to get out of the car to pick them back up once you get moving, which may not be a great option.
Fluid top off
Antifreeze didn’t get its name for nothing. Check the overflow reservoir when the car is cold and making sure it’s not low will help ensure your car not only doesn’t seize up in the cold, but it’ll get your heat pumping inside the car as well. While you’re under there, check the oil and the washer fluid. Getting the salt and other grime that gets kicked up from the road off your windshield is critical for visibility, which reminds us…
Wiper blade replacement
Sure, this sounds like an upsell from a lube shop, but seriously, your wipers really to impact your ability to see what’s in front of you, and scraping them over ice and tree bits and all the crap that happened upon your windshield in the past nine months has probably taken its toll on their ability to do their job. So give them a squirt, throw some Rain-X on the surface of the glass and make sure they’re up to the task.
Snow Tires
All Wheel Drive is great, but if none of your wheels are getting traction, you’re still not going to go anywhere. It’s recommended that you have at least 4/32 tire tread if you anticipate driving in the wet, but at that tread depth, you should also anticipate sliding all over the place. Having a set of true winter/snow tires can make a huge impact in your ability to get where you’re going, and for traction and prolonging the life of your summer or radial tires, having a set just for the winter makes great sense.
We’re set for our first measurable snow fall of the season today, and I’ve recently put on my Dunlop Winter Sport 4D tires, so I’m eager to see how well they work. Is there something else critical that didn’t make the list? Tell us in the comments.