Winter Driving Tips

Just some information I plagiarized gathered from online that I think is very useful come winter time.

Which is NOW! :D

A lot of them are common sense, but it's a good idea to still go through them as a checklist in case you forget.

I have also sent this to all my Mazda customers as my seasonal friendly reminder. Hope they don't think I'm too nosy :P

Okay let's begin:

1. Make sure your vehicle is Winter-Ready

• MAINTENANCE check-up of: battery, belts, hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, tires, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers, and ignition system. 
• KEEP your fuel tank sufficiently full: no less than half tank. (I’m guilty of not doing this a lot of times)

• MAKE sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid (get rated -40°C to be safe)  for those annoying frost and snow. here is how to check:

How to Check Windshield Washer Fluid Level -- powered by ehow... and this guy's infectious enthusiasm!

• YOU can check tire pressure yourself! Pressure decreases in colder climate and chances are that your tires need some air right now!

This reminds me... I gave away my pressure gauge, and now I can't check them. Shouldn't I have thought this through?



2. Stock up on necessary equipments in your car

• Snow brush/scraper
• Shovel
• Booster cables - batteries tend to die when it’s cold
• Flashlight - so that when you’re shoveling snow you don’t smash your car (based on actual personal experience =____=)
• Gloves
• First aid kit

3. Handling your car

• BRAKE early - stopping distance is considerably longer on snow/ice/slush 
• TURN off cruise control - never use cruise control in winter. There are road hazards everywhere and cruise will accelerate the car regardless. A very scary thought. 
• AVOID skidding - skidding can result from sudden, hard braking, going too fast on a curve, or accelerating too quickly. Make sure you turn on your Traction Control (if you have it)
• WHAT to do when you skid - steer in the direction of the skid, meaning steer toward where you want to go and do not floor the brake pedal. 
• IF you skid on a straight line - switch gear into neutral and brake.

Curious Rabbit has no questions today because it's getting late and I'm going to bed :)

Winter Driving Tips

I know.... Autumn is just here and we're all still enjoying the last bits of sunshine.

But it's never too early to learn about and prepare for winter driving.
Those frosty mornings and slushy roads are slowly but surely creeping up on us!

Besides, I feel like writing about snow tires :)

Okay! So first things first. Do we really need snow tires (aka winter tires)?

The answer is no. You don't HAVE to have them.

Picture all season tires as sneakers, and snow tires snow boots.

  vs

Yes, you can still walk and run in snow in sneakers. And yes, you're also more likely to fall on your face. The cost of one collision is, however, usually a lot higher than that of four winter tires.

For those who are interested..what is the difference between all season and snow tires? There are two major differences. Tread design and material.

Tread

     Snow tire treads are designed to help tires "bite" into the snow/ice/slush and have a firm grip. Meanwhile, all season tires are designed to last and not hold as much "stickiness" to the road surface.

"BITE"

Material

All season tires act like normal rubbers.

They get softer when it's warm and hardens up when temperature drops. A hard and brittle tire loses its ability to conform to the road surface, resulting in loss of traction and therefore reduced maneuverability (is this a word?) of your car.

Snow tires, on the other hand, are made with softer rubber that will retain their softness in winter condition. This way, your tires maintain firm grip to the road, allowing you to move around those silly crows and squirrels who are oblivious to you.

But wait! Silly Curious Rabbit has a question!

Question: If winter tires are so good should we just use it instead and save the money on all seasons?

Answer: Not a good idea. Snow tires will make a very noisy ride on dry pavement. Also, the specific designs mentioned above will make them wear out a lot quicker than normal tires. Besides, having those unnecessarily increased traction means you have more "drag" on the road and will most likely result in a worse fuel economy.

Hope this helps you :]