Winter Driving Advice

I was born and raised in Canada, north of Toronto, south of the arctic circle. In the winter it gets cold and it snows. Sometimes it snows a lot. In Canada, if you want to be a recluse and go into hibernation every winter, that’s your choice. As an alternative, I suppose you could always move to Vancouver where it rains constantly. Anyone see the 2010 Winter Olympics? That wasn’t Vancouver snow, folks. That stuff was probably trucked in from somewhere north of Toronto, south of the arctic circle. Anyway, the point is that in the winter I prefer to get out and spin some wheels and take on the elements.

So rather than complain about the cold and having to shovel snow I am instead going to offer some winter driving advice. Note that these are recommendations based on past experience and on the steps I take each winter season to prepare. These don’t necessarily follow any specific industry guidelines. That’s my disclaimer in case some smart-ass tries to blame me for forgetting something from the list.

1: Be Prepared – Like a Boy Scout:

Winter can be harsh on your ride. Before it gets too cold make sure you do the obvious – get a complete check up by someone who actually knows something about cars. A drunk relative does not count. Neither does that creepy dude at work who keeps trying to invite you over to his place to see his new garage.

Things to look for:

• Charging System – Inspect the battery, belts and ignition system to make sure the car will start on those “crisp” mornings when the thermometer is showing -40 degrees Celsius;
• Lights – All lights need to work but most importantly the headlights need to be aimed properly so that you can see through that blizzard, Nanook of the North;
• Brakes – check the brakes to make sure they are aren’t pulling the car in any different direction other than straight forward;
• Heating and cooling system – remember the part where I said it gets cold? Make sure the heater and defroster work properly by inspecting hoses and drive belts for cracks or leaks.
• Windshield wipers – Consider windshield wipers designed for winter use and make sure you are stocked up on washer fluid. Stick an extra container in the trunk of your car. To save a few dollars you can also buy washer fluid in bulk at places like Canadian Tire or Costco. This is much cheaper than buying individual containers at your local gas station.

2: Snow Tires:

Snow tires are so important that they don’t even fit into the “be prepared” section 1. All season tires do not count as snow tires. Think about the obvious – the one area of the car that has the only contact with the road and is most susceptible to weather conditions like snow and ice are the tires. Snow tires are a no brainer and there are very few excuses why you would not use them. In fact, the Province of Quebec recently passed a law making snow tires mandatory. This comes from a society that still hasn’t even banned smoking in public places yet! Well, at least I think they haven’t banned smoking but you get the point. My apologies if I hurt any Quebecers with that comment.

Winter tires could cost a total of anywhere from around $400 and up depending on the type, make and size of the tire. Get 4 matching tires and sizes and don’t mix and match. Thinking of mounting snow tires to the 28” wheels on your tricked out Escalade? Get ready to put up some serious cash. Then again, you’ve got that in your wallet already don’t you, shooter? For the rest of us, if cost is an issue, you need to consider that the snow tires will be used roughly half the year and the summer/all seasons will be used the other half. In simple math this means you should get twice the life out of both sets. 4 years of use should not be unreasonable depending on the way you drive and the kilometers you travel. If you’re practicing for the Tokyo drift in the local McDonald’s parking lot you will get much less use out of the tires than 4 years.

To make the by-annual tire switch more painless and cheaper I have my winter tires mounted on a separate set of wheels. This causes less damage to your wheels and tires rather than removing and adding different tires to the same rim each season. I change the wheels myself in my home garage but places like Canadian Tire will charge you around $30 total each season.

Finally, now that you’ve got those meaty, grippy winter tires on and the temperature has dropped to crispy, make sure you constantly check tire pressure based on manufacturer recommendation.

3: The Weather Channel is your friend

With annoying theme music and all. If you’re travelling any significant distance you should check on the road conditions in your area before leaving. Remember back in the day when the schools were closed for snow days and buses were cancelled? The same applies now that you’re a big boy or girl. Trust me, you don’t want to be stuck in Hillbilly Town with the roads closed and nowhere to stay except the local roach motel. This is when life starts mimicking a horror movie.

4: Before you Leave

Make sure your cell phone is charged in case you get stranded somewhere. This is to make a call for help, not so that you can check your Facebook account or Tweet to your followers about how quant that Hillbilly Town looks.

Keep your gas tank topped up as much as possible. The car will start better on cold days with a full tank rather than an empty tank.  

When removing snow from the car, don’t be the typical Toronto driver and sweep a small path only on from your windshield so that you can peek through at on coming traffic. This is obviously dangerous but also annoying to the people behind you on the highway trying to steer around the whiteout coming off your roof. 

Winter survival kits are a good idea. I actually did some research for this one and the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) recommends that you keep the following items in your trunk – “shovel, sand or kitty litter, traction mats, tow chain, compass, cloth or roll of paper towels, warning light or road flares, extra clothing and footwear, emergency food pack, booster cables, matches and candle, fire extinguisher, extra windshield washer fluid, fuel line antifreeze and reflective vest.” OK, this sounds like a lot. What do they think we’re driving with that kind of trunk space? A 1975 Cordoba?

5: Practice makes Perfect

I heard growing up that, during the winter, some high school kids used to take their parents cars to the local mall at night after it was closed and the parking lot was covered in snow and they would rally race. Can you believe that? That’s not something that I would ever tolerate …

The point though is that there is an advantage in learning how to control a car in winter conditions. Understanding how a car will react in certain skid conditions is a science that you can only really understand through experience. You need to know that a car with front wheel drive will react differently than a car with rear wheel drive. All-wheel or 4 wheel drive is a different story. It sounds safer but these systems react differently in a skid. Also, just because you have all-wheel drive doesn’t mean you can stop any better than the next guy so slow down, Goggles Pisano. I do recommend that you read the owner’s manual to learn about your vehicle’s braking system and tire traction. Learn how your Anti Lock Breaking System (ABS) works in the snow. Don’t use cruise control in poor driving conditions. There may even be winter driving courses available in your area.

So there you have it. A little winter driving wisdom from the Whine Stage. Drive safely this winter season and happy motoring.

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