Does anyone have any winter tips for us? It’s been a long time since we have experienced winter. I’m concerned about driving, but any winter tips would be appreciated.
I grew up in Colorado but then lived a number of years in the Pacific NW and Virginia so I had to get used to winter driving again. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Get dedicated, mounted snow tires - don't rely on "all season" tires because they're not. Don't wait for the first snow to put them on.
2) Keep your wiper fluid full. If you have to drive around big trucks, you'll be cleaning your windshield all the time. Related: have good wiper blades and make sure they're free of ice before driving otherwise you might end up with a slushy/dirty windshield you can't see through.
3) As a courtesy to other drivers clean ALL the snow off your car before you hit the roads. If you leave a pile of snow on the top of your car it will likely blow off in chunks onto the cars behind you. Keep a good ice scraper/brush in your vehicle(s).
4) Put together a good emergency kit: blankets, flares/reflectors, snacks - and always assume that you might need to walk through cold/bad weather, so have good boots, gloves, hats, etc.
5) Keep your fuel & patience level high.
You will find (and probably already have) lots of tips online.
Thank you so much for the winter tips. There are several things that seem obvious that may not occur to us at first. Especially the tip about keeping the wiper fluid full. We came up to Canada a couple of years ago during the winter and ran out of wiper fluid. Then the lines froze. We had to pull over periodically and pour water out of a water jug on the windshield. Not fun. Again, thank you.
If the roads are slippery, slow down and gear down (move the stick shift to a lower gear) so you let the engine do the braking for you. (Avoid braking suddenly and take turns gently). The engine will make more noise in a lower gear (especially 1st) but it will not hurt it.
Certain place tend to ice before others - ramps, bridges and underneath overpasses especially. As you live here longer, you'll get to know area where you need to use caution (for me, it's the top of the Oak Ridges morraine, the top of the Niagara Escarpment & the valley that the city of Barrie is in.)
BTW the worst driving hazard is black ice (clear ice over pavement). It can occur in clear weather when the day has been warm & there's been some melting and then it refreezes later in the day/evening. There was a massive accident several yrs ago due to black ice.
Thank you for the great tips anno. We're still learning, but slowing down and breaking slowly helps. I worry about black ice also, no way to predict where it is.
You could always move to Florida, it very rarely snows here! ;-) Miss you!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Miss you too.
ReplyDeleteHi NG,
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Colorado but then lived a number of years in the Pacific NW and Virginia so I had to get used to winter driving again. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Get dedicated, mounted snow tires - don't rely on "all season" tires because they're not. Don't wait for the first snow to put them on.
2) Keep your wiper fluid full. If you have to drive around big trucks, you'll be cleaning your windshield all the time. Related: have good wiper blades and make sure they're free of ice before driving otherwise you might end up with a slushy/dirty windshield you can't see through.
3) As a courtesy to other drivers clean ALL the snow off your car before you hit the roads. If you leave a pile of snow on the top of your car it will likely blow off in chunks onto the cars behind you. Keep a good ice scraper/brush in your vehicle(s).
4) Put together a good emergency kit: blankets, flares/reflectors, snacks - and always assume that you might need to walk through cold/bad weather, so have good boots, gloves, hats, etc.
5) Keep your fuel & patience level high.
You will find (and probably already have) lots of tips online.
Cheers!
Hi AtB B & B,
ReplyDeleteIt’s so nice to hear from you again.
Thank you so much for the winter tips. There are several things that seem obvious that may not occur to us at first. Especially the tip about keeping the wiper fluid full. We came up to Canada a couple of years ago during the winter and ran out of wiper fluid. Then the lines froze. We had to pull over periodically and pour water out of a water jug on the windshield. Not fun. Again, thank you.
Here's mine. (Great suggestions above),.
ReplyDeleteIf the roads are slippery, slow down and gear down (move the stick shift to a lower gear) so you let the engine do the braking for you. (Avoid braking suddenly and take turns gently). The engine will make more noise in a lower gear (especially 1st) but it will not hurt it.
Certain place tend to ice before others - ramps, bridges and underneath overpasses especially. As you live here longer, you'll get to know area where you need to use caution (for me, it's the top of the Oak Ridges morraine, the top of the Niagara Escarpment & the valley that the city of Barrie is in.)
BTW the worst driving hazard is black ice (clear ice over pavement). It can occur in clear weather when the day has been warm & there's been some melting and then it refreezes later in the day/evening. There was a massive accident several yrs ago due to black ice.
Thank you for the great tips anno. We're still learning, but slowing down and breaking slowly helps. I worry about black ice also, no way to predict where it is.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you for the help.