How to prepare a car for winter: useful tips

The use of the cars in the winter period is characterized by an increased load on its key components and mechanisms. They should be prepared before the start of operation during the cold season. It is important to know even for those living in warm countries as the weather can always throw a curve. Let’s consider what main actions of the car owner can make such preparation.

Work with tires 

Preparing a car for the winter can be started with the maximum exploited element of any vehicle - tires. It is necessary to make:

• Replacement of tires for winter. This should be done not “right next to” the cold day, the first snow and ice, but in advance. The main criterion here is a steady, observed over a week or more, decrease in air temperature to 5 degrees or less. This means that freezing can manifest itself in any case, and the car should be “retooled” as soon as possible. Tires should be changed on all 4 wheels. The tread pattern should have a height sufficient from the point of view of ensuring stable driving on local roads (which can vary considerably in performance in winter, even in neighboring regions). You should also evaluate the need for studded tires. If the car is often used for country trips, then studded tires would be desirable.
• Tire pressure measurement. Note that this action should be considered not so much as part of preparing the car for the winter, but as one of the regular procedures. Pressure should be checked immediately after the installation of winter tires. Then - repeat the test after a week, and then check the pressure weekly.

Battery Preparation

A battery is something without what a car cannot start and function normally. The risks of battery failure during the winter period are usually much higher than during the warm season. Therefore, to prepare the battery for the cold period it time is the most important task of the car owner. To prepare a car for the winter in terms of ensuring stable battery performance, you need to: check the battery capacity, recharge it if necessary; measure the density of the electrolyte, if necessary - add distilled water (it is recommended to do this if the density of the electrolyte drops below 1.28 grams per cubic centimeter). If there is any doubt about the stability of the battery (it loses its charge too quickly when the generator is off or is charging too slowly), then it is better to replace it before the onset of the cold weather.

Changing the oil

The next aspect of preparing the car for the winter involves another key vehicle mechanism - the engine. Its performance is guaranteed by the use of suitable oil. In winter, the oil must have a 10W-5W viscosity and must comply with the requirements that are established for the operating fluids by the vehicle manufacturer. He, as a rule, determines the recommended intervals for changing the oil in the engine - including taking into account the operation of the machine in the winter period. Changing the oil, you must also replace the oil filter.

Work with cooling

Overheating of a car engine is possible even in the most severe frosts, and therefore it is important that by the onset of cold weather the cooling system in the car should be checked for operability. Its key operational component is special liquid, antifreeze. Before the start of winter, you must make sure that: the life of the fluid has not expired (depending on the specific brand, this period may vary from 2 to 5 years - the manufacturer’s information should be specified); the liquid meets the established requirements for density (it is important that it is in the range of 1.065-1.085 grams per cubic cm). Antifreeze that does not meet the specified criteria should be replaced. At the same time, before pouring a new liquid into the cooling system, it must be flushed. 

Photo is taken from the site: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Automobiles_in_snow_in_the_United_States#/media/File:19th_Street,_N.W._in_Dupont_Circle_-_Blizzard_of_2010.JPG