Winter Care For Your Vehicle

Winter is still here! Cold weather can cause a variety of issues to your vehicle, including hard starts and stalling; however, some best practices can help keep your car reliable and you not out in the cold.

Gas
Adding an additive to your gasoline can be a good start. Products such as HEET and Sea Foam help remove water from the fuel tank and prevent the gas lines from freezing. Both can be found at your local Rural King Supply.

Another helpful hint is to try to keep your gas at or above the halfway mark so there's always plenty of fuel in your tank in case of emergencies. This also helps the vehicle start and operate smoother.

Battery
Make sure your car battery has the recommended CCA (cold cranking amps). In most cases anything above 400 amps should be enough to start your car in cold weather. Unless you enjoy waking someone up at 4 O'clock in the morning when it's 20 below to jump your car­—just saying. Speaking of jumper cables, it's still a good idea to keep a set with you just in case. Once your car starts the alternator will recharge the battery, so drive around a little or keep it running outside of your garage. If it needs a jump every morning you may need a new battery.

If you have a truck or rear-wheel drive car it is good to keep sandbags in the trunk or bed to add more weight and help prevent fishtailing when snow and ice are on the roads. These can also be found at your local Rural King Supply.

Air
Lastly, keep your tires filled with the suggested amount of air mentioned in your car manual. Air will contract and take up less area as it gets colder. This may trigger a "check tire pressure" icon to light up on your dash. Unless there is a long period of intense cold I would not rush to put more air in the tires. Winter has a way of warming up and cooling down, and that can create your tires to become overfilled. Keep an eye on it, but it should even itself out naturally. Also, make sure you are driving with All Season or Winter tires with good tread, bald tires do not have traction.

These simple tips can help you and your car be safe and functional, but ultimately it is driver awareness and caution that is most important.

Drive safe out there, so you can get home to your hot cocoa and bunny slippers—just saying!