As I’m sure everyone on the East coast of the United States is aware, there is a blizzard going on. It’s not such a foreign issue for some people who live in New England or the Midwest, but on the East coast it’s a bit more rare.
So, naturally, people become a bit worried and go shopping to buy 20 cartons of eggs, 65 gallons of water and about 12,000 Slim Jims , in case they get stuck in the house for 24 hours.
People worry so much about stocking up with insane amounts of food for just a few days worth of bad weather. Yet most people completely disregard their vehicles weather worthiness.
It doesn’t take much to make any car winter-ready. Here’s a few tips to keep your car safe for winter: Make sure you have good brakes, new windshield wipers with de-icer fluid, and above all, GOOD TIRES!
It’s amazing to me how most people completely forget about winter tires for the, you guessed it, winter. Now, winter tires aren’t absolutely necessary, a good set of all-seasons do a decent job, but winter tires will prove better. Most cars nowadays come with all-season tires already on them, but most people don’t check them to make sure they’re still good once winter, and it’s snowy mess, comes along.
Most drivers seem to think that because their car is all-wheel drive, which so many are today, that they are impervious to the powdery white. Untrue. While having four, driven wheels helps aid traction at low speeds, it will not help when you start to slide. Unless you have good tires. Tires are far more important that the drivetrain, as they are what actually connects the car to the road. With crappy tires, all or four wheel drive is as helpful as having four ice skates.
Earlier this morning, in the ensuing tundra of the New Jersey blizzard (there was about 1/4 of an inch of snow on the ground), I was following behind a Jeep Wrangler, the mightiest of off-roaders, when it, all of a sudden, spun 180 degrees in the middle of the road. What followed was me driving through the same place he had with ease in my rear-wheel drive BMW, all because I have a set of new all-seasons with good tread. He seemed pretty embarrassed as I passed him and his rugged Wrangler in my little 96′ 328i.
The point is, it isn’t the vehicle that makes snow driving safe, it’s the tires and the driver. So if you haven’t had your tires changed within the last year or two, check them and make sure they have good tread on them. And also don’t act like a hooligan, unless of course you’re in an empty, snow-covered parking lot. In that case, do donuts until your wheels fall off.
