The 10 Best Winter Driving Tips

Winter driving has never been an easy thing for drivers. To stand up to the rigors of winter weather, stay tuned to ten best winter driving tips. 

In winter, the weather is getting cold, wet, and foggy. These are things that obstruct traffic and make it difficult for drivers. Therefore, there are many things to keep in mind when driving vehicles in extreme seasons. Winter driving has never been an easy thing for drivers. To stand up to the rigors of winter weather, stay tuned to top 10 winter driving tips for driving in snow and ice.

Ten best practices for winter driving.

Here are ten winter driving tips!

1. After starting the car, turn on the air conditioner

Please turn on the air conditioner is the first rule you should remember, regardless of whether it’s hot or cold. Here is a good habit of helping protect the car’s electricity generation system better. Specifically, to protect the battery of your vehicle. If you turn on the air-conditioner before starting the car, the battery must be working on running the blower. This operation will damage the battery earlier than its lifetime.

2. Handling your glass

In the winter, the fog and humid air cause your glass to obstruct the view when driving. In principle, to prevent the glass from becoming foggy, we must remove all the water vapor that has condensed from the steering glass. The fastest way we can use is turning on the glass heater when winter driving.

In case your car does not have a glass heating mode, you should turn on the air conditioner and let the wind on the glass. Wait until the glass is completely dry, adjust the wind direction towards the cabin, and do not allow the wind to enter the lens. Then you adjust the heat on the air conditioner to make you most comfortable.

3. How to use car air conditioner properly

How much should the temperature be when driving in the winter? There is no best rule to use air conditioners in cars. The essence when we use air conditioning is to make the body feel comfortable. Therefore, even winter or summer, you should adjust the temperature so that you feel most comfortable.

However, the air conditioner temperature should be suitable for the outdoor temperature in your place. The appropriate temperature recommended by experts is between 20 – 26 degrees when winter driving.

A little note before you get off, you should adjust the temperature a little lower before going out to avoid thermal shock, about 15 minutes before getting off the car is the best time.

4. Tire pressure monitoring

More fuel will consume in the winter due to weather and weather problems. To save fuel, you should monitor your tire pressure regularly. Tire pressure should be kept in moderation when using vehicles, especially when winter driving.

Having enough air will help the brakes work more smoothly if the tire is too spray, the higher the fuel consumption. If the tires are too tight, the use of emergency brakes will be hazardous, which can cause the car to overturn.

5. Should oil change in the winter?

Oil should replace at regular intervals. However, you should take a closer look in the winter. Cold air causes liquids such as oil to become denser, which affects the ability to start and operate machines.

Therefore, in the early winter, you should check the amount of oil and change the oil. In addition to checking oil, you should also check for other types of fluids in the vehicle.

6. Remove the unnecessary stuff out of the car

The habit of many people is to store unnecessary things in the car. The useless stuff makes the vehicle both cramped and cluttered while consuming fuel for the car – the bigger the load, the more fuel it uses. Therefore, on the advice of experienced drivers, you should remove unnecessary items from the vehicle, keeping only the necessary details such as spare wheels, tires, and snacks when winter driving.

7. Limited braking folding legs

Folding brakes on the road is a bad habit for many drivers. It would be best if you got rid of this habit, especially in the winter. Severe weather makes the road surface slippery; braking action quickly will hurt the brakes and cause the car to skid off the road. Besides, when abruptly braking or accelerating, your vehicle will consume more energy and consume more fuel.

8. What lights do you go with the fog?

When traveling on a foggy road, the driver must turn on the headlights in low-beam mode, not in the long-range. If you turn on the high beam mode, the driver will face the reflective light strip, which affects the driver’s vision.

If the car has fog lights, turn on the fog lights, it is necessary to turn on the hazard lights (warning danger) to make the car front and back easy to identify. If the vehicle does not have a fog light, drivers should purchase yellow tape or stickers. The hazard lights are essential when winter driving.

9. Minimize idling status when starting the vehicle

Following the advice of experienced drivers, you should leave the machine running for thirty seconds, that is, drive slowly. When the rotation is stable, you can roll the wheel. The engine will start faster when the vehicle is moving. As a result, vehicle temperatures also increase faster, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

10. Use the speed control feature on the highway

Drivers often have the habit of driving high speed on the highway – however, the road when winter is not as dry as summer. Therefore, traveling at high speed is very easy to cause accidents because the driver cannot control the emergencies. The safest way to save fuel is to use a stable driving mode over long distances. 

Conclusion

According to the experience, each driver has a unique style when driving. They will have their handling when winter driving. However, the winter driving tips I mentioned above are a combination of advice from experienced people. If you have any experiences of winter driving, leave a comment below, and do not forget to catch up on our next article.