Ross Downing Chevrolet Blog!

The following tips are for our fellow southerners who are not used to the severe cold weather we have been experiencing lately! Hope they are helpful!

1. Tire Pressure - The cooler temperatures can cause the air in your vehicle’s tires to contract and make your tire pressure fluctuate. Maintaining proper air pressure in your tires during the cool winter weather will allow you to have good traction and handling. For every 10 degrees change in the outside temperature, the tires’ air pressure will change by about 1 psi.

2. AntiFreeze - Engine coolant and anti-freeze are essentially the same thing. One cools the engine. One prevents freezing. When water is frozen, its volume increases. A little freezing could cause the engine system to be destroyed if water only were used without the addition of anti-freeze. In other words, the engine coolant must contain anti-freeze in order to avoid damage caused by the freezing of the engine and radiator.

Take note of the engine coolant color. It should be clean and colored according to the brand, which could be transparent, green, red, blue or yellow. If it is brown, your radiator may need to be flushed.

A good rule of thumb is to replace your antifreeze every two years. You can easily check its endurance and freeze point with an antifreeze tester available at any auto parts store. Or, you can have it checked at a quick oil change or other service provider.

3. Oil - You may want to consider adding a synthetic blend motor oil to your vehicle this winter. Synthetic oils make starting a cold engine easy. They resist build up of cold temperature sludge, helping your engine run better and longer.

4. Battery - Make sure terminals are clean and tightened — you may even want to clean around terminals with an old toothbrush and a homemade mixture of baking soda and water. Keep in mind that you should replace your battery every three to four years. If you are unsure of your battery's life/power have it checked. Some auto parts stores who sell batteries will check it for free. If you don't already it is a good idea to carry jumper cables with you in the trunk in case the cold weather does cause your battery to fail.

5. Frozen Windshields - DO NOT pour hot water on frozen windshields. The severe temp change can crack the glass.

6. Let your car warm up. Instead of hopping into your cold vehicle and quickly starting and driving away, let your car warm up for a few minutes to ensure that your motor oil has time to flow properly. Once warmed up, don't race off quickly. Until your car engine really warms up just accelerate slowly.

7. Keep a full tank - keep your tank more than half full at all times. Condensation in your fuel tank and fuel lines can freeze. Keep your tank full to help prevent freezing.

8. Bang on your hood - Experts advise pounding on your hood before starting your car, just in case a neighborhood cats or other small creatures have sought shelter from the cold in your engine.

9. Black Ice - Black ice refers to a thin coating of ice on a road. It is transparent allowing the usually-black asphalt roadway to be seen through it, hence the term. It is unusually very slick compared to other forms of roadway ice and difficult to see. Bridges and overpasses can be especially dangerous. Use more caution when crossing bridges and overpasses during freezing temperatures.

10. How to properly skid on ice:

a. Don't panic.
b. Don't hit the brakes.
c. Take your foot off the gas.
d. Steer your car in the direction you want to go.
e. Wait for the car to slow down so you can regain control. (You most likely will feel when your tires start gripping the payment again.)