Ice and snow can make for difficult, dangerous winter driving across much of North America. And cold temperatures can turn engine oil into molasses… add to the stress on a vehicle’s electrical system… make a car hard to start… cause fogged windows, limiting visibility… and reduce tire pressure.
Bottom Line/Personal asked Michael Clark, who has worked in the automotive industry for 20 years, to identify products that can keep cars running well this winter. As cohost of a car radio show in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of the continent’s coldest cities, he often addresses winter-weather–related issues. Clark’s recommendations…
High-quality winter tires. What most people call “snow tires” really should be called “winter tires,” because they help drivers in all cold-weather situations, not just when there is snow on the ground. In fact, they are the single most important product for winter driving.
The “all-season” tires found on most cars today are marketed as appropriate for winter, but they’re made from compounds that get less than optimal traction in subfreezing temperatures, even on dry roads.
Best tires for winter conditions: Gislaved NordFrost (http://www.gislaved-tires.com), which are great in snow… and Michelin X-Ice (866-866-6605, www.michelin-us.com), which perform well in both icy and snowy conditions. Snow tires cost between $100 and $200 per tire.
Important: Buy four snow tires. People often think that they need just two — for their front wheels if the vehicle has front-wheel drive or for their rear wheels if the vehicle has rear-wheel drive. But snow tires provide traction when you brake, not just when you accelerate. Without a full set of four, it will take longer for the car to stop. Even all-wheel-drive vehicles can benefit from snow tires. Just because you have traction doesn’t mean that you will have the grip to stop.
Drive very conservatively for at least a week after putting on new snow tires. Even the best tires do not provide optimal traction until they’re broken in.
Alternative: Tire chains aren’t as effective as snow tires on slick winter roads, but they are a reasonable emergency option in regions where snow and ice are rare. Chains are illegal in some states. Check state law regarding chain use.
New products, such as Thule K-Summit Chains (www.thule.com/) and Spikes-Spider (800-581-2060, www.spikes-spiders.com), provide do-it-yourself kits complete with chains (sold in pairs) and accessories to install them. You can easily attach the chains to your car tires, and they center themselves when you drive the car. You pay extra for this convenience — they cost $300 to $500 per pair, several times more than traditional chains, which can be found for less than $100 per pair.
Steel wheels. Today’s cars often come with alloy wheels. These look nice and weigh less than steel wheels, but they are a poor choice for winter driving. Road salt can cause pitting in alloy wheels, detracting from their appearance, and may cause tires to deflate if pitting occurs where the wheel and tire meet. Alloy wheels also tend to crack when they take a sharp blow and often must be replaced after sliding into a curb on winter ice. A steel wheel would only dent and might be repairable.
Helpful: If your vehicle has alloy wheels, have your snow tires mounted on a separate set of steel wheels. Then simply swap wheels when winter arrives, rather than having your snow tires remounted to your alloy wheels each winter and removed each spring. You will have to pay to balance your wheels each time they’re changed, but that is less costly than remounting tires.
Steel wheels are less expensive than alloy wheels. (Average price is $100 per wheel, compared with several hundred per wheel for alloy.) Internet companies, such as TireRack.com (888-541-1777, www.tirerack.com), sell snow tires premounted on steel wheels for less than local dealers are likely to charge, depending on the model.
Synthetic winter oil. If your car won’t start on cold days, the problem could be your motor oil. Traditional oils thicken at low temperatures, forcing your battery to work harder to start the car. Synthetic oils specifically designed for winter temperatures remain more fluid, easing the battery’s burden.
Best: Mobile 1 Synthetic Motor Oil, which costs about $8 to $10 per quart (800-662-4525, www.mobiloil.com).
Warning: Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for guidelines before putting motor oil in your car. Don’t worry about switching back and forth between synthetic and traditional oil — it won’t damage your engine.
Windshield water repellent/antifogger. You can improve winter visibility by applying chemical water repellents to the exterior of your windshield — in many cases, the rain and snow will roll off before freezing onto the glass.
Best: Rain-X Glass Treatment. It typically costs less than $10 for a 16-ounce spray bottle that can treat a typical windshield about 20 times (800-237-8645, www.rainx.com). Chemical antifoggers also can be applied to the interior of auto glass to further improve winter visibility.
Best: Rain-X Anti-Fog, which costs less than $5 for a 3.5-ounce bottle. Apply both products every few weeks in the winter.
New cabin air filter. If your vehicle’s heater no longer keeps you warm in the winter… or your defogger no longer clears your windshield, the culprit could be a clogged cabin air filter. Filters should be replaced every year or so. Consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual for cabin-air-filter replacement instructions and schedules. Replacement filters cost about $10 to $30 plus labor, depending on the vehicle.
Alternative: If a new cabin air filter does not improve heater or defogger performance, take your vehicle for a coolant flush (when the fluid from the radiator is drained and replaced). Automotive heater cores have relatively narrow passages, so they tend to clog before the rest of the coolant system.
Cost: $50 to $145, though dealerships often charge more.
Winter windshield wipers. When wipers ice up, they can’t flex with the curves of the windshield, leaving large areas uncleared. Winter wipers typically have plastic or rubber covers enclosing their structural elements. This keeps out water and makes wiper freeze-ups rare, aiding visibility. Winter wipers made by well-known companies, such as Bosch or ANCO, typically cost $10 to $20 per wiper in auto-parts stores.
Don’t pay extra for a wiper that claims to be tough enough to remove winter ice. No wiper can do this effectively.
Chemical coatings for door locks. If you often park outdoors in subfreezing temperatures, applying a lubricant or grease to the accessible parts of your vehicle’s door locks can reduce the odds that they will ice shut. Coat the latch and striker (the striker is the piece of metal in the door frame that the latch grasps), and inject a small amount into the keyhole.
Best: Eureka Fluid Film (888-387-3522, www.fluid-film.com) or white lithium grease (made by many companies). Both are widely available in auto-parts and home stores. Both cost about $10 for 12 ounces.
All-weather floor mats. If you live in a very snowy climate and you track in a lot of snow, ice and road salt, consider replacing your factory floor mats with heavy-duty all-weather rubber floor mats. These mats have a high lip to contain melting snow and ice and to protect the metal floor pan under your car’s carpeting from water.
Best: Factory all-weather floor mats, which are precisely molded to your specific car model.
