Winter Driving Tip #1: If you are fortunate enough to park in an attached or heated garage, you will "lose" tire pressure when you leave its warmth. So add 1 psi. of "cold" tire pressure to compensate for each 10 degrees of temperature difference. For the rest of us, check your tire pressures regularly, a 5 psi. loss can result in just summer-to-winter temperature changes.
Winter Driving Tip #2: Do not forget to keep valve stem caps on. If left off during the winter, moisture can freeze in the valve stem and allow the air to escape.
Winter Driving Tip #3: Once you have purchased your tires, make sure that your name, address and tire specification numbers are returned to the manufacturer. No matter what brand you buy, tire registration makes it possible for you to be contacted with product service information, or if a problem occurs they will know all your pertinent information.
Winter Driving Tip #4: Don't forget to change your tires in the spring. Winter tires provide excellent grip on ice and snow in freezing temperatures, but will wear out quickly if driven constantly in summer heat.
Winter Driving Tip #5: It is best to have your vehicle's wheel alignment checked and corrected twice per year. Align it in the spring to prepare for summer, and in the fall to prepare for winter.
Winter Driving Tip #6: Make sure you purchase tires that have the correct load rated capacity for your vehicle. This can be found on your vehicle placard, located in the glove box or in the owner's manual.
Winter Driving Tip #7: Don't just change your snow tires-prepare your car for winter by changing the oil, flushing your cooling system, installing fresh anti-freeze, filling the washer fluid reservoir, checking for anything that needs fixing and having your engine tuned if necessary.
Winter Driving Tip #8: For maximum traction on ice and packed snow, put a set or two of tire chains in the trunk. And practice installation beforehand, so that you know how to install them when you need them.
~Lauren Fix~
Nationally recognized automotive expert Lauren J. Fix, is an authority on consumer automotive and safety issues as well as car care and repair.
She has been a guest numerous times on Oprah, and has multiple appearances on the TODAY show, Inside Edition, CNN, The Early Show, The Weather Channel, ESPN, MSNBC, CNNfn, FOX News, NBC, ABC, CBS, Speedvision, the Empire Sports Network and National Public Radio. Lauren is the author of Driving Ambitions: A Complete Guide to Amateur Auto Racing and The Performance Tire and Wheel Handbook, and has written articles for Motor Trend, Truck Trend, Hot Rod, Car Craft, Good Housekeeping and Self Magazine. As a professional race car driver and Director of Driving Ambitions Performance Driving School at Watkins Glen, Lauren knows how to get the most out of any car.
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