Even seasoned drivers are always extremely careful when driving in winter. And they always drive slowly, turn on the lights, and... In general, read on.
1. Relax
If while driving a car you get into difficult road conditions, then the most important thing is to remain calm and not panic. If you are very nervous, it can affect your reaction, and not for the better.
2. Slow down
When worsening weather conditions reduce the speed by 2 times. We strongly advise you not to do this, as this increases the risk of skidding and loss of traction.
3. Be careful
Your actions on winter road must be completely controlled and intentional. Remember that rapid acceleration, sudden braking and sharp turns of the steering wheel can cause loss of control and skidding of the vehicle.
While driving, maintain an optimal low speed. Keep the distance to other cars so that it is enough for emergency braking. All movements must be smooth and careful.
4. Let there be light
In bad weather, be sure to turn on your low beam headlights. This will help other drivers see your car. It wouldn't hurt to turn on the side lights.
5. Use light signals
Many truck drivers around the world use a special technique for changing lanes when driving along the highway. In dry or rainy weather in autumn, summer and spring, before changing lanes, the truck driver turns on the turn signal and changes lanes only after the turn signal blinks 3 times. But in winter weather they change lanes after the turn signal flashes 4-5 times. Follow their example.
6. Be careful on slippery roads
Pay attention to the water under the wheels of other cars while driving in cold weather. If there is a lot of splashes on the road, then it is very wet. In this case, you need to take additional precautions.
The fact is that at subzero temperatures, snow and ice melted from the wheels or from the reagent begin to quickly freeze, turning the road into an ice skating rink. If you see that the road is wet, but there are practically no splashes, then be even more careful, since this type of surface is the most dangerous. The absence of splashes on a wet road may indicate that most of the water has frozen and covered the asphalt with a thin layer of ice.
7. Watch out for truckers
If the weather starts to turn bad and trucks slowed down, you must do the same. If you start to notice that many drivers of heavy vehicles are trying to pull over to the side of the road, we advise you to do the same in bad weather.
In no case does this advice recommend driving like truck drivers. But remember: heavy vehicles have more ground clearance, big wheels and tires, greater overall weight, and better traction. The lighter the car is, the easier it is to lose control and run off the road.
RAMK specialists shared their “winter” secrets. For some, these are truisms, but for others, especially novice car enthusiasts, they may come in handy. So, in order.
How to extend the life of tires in cold conditions? First of all, you need to monitor your blood pressure. Low wears out the side parts of the tread, high wears out the central part of the wheel tread. Choose a smooth driving style, avoiding sudden braking if possible. Be sure to check the wheel balancing when changing tires seasonally.
Low battery- one of the common problems that drivers face in winter. Due to frost, the battery works with increased load, and it requires higher current and a longer period of starting the engine. Because of this, it breaks down faster, so it should be fully charged before the onset of cold weather. But if it does happen that the battery is dead and you need to drive, you can use the following advice. Before starting the engine, turn on the high beam headlights in order to “wake up” the battery. The chemical process in the battery banks will begin, and the electrolyte will warm up a little. If the car does not start the first time, wait 1-2 minutes and repeat the procedure. When starting the engine, depress the clutch pedal. This will make it easier for the starter to start the engine.
WITH frozen castles doors will be helped by a special defroster or special lubricant(WD-40) in combination with lithium grease. Make it a rule after a long trip in the cold to always cool the car by opening all the doors for a few minutes so that the air temperature in the cabin is equal to the ambient temperature. This simple procedure will help prevent freezing rubber seals doors And to prevent them from cracking due to low temperatures, do not forget to lubricate the rubber bands with silicone grease.
Motorists using diesel fuel , they know that it’s in the cold thickens. A special tool will help you cope with this -. It will prevent the fuel from freezing. Before going to the gas station, add it to the tank and the problem will be solved. But at gasoline its subtleties in operation. Condensation may accumulate in the gas tank, which, in turn, does not have a very good effect on engine performance and fuel system. A moisture remover that needs to be added periodically before refueling will help avoid this.
Icy do not rush to tear it off the glass. This can damage rubber brush. Use a special glass gel or wait until the windshield warms up. This will make it easier to clean off the ice. By the way, under no circumstances try to turn on frozen wipers. The motor that powers them may fail.
If with the arrival of cold weather The injectors and windshield washer motor stopped working, most likely, you simply forgot to fill the windshield washer reservoir with “anti-freeze” instead of water in time, or you got a low-quality one and froze. The most the best remedy melt the ice - park the car in a warm parking lot for a couple of hours. Vodka or alcohol will also work well with ice. But before you pour them into the washer reservoir, it is better to warm them up a little. Then the defrosting process will go faster.
IN winter time It is advisable not to put the car on the handbrake ( parking brake). Otherwise you risk getting frozen to rear discs brake pads . Although it is not difficult to solve this problem. For example, pour alcohol-containing liquid over the pads. But this advice is only acceptable if the car disc brakes installed at the rear. At drum brakes These recommendations do not work because the adhesion area to the drum is too large. Under no circumstances should you try to rip off the pads by towing: there is a possibility of damaging the brake system elements.
A rather simple accessory that would be nice to have in the trunk of every car. It is unlikely to be useful on city streets, but on a trip out of town it can come in handy. Chains significantly increase the vehicle's off-road capability and reduce skidding. slippery road at low speeds, they help get out of snowdrifts. Rubber ones are softer, wear out tires less and allow you to move at speeds of up to 80 km/h. They protect very well from snow slush and ice on the road. But in difficult places, metal ones will help. But they are tougher, “eat up” the rubber and limit the speed of the car to 20–40 km/h.
Anti-corrosion treatment of the body - good rust remover. In winter, roads are sprinkled with chemicals, which, when they get into microcracks in the body, corrode parts and paint. Therefore, do not be lazy and carry out special treatment of your car before winter.
By the way, quite recently Za Rulem.RF conducted a survey on how our readers prepare their cars for winter. The most common answer was “I’m changing the wheels and washer to winter ones.”
Modern cars start quite easily in winter. They are warm and comfortable, even in severe frost.
- Tires modern cars provide good grip road surface in any weather.
- Washer fluids can cope with a centimeter layer of ice, and coolants can even work in Antarctica.
But winter itself has not changed its insidious character, and continues to present surprises to car owners.
Main winter problems and ways to solve them
The main problems that beset motorists in winter are freezing of locks, door and glass seals, difficulty starting the engine in cold weather, and difficulties driving through snow-covered and icy areas.
What should you do if your car doors won't open?
What to do if you find that the car doors do not open because the mechanism central lock unable to unlock the locks because they are frozen, and it is also impossible to insert the key.
Trying to open locks using remote control, making three or four unsuccessful attempts, there is no point in continuing them - the locks will not open anyway until they are defrosted. Do not use boiling water for these purposes, and also do not heat locks with an open flame - civilized people use special compounds in such cases.
They are being released now in wide range and in various packaging, for every taste. Most often, these liquids are made from ethyl alcohol or ethylene glycol. In addition, components are added to some lock defrosting products.
If you don’t have such a product at hand, you can use regular vodka by putting it in a small syringe. If after such manipulations the lock has thawed a little and you managed to insert the key into it, then additional heat to the insides of the lock will also not hurt. If possible, before inserting the key into the lock, warm up its head with the flame of a lighter.
What to do to open car doors
After heating, the lock will turn much easier. You can also try to open the lock using a key and a block at the same time remote control. Often this double effort is enough to open the lock.
If these simple techniques do not give positive results, then you can warm up the locks with a regular rubber or electric heating pad.
It happens that the lock can be opened, but the door does not open - the seals are frozen. Try to open the door by pulling the handle and the top corner at the same time. It is best to apply a small but continuous force (about 30-40 seconds), the door can open.
By the way, it is not at all necessary to open exactly driver's door, perhaps other doors will open easier and through them you can get into the interior, start the engine and turn on the stove. To prevent freezing of the seals, wipe them dry and treat them with a special silicone compound.
About the windshield
You should not try to clean an icy windshield - you will only ruin them.
An icy windshield does not need to be cleaned with wipers!
Wait until the engine warms up and direct the flow warm air on glass. Once the glass has warmed up a bit, the ice can be easily cleaned. To speed up the process of thawing glass, you can spray it on the outside special means for defrosting glass or with the same vodka.
How to make engine starting easier in winter
There are fewer and fewer cars on our roads with carburetor engines. Today, almost all cars with gasoline engines are equipped with the system. Experience shows that the engines of such cars low temperatures, start easier than carburetor ones. The fact is that gasoline supplied under pressure through the nozzles is well atomized and, when mixed with air, ignites well from a spark.
In engines with carburetor system power supply, at low temperatures, gasoline simply flows down the inner walls intake manifold and diffuser, while generating an insufficient amount of vapor. To increase the amount of steam, you need to raise the temperature of the fuel, and for this you need to start the engine.
You can break this vicious circle by heating the collector in some acceptable way, for example, pouring about a liter onto the collector hot water. In this case, you need to make sure that water does not get on high voltage wires ignition
Pour hot water onto the manifold
Also, to solve this problem, you can use special starting compounds. They consist of a substance that evaporates easily, such as ether and special additives. This composition is injected directly under the cover, after which the engine starts almost from the first revolution.
Although the manufacturers of such compounds claim that they are safe for the engine, you still need to know when to stop and if the engine does not start immediately, you need to look for the reason. Starting compounds make it easier to start the engine only in cases where the car, and more specifically its ignition system, is working properly, and in addition, the battery is in working condition.
There is also an interesting article: starting the engine in winter. General rules starting the engine in winter - .
After starting the engine. Finally, the engine is started and warmed up, the interior is also warmed up, and the windows are thawed. No need to hurry! The shock absorbers must also warm up a little, otherwise when severe frost, there is a high probability of breakage of the rods or their fastenings.
The oil in the gearbox should also warm up. All this will not take much time, usually after three to four minutes of smooth and measured movement you can move as usual.
Features of driving a car in winter
Now some winter tips for car enthusiasts, about some driving features vehicle in winter. Winter does not allow the driver to relax. You always need to be prepared for various surprises; let’s look at the most common ones:
- As a rule, ice and snow remain on the roadsides and near sidewalks;
- Ice remains at intersections, near traffic lights and at exits from courtyards, even on frosty days;
- in open areas, at exits from a forest or tunnel, snow drifts and ice often form, and a strong side wind can also blow;
- In places where the road passes through ravines, snowdrifts can form in lowlands and on the roadsides, which melt in the sun during the day, resulting in the road becoming covered with a thin and slippery crust of ice. In all these cases, the adhesion of the wheels to the road surface and rolling resistance change significantly.
The worst thing you can do when you get to such places is to slow down. Always remember that a car can only be driven while its wheels are turning. As long as the car moves without sudden acceleration or braking, it behaves predictably for the driver, almost like on dry asphalt.
But as soon as the wheels lock during braking, the car will begin to slide and stop “obeying the steering wheel.”
Car skidding
Small slippery areas on the road and snow drifts, you can almost always drive confidently, without reducing speed. If the car still “steals”, you need to carefully and smoothly correct it with the steering wheel. Braking can only worsen the situation; the car will slide, and it will be very difficult to keep it on the road.
When making turns, it will be useful to increase the load on the front axle of the car in order to increase the grip of the wheels on the road surface. To do this, just before turning, you need to release the gas, and in some cases you can even slow down a little.
A slight reduction in speed will be enough to redistribute more load to the front wheels. After this, turn the steering wheel and, after the car enters the turn, gradually increase the speed.
In winter, many car owners, especially those whose car sleeps “under the window,” experience certain difficulties and inconveniences when operating it. Either the door locks freeze, or the windows don’t roll down... Windshield covered with frost, which is so firmly frozen to the glass that you can’t immediately clean it off. Perhaps these simple and easy to follow tips will help you.
How to protect doors from freezing?
Rub baby powder (talc, sold in pharmacies) or glycerin into the rubber gaskets. This will make the gaskets waterproof and will not damage the rubber. This treatment is especially recommended before washing your car in winter.
If the locks are frozen
You need to heat the key over the fire of a match or lighter. When opening the door, never use excessive force; carefully turn the key in the lock. To avoid such situations, protect the lock from moisture penetration, especially when washing the car.
If the car won't start
On cold days, you can start the car using an ordinary hair dryer. To do this, direct the hot jet from the hairdryer to air filter. As practice shows, in most cases the car will start.
To keep the windshield from freezing
On cold winter nights, you can cover the windshield with foil. Do this in the evening, then in the morning you will not have to clear the glass of ice.
How to prepare antifreeze liquid for your car?
When traveling far out of town, you don’t always think to take with you required amount anti-freeze. And there is nowhere to buy it in “rural” conditions. But you can do it yourself. To do this, you need to mix a liter of denatured alcohol (sold in hardware stores as fuel for primus stoves), a mug of water and two tablespoons of liquid detergent. The resulting liquid does not freeze down to -37°C. IN as a last resort You can use vodka, the cheapest one, or moonshine.
After washing
In winter, after washing your car, do not rush to park it. (Read also:) Moisture accumulated in cavities and cracks can freeze and play a cruel joke on you. After washing, turn on the heater full power(of course, without turning off the engine) and sequentially switch it to all blowing modes. Don't forget to open the windows or doors a little. This will dry the car.
If you accidentally did not fill the washer reservoir with antifreeze liquid, and frost hits at night, the tank, as a rule, turns into a piece of ice in a plastic shell. Almost the only way to restore the washer system is to drive the car into warm box and wait until it thaws. But this is not always possible. You can defrost the tank in another way. To do this, you will need several liters of hot water and a small piece of cambric (plastic tube). Having poured hot water into the tank, wait for some of the ice to thaw and drain the water using a tube. Fill with water again and drain again. This way we free the entire tank from ice. At the same time, both the washer pumps and part of the tubes leading to the sprayer nozzles warm up. We fill the tank with clean, undiluted anti-freeze and try to “break through” the frozen hoses by briefly turning on the pumps. As a rule, this is possible after a few minutes. If possible, you can use a home hair dryer to warm them up or just wait a little, closing the hood and warming up the engine. On standing car engine compartment warms up quite quickly.
Engine starting
In winter, the engine oil, even the best, noticeably thickens and it is much more difficult for the starter to crank the engine than in summer. In addition, the battery in the cold significantly deteriorates its performance in terms of output electrical power. (This is natural, since the colder it is, the slower the chemical reactions in the battery).
Therefore, it is very useful to warm up the battery a little before starting the engine by turning on the high beams for a minute or two.
If the car does not start in severe frost after the 3-5th try, do not try to start it further. It's just a waste of time to completely drain the battery. It is better to remove the battery and take it to a warm room for half an hour. After it warms up, quickly replace it and the car will probably start the first time.
Even seasoned drivers are always extremely careful when driving in winter. And they always drive slowly, turn on the lights, and... In general, read on.
1. Relax
If you find yourself in difficult road conditions while driving, the most important thing is to remain calm and not panic. If you are very nervous, it can affect your reaction, and not for the better.
2. Slow down
If weather conditions worsen, reduce speed by half. We strongly advise you not to do this, as this increases the risk of skidding and loss of traction.
3. Be careful
Your actions on the winter road must be completely controlled and deliberate. Remember that rapid acceleration, sudden braking and sharp turns of the steering wheel can cause loss of control and skidding of the vehicle.
While driving, maintain an optimal low speed. Keep a distance from other cars so that it is enough for emergency braking. All movements must be smooth and careful.
4. Let there be light
In bad weather, be sure to turn on your low beam headlights. This will help other drivers see your car. It wouldn't hurt to turn on the side lights.
5. Use light signals
Many truck drivers around the world use a special technique for changing lanes when driving along the highway. In dry or rainy weather in autumn, summer and spring, before changing lanes, the truck driver turns on the turn signal and changes lanes only after the turn signal blinks 3 times. But in winter weather they change lanes after the turn signal flashes 4-5 times. Follow their example.
6. Be careful on slippery roads
Pay attention to water under the tires of other cars when driving in cold weather. If there is a lot of splashes on the road, then it is very wet. In this case, you need to take additional precautions.
The fact is that at subzero temperatures, snow and ice melted from the wheels or from the reagent begin to quickly freeze, turning the road into an ice skating rink. If you see that the road is wet, but there are practically no splashes, then be even more careful, since this type of surface is the most dangerous. The absence of splashes on a wet road may indicate that most of the water has frozen and covered the asphalt with a thin layer of ice.
7. Watch out for truckers
If the weather starts to turn bad and the trucks slow down, you should do the same. If you start to notice that many drivers of heavy vehicles are trying to pull over to the side of the road, we advise you to do the same in bad weather.
In no case does this advice recommend driving like truck drivers. But remember: heavy-duty vehicles have more ground clearance, larger wheels and tires, greater overall weight, and better traction. The lighter the car is, the easier it is to lose control and run off the road.
