Extreme driving for an average motorist creates an idea of dashing turns on the spot, flips, sliding on ice, and driving through the most dangerous obstacles on two wheels. However, it also includes steering on a slippery road, getting out of a skid, emergency braking, and other skills, useful not only in winter.
US drivers get used to the clean and dry asphalt under the wheels over the summer. But when the fall comes, the situation changes, although quite unnoticeable. Night and day temperature differences sometimes are significant. And this means that by morning the asphalt cools down, and the first ice may appear.
In addition, with a decrease in temperature, the operation of many vehicle components deteriorates – the oil in the engine thickens, and the elasticity of tires decreases. All this can lead to unforeseen consequences. The experienced drivers and used car mavens from Indy Auto Man remind the drivers what steps, besides seasonal maintenance, each driver should take to avoid an accident in bad weather.
Warm Up the Engine
Before driving, you need to warm up the engine – many car manufacturers recommend letting the engine run for 3-5 minutes and only then start driving. But the first 15-20 minutes of commuting should be without sudden accelerations. The load on the engine should not be high – so the oil can reach the operating temperature, which is necessary for safe vehicle operation.
Replace Windshield Washer Fluid
We change the summer windshield washer fluid to the winter one. It is no secret that one of the features of the Indiana climate is rather sharp temperature fluctuations. And one such jump may be enough for the water poured into the tank to turn into ice by morning. Therefore, it is better to fill in the winter washer in advance so that you do not have to warm up the car in a garage later or even change the tubes in the system or the tank itself.
Avoid Deep Puddles
If the car gets into a water obstacle and aquaplaning began, do not slow down, even if you instinctively want to do this. Try to correct the situation by carefully steering and directing the car to the desired trajectory.
Be careful with the fallen leaves
Uncleaned fallen leaves on the road only at first glance look harmless. Hitting beautiful yellow leafage is equivalent to hitting bare ice. Slippery on such a surface as well as on snow. Try, if leaves are still caught on the road, do not brake sharply – otherwise, the car may skid.
Three types of skid
No matter how careful the driver is, a skid can happen to anyone. Depending on which wheels are slipping, a skid can be classified as:
- Sliding: front axle is stable, the rear axle is slipping, and the car turns more than expected.
- Drift: the rear wheels are stable, and the front wheels slide. When turning, the car moves in a straight line.
- Complete destabilization: all four wheels are slipping, and the direction cannot be predicted.
How to get out of a skid
- If the car goes into a skid, do not slow down.
- If you have a rear-wheel drive car – you need to release the gas while turning the steering wheel in the direction of skidding. If you have a front-wheel drive car – add gas.
- When the car has come out of the skid, you must immediately return the steering wheel to the straight position. Otherwise, it will go into a new skid in the other direction.
Read about other differences between driving FWD and AWD on indyautoman.com.
General Driving Tips
- Check the road. Sharply press and release the brake pedal several times. If the car nods – the grip is excellent. If you hear the tires rubbing in the skid, and there are no slowdowns – the road is covered with ice. Make sure you are not creating an emergency when checking.
- One cover. Try to drive the car so that all four wheels drive on the same surface. If there is snow under one pair of wheels and ice under the other, the car can throw off the track or pull off the road.
- Choose a side. To prevent the car from chatting between the walls of a deep rut, press the wheels with the inside or outside against one of them.
- High gear. On a slippery track, it is better to move in higher gear if you have a car with manual transmission. Thanks to this, the wheels in the snow will spin less.
And the main rule to follow at any time of the year is to be always focused on the road. After all, unforeseen situations can arise suddenly – the drivers must be ready to respond, protecting themselves and other road users.
