We’ve already had some our winter storms for the season but more are projected to be coming! Most people know that the best way to be safe in the winter is to drive slow, follow traffic laws, and make sure your tires have a decent tread, but there’s a whole hodge podge of advice people share to be safe in the winter that doesn’t actually ring true. In fact, some of these myths can making driving in snowy or icy conditions even more dangerous or flat out damage your car.
The first myth is that under-inflated tires are better for winter weather driving. The idea behind this one is that leaving tires under-inflated will provide more traction by spreading more of the tire surface across the ground and improving grip. This method works for off-roading conditions, like driving on sand, but under-inflated tires don’t actually grip snow and ice in the same way. An accurately inflated tire works best in winter conditions. What if you have all-weather tires? People with all-weather tires might feel invincible in the winter storm weather and they do improve traction, which is helpful during acceleration. However, an all-weather tire will not make braking or steering any better on ice. For folks in the north, winter tires can be a worthwhile expense, as the only tires that will actually improve the ability to turn and brake on the slick winter roads. This may not be as useful in the south, where they experience these types of roads only a few times in the winter.
Speaking of traction, there’s a belief that weighing down the end of your vehicle will help improve traction in slippery conditions. Folks that try this opt for 40-70lb sandbags in the trunk. This can work in very specific conditions, such as with rear-wheel drive vehicles and only if you know how much weight you need to add. Otherwise, it can worsen traction on front-wheel drive vehicles by skewing the weight distribution. Unless you know how much weight to add to your rear-wheel drive vehicle, this partial myth might be better wholly avoided.
Next, the myth that inspired this entire post: you should warm up your engine for a few minutes in the winter in order to let the oil warm up and circulate, otherwise you’ll damage your engine. If you’re from the millennial generation or older, you’ve surely heard this rumor before. You might even be like me, and have memories of your parents warming up the car before driving for 5-10 minutes in the winter months. Unfortunately, this is a dated myth. While it was true for cars built prior to 1980, nowadays, the components of the car that would benefit from “warming up” (the wheel bearings, tires and suspension system) will only do so when in motion. Modern cars are able to circulate oil in the engine within 30 seconds, but since the engine is cold, “the gas may not evaporate completely as it combines with the air. For more recent cars with an electronic fuel injection, there are sensors that detect this and compensate by adding more gas to the mixture. When there is excess fuel in the chamber, some of it condenses onto the cylinder walls and strips away the lubricating oil. When the lubricating oil is gone, components like the cylinder liners and piston rings will wear prematurely,” explains an expert from Chucks Auto Repair. Apparently, this is not only a myth, but continuing to warm up your car by idling for periods of time can actually lead to damage!
Finally, and a popular idea in the south, is that winter weather driving conditions aren’t as dangerous as the north, or areas where the conditions are more common. This is also not only a myth, but the opposite is true. Areas that see icy and snowy conditions are better prepared for harsh driving conditions and have funding allocated for regular road salting, sanding, and plowing. In areas where ice and snow are less frequent, not only are drivers much less experienced and make worse driving decisions, but cities are slower to respond, often only able to clear out main roads before tackling residential areas. For this reason, areas that have rare occurrences of snow and ice have higher fatality rates per mile.
Whether where you live is accustomed to snow and ice or if you’re lucky to see it once a year (or every few years), remember that the best way to stay safe is to follow traffic laws, drive at or below the speed limit, and look up tips people give you before believing they’ll result in a safer drive. And of course, don’t forget, that Interstate Signways made the signs that marked the way!
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