How You Can Winterize Your Vehicle

Make Sure You’re Prepared!

Although winters in Virginia aren’t nearly as bad as other states such as New York and Vermont, we still do experience common conditions such as snow, ice, and rain. Anyone that’s driven through those conditions knows how difficult, stressful, and frustrating it can be. Although we may not be able to avoid these conditions (unless you decide to go South for the winter!), there are ways we can prepare for them.

In this case, we’re talking about preparing our vehicle. The Titan Auto & Tire team want to share three tips to prepare your vehicle for this upcoming winter! Although these tips may come off as simple, they’ll go a long way to ensuring your driving experience this winter is a pleasant one.

Or at least a manageable one.

Check Those Tires!

Your tires are an important key to safe driving. If your tires are in bad shape or not properly cared for, you’re placing yourself in serious danger. To avoid that, make sure you inspect the PSI and tread depth!

For the PSI, reference your vehicle’s manufacturing guide or talk to one of our technicians, then fill your tire with the appropriate amount of air! A properly inflated tire will give you traction on the road and help you avoid early and inconsistent tire wear. For the tread depth, use the penny test! To do this, simply insert a penny head first into your tire’s tread. If you see any part of Abraham Lincoln’s head, that’s a sign you’ll need new tires. Tread helps your tires grip the road, and if it’s thin or completely bald, your vehicle will easily skid and hydroplane.

Build a Winter Kit

In an ideal world, we would never find ourselves in a situation where we’re broken down on the side of the road during the winter. Instead, we’d find ourselves cuddled up next to a fire with our loved ones and reading a good auto repair book, right?

Well, that’s our ideal world. But that won’t always be the case, and it’s good to be prepared. The best way to do that is by building yourself a winter supply kit. In the kit, think about the essentials you’ll need if you do break down in the winter. Here are some of our suggestions:

• Flashlight

• First aid kit

• Road flares

• Ice scraper

• Blankets

• Snacks (jerky or gummies work!)

These are just a few suggestions and you can definitely add more! At the end of the day, what matters is that you’ll be prepared and relatively comfortable if your vehicle does break down.

Consider Switching Motor Oils

As the weather gets colder, your motor oil may have a difficult time cycling through your vehicle. To combat this, consider switching to thinner motor oil. You can determine the viscosity by looking at the first number of the oil specification. The lower the number, the thinner the oil. But it’s still important to pick the right oil, as the wrong oil can cause damage to the engine. Make sure you meet with our technicians and have them help you pick out the right oil for your vehicle!