With winter being at its fullest, the roads are getting covered with snow piles. In such cases, it often gets dangerous to take your car out. That can often lead to accidents.
Keeping the accident apart, cold weather can affect your car in many ways. From tire puncture to dead batteries- your car suffers a lot in the cold months.
Overlooking these aspects can cause severe damage to the car. Herefore, it is primary to take precautionary measures to avoid possible collisions with trees and whatnot!
While many of us have mastered the art of tackling car skids, it never hurts to learn something new. In this article, we will point out the risk factors of driving in cold weather and how to tackle it.
Let’s begin!
Effects of Cold Weather on Your Car
You probably know about the tendency of a metal to shrink at low temperatures. And that is not a good thing for your car.
Just like the metal, your air tires undergo a transition in cold weather. With the decreasing temperature, the pressure inside the tire decreases as well. Again, the tire regains some pressure while driving. This constant inflation and deflation can be stressful for your tires.
The temperature sensitivity of the battery kicks in during the winter. When the temperature goes below 0 degrees, it often gets demanding to start the car.
The fluids (including oil and transmission fluid) tend to thicken at this temperature as well. That may disturb the flow of the fluids and result in malfunctioning your car. There are chances of facing wiper malfunction as well.
Other than that, leakage and excessive fuel consumption are common issues around this time of the year.
On that account, controlling temperature and cleaning the car at regular intervals becomes crucial. Continue reading the find the ways to tackle car skidding in colder weather.
What To Do If Your Car Skids on Ice
It doesn’t require a saying that every vehicle responds differently over icy and slippery roads. Hence, a single procedure won’t work for all four-wheelers.
So, it is essential to understand your car and its mechanisms during colder days. That will reduce the risk factors by many folds. To do that, we recommend going through the car manual to learn the tire traction and braking system.
Updating the safety features of the car can take you a long way. Among the bunch available, our preference will be the Electronic Stability Control (ECS) here.
ECS uses sensors to compare the direction of the steering wheel and car. By doing that, ECS tries to find any fluctuation in the balance between these two.
If there is any fluctuation, ECS immediately applies the brake to one or multiple wheels. As a result, it becomes easier to bring the car in control. When you turn on the engine, ESC automatically turns on. That is what makes it an apt pick as a safety tool.
Methods To Tackle Car Skids on Ice
The safest method to tackle skidding over ice is to drive as per the weather condition. Slowing down the car will not only make the ride safe. Doing so will also give you time to take various factors like brake, turns, and curves into account.
Another crucial factor here is to keep calm. Driving in the snow is not an easy task. However, it is the panic that results in skidding. So, slow down and watch out before making a move.
Still and all, we might encounter skidding now and then. How to deal with that?
Don’t be fret! The key here is to follow two basic rules-
- Avoiding sudden turns
- Learning ways to handle skidding
Skidding can be of many kinds. No one measure can tackle all the variations of skids. On that account, we will focus on tackling three skids. Let’s begin!
- Front Wheel Skids
Hard brakes, fast driving, and acceleration are the prime reasons behind front wheel skids. Front wheel skids can take away the traction. To recoup the steering, you can opt for various measures.
If the skid is the result of hard brakes, try releasing the brake. Easing off the gas pedal can help you tackle tractions. Next, shift to a neutral (automatic) or push the clutch.
Now, wait till the wheels regain the grip. You can now release the clutch and start driving. Try maintaining a gentle acceleration.
- Rear Wheel Skids
Many a time, the rear wheel losses its traction. In such cases, you can take a few stances to sort this issue.
Firstly, look for the reason behind the skid. If the skid is a result of a hard brake, take off your feet from the brake pedal. For traction issues, easing on the gas pedal can fix the trouble.
Here to mention, keep an eye on the road as well. Beware of any vehicles that come in the way. Now, gently steer in the direction you want to move. That will help you in regaining control.
Once you are sure of your direction, you can now move to the driving gear. Be gentle with your accelerator and be within the speed limit.
- Four Wheel Skids
Rough driving and poor road condition is not good choice to drive in. That may often lead to a four-wheel skid. Regaining traction in such cases is often challenging. However, it is not impossible.
You can opt for the steps mentioned in the previous section. That will get the job done. Nonetheless, the challenge here is to maintain the balance of gears. Therefore, it is crucial to observe the running vehicles on the road.
Final Works
Driving in cold weather is undoubtedly challenging. However, following a few tactics can make your drive safe and plain sailing. Installing the ECS will take you a long way in dealing with the cold weather drives.
Lastly, opt for a thorough expert inspection after the colder months. That will help in keeping the battery health and tire condition in order.
Drive safe!
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