Roughly two-thirds of all Americans live in cold weather states where below-zero temperatures are possible during winter. Areas of the U.S. like the Upper Midwest and Northeast are notorious for subzero temperatures and teeth-rattling windchills. Not only are those frigid conditions hard on drivers, they can also have a devasting effect on a vehicle’s performance and appearance. Fortunately, it is possible to protect your ride by better understanding how subzero temperatures affect it in the first place.
Your car’s engine, electrical system and fluids can all stop performing optimally once the mercury dips below zero degrees Fahrenheit. In a nutshell, these are some vehicle areas that are vulnerable to bitter cold:
For every 10 degrees the temperature drops, your tires lose 1 PSI of pressure. If you don’t check them regularly, your tires can get underinflated and cause poor handling issues- not to mention that the tread will wear out faster.
Your battery’s electrical output can diminish by up to 50% once temps drop below zero. The older your battery, the greater the odds that it won’t turn over one bitterly cold morning when you’re already in a hurry. To ensure cold weather starts, keep all connections clean, tight and corrosion free. If your battery is over 3 years old, it’s probably time to replace it.
The colder it is, the thicker your oil becomes. As temperatures near -20 F, engine oil can get so thick that the oil pump struggles just to circulate it. Drivers in subzero climates should switch to a low-viscosity oil in the late fall based on manufacturer recommendations found in the owner’s manual.
Gasoline itself will not freeze until temperatures reach -100 degrees F. However, any moisture trapped in your fuel tank can ice up and clog your fuel line when it’s 32 degrees or colder. One of the simplest ways to prevent that from occurring is keeping your gas tank at least half full all winter long. And, on frigid days your gas mileage will drop because the engine is running less efficiently.
When taking repeated short trips in extremely cold weather, your car’s engine typically doesn’t have enough time to warm up sufficiently and burn off water vapor. As a result, engine sludge can accumulate, pass through the exhaust system and cause it to prematurely rust.
If your antifreeze is old, it may not protect the engine’s components from freezing like it should. This can cause cracking to the engine block, resulting in very costly damage. Always make sure that your engine has plenty of antifreeze/coolant in it by checking the overflow reservoir, and that it still offers protection down to -40 degrees F.
Never pour hot water on your windshield to melt ice because the glass could crack. Blasting hot air from your defroster on a frozen windshield can also crack it, so de-ice yours instead with a commercially available deicer that’s specifically designed for auto glass. Ordinary rubbing alcohol is another safe deicing option. Subzero temperatures can also cause rubber windshield wiper blades to get brittle, crack and tear.
If your vehicle has a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, it may get a little sluggish when your ride’s been sitting outside in extreme cold for a while. That’s because the molecules inside the liquid crystals slow down significantly when exposed to subzero temps. Unfortunately, other than installing an engine-block heater there’s not much you can do to speed up the screen until your engine warms up.
If your ride’s been dinged up due to a wintertime accident, promptly take it to one of the 19,000+ auto body and glass repair shops featured in the nationwide Carwise referral network. All collision repair shops listed on Carwise are I-CAR and ASE certified, which means they have the highly trained technicians, driver-trusted services and high-tech equipment to repair your vehicle promptly and reliably. Most speak directly with insurance companies, so you don’t have to, and warranty their repair outcomes to put your mind at ease.
Search your zip code now for a customer-reviewed auto body or glass repair shop nearby: www.carwise.com.
