Winter, for those of us in the snow belt, is the worst for car guys. While Audi and their Quattro system, or some of the other AWD-equipped European cars make short work of the snow, it isn’t without some preparations. Even with AWD, if your car isn’t prepped, on snow tires, and ready to serve you well for the cold months, you could end up with a lot more worries than if you had just taken some simple steps to ensure you have a safe, fun, and convenient winter driving experience. This is everything we suggest to improve your winter excursions this year.

Wheels/Tires

With snow, ice, and freezing rain on the roads, the most important thing you can do is equip your car with a set of snow tires. A dedicated set of wheels with snow tires already mounted is the easiest way to do things, but you don’t want a set of nice wheels to be ruined by salt and snow. A set of stock wheels you have laying around is perfect, but what if you want to at least look good? Alzor wheels are relatively inexpensive, high quality, and look great. With a set of Alzor wheels and some snow tires, you don’t have to sacrifice form for function.

Brakes

You’ll want to make sure your rotors, pads, calipers, and lines are all in good condition before going into the winter since the last thing you’ll want to do is service them while it’s below freezing. Not only is that a pain, but it makes brake bleeding take forever. Be sure to do your brake fluid, pads, and rotors if they are nearing the end of their life ahead of time so you don’t need to worry about it. If you need to do all these parts at once, why not go with a little upgrade? Our Assembled by ECS performance brake service kits are an excellent option to give you a little bump in braking capabilities while handling that maintenance concern proactively.

Oil and Fluids

Unless you drive an excessive amount or change your oil more regularly than the manufacturer requires, an oil service should last you the entire winter. Take care of that easy service ahead of the cold months so it isn’t a pressing need when you won’t want to get under the car in the freezing temperatures. While you take care of your oil service, it is also a good time to check your power steering fluid and coolant at the same time. If you need to do a cooling system overhaul, knock that out ahead of time with an Assembled by ECS cooling system refresh kit.

Stuff to have

With the winter weather, it is equally important to be prepared with tools, equipment, and safety devices in case you are stuck somewhere, blow a tire, or worse. We suggest that you keep some flares, a phone charger, water, and some protein bars in your car. As well, a good spare wheel/tire, basic tools, and a snow brush/ice scraper handy just in case.

With this basic prep and some essentials in case of emergency, you should be ready to romp around in the winter weather without too much worry. Knowing that your car is serviced and that you have some supplies as a backup plan, is just what you need to have peace of mind while you commute and travel this winter. Don’t get stuck somewhere on all-season tires wishing you had snows or lost in the snow with no emergency equipment when you could have taken care of it before the cold set in!

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