Skip to main content

Tips on winter driving without the spin



The other day, an SUV was westbound on Route 120 approaching the light at Wonder Lake Road. Though the vehicle wasn’t moving very fast, apparently due to a dusting of snow on the road, the vehicle suddenly spin around until it came to a stop facing backwards in the right-turn lane.

Fortunately, no one was approaching the turn intending to turn north on Wonder Lake Road. Even more fortunately, the SUV didn’t spin into the approaching lane of traffic as someone was beating the light eastbound on 120.

The point is that, when the roads are slick, there’s an entirely different nuance to the art of driving. Safe driving in the winter starts with increased attention to the road. An extra dose or two of caution is a good thing, too. There is, however, more than you should do if you want to come through the season with you and your loved ones intact and your vehicle unscathed.

One of the first things to do is to check your tires. Proper inflation (see your owner’s manual) is imperative.  But, there’s more to it than that.

“You need to look at your tires and check the tread,” said Denny Norton, owner of Ringwood based Performance Unlimited auto repair shop. “Having healthy tread on your tires is crucial in the winter.”

Norton said he has clients who store a set of winter tires in the spring, summer and fall. When the weather begins to turn, they come in to change out from summer to winter tires.

“There’s no small difference that tires make when driving on slippery roads,” he said. “Even if you don’t have a special set of tires for the winter, in these parts, you’ll probably want to make sure you have a good set of all-season tires on the car.”

Another important factor to consider is your vision. Avoid the temptation to drive with windows that are only partially cleared. This may mean you’ll have to leave the house a little earlier so you have time to clean the windows properly but it’s well worth the effort. Reaction times are challenged when roads are slick and the ability to see what’s going on around you is more important than ever.

Good wiper blades, plenty of washer solvent and an effective defroster in the dashboard are also critical. Even if the windows are clear when you pull out of the driveway they can frost up without heat from the defrosters. Snow, slush and salt will conspire as a nasty combination on your windshield that will seriously reduce your vision.

Norton also offered a warning for those who operate 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

“4-wheel drive will help you get going in snowy conditions,” he said. “It doesn’t have an appreciable benefit when you try to stop on a slippery road, though.”

Everyone at Performance Unlimited wishes you a safe winter driving season. For more information, call Performance Unlimited at 815-728-0343 or visit www.4performanceunlimited.com.
Labels:

Comments

  1. SymonJune 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM

    Thanks for the great content, This added real value to my knowledge keep it up!
    Emergency Towing Service in Seattle

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing?  If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond  winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...
1 comment
Read more

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders.  Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...
Post a Comment
Read more

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...
Post a Comment
Read more