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...
Post a 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

Sap, Sun and Droppings conspire to attack your Richmond car’s finish

Who doesn't love summer time in Richmond? But this is also the time of year when sap, sun and droppings attack your car's finish. It’s a beautiful summer day in Richmond, IL, so you take the car to Richmond Carwash and give it a thorough cleaning. Or maybe you go for an entire detailing. On the other hand, you grab a bucket, sponge, brush and appropriate cleaners, drag the hose out to the driveway and wash the car yourself. Before you know it, the car is clean and shiny, almost like the day when it was new, right? But what does Murphy’s Law say about washing your car? Inevitably, if you wash your car, you can count on rain. It almost seems like, as soon as you give the car a good bath, the rain clouds start plotting and changing course to head straight for your Richmond home or wherever else you park your car. Let’s imagine that Murphy takes a pass when it comes to applying the Law of clean-car-precipitation onto your vehicle. You have the car washed but it doesn’t rain. You’ve...
Post a Comment
Read more