Driving tips for this Wonder Lake winter

Winter driving in Wonder Lake can be a little

tricky. Some tips on how to handle that
winter driving might help.

We’re a month into the Wonder Lake winter of 2024-25. In fact, we’re into the 2025 portion of the winter. Hopefully, you’re used to driving in winter conditions in these parts. But, just in case, here are some tips to consider.

Keep in mind that road conditions change in Wonder Lake and, this time of year, they can change suddenly. In fact, they can change from one stretch of road to another.

Consider a day when we’ve had some snow, not a lot of snow but enough to catch your attention. Plows may have cleared the roads. The sun may have melted much of the snow. But suppose it’s a windy day.

In places where the wind can get up some room to blast away, the snow may have drifted across the road even where it was previously cleared.

If you’re driving down a stretch of road that is clear of snow and dry, will you be prepared for the effects of windblown snow on the road? The sudden change can catch your tires off guard.

When you’re driving down the road and hit a patch of snow, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that you would spin out. You may find yourself in a ditch. Worse yet, you could go into oncoming traffic.

The trick is to reduce speed when you see a change in traction caused by snow, ice or moisture on the road. Take a deep breath, relax and assume you could have a problem and be prepared. The worst thing that will happen is that you have to control your vehicle in a ticklish situation. If not, you’re still in control.

Another consideration in the winter is black ice. They call it ‘black ice’ but it’s really invisible ice. The road may look wet but when you drive onto it, you could find you’re having trouble controlling the vehicle. Once again, carefully reducing speed should help (try to avoid slamming on the brakes).

One place where we often see black ice, or ice in general, is on a bridge. With a bridge, the cold is attacking the pavement from all directions. Moisture freezes up on a bridge faster than on other stretches of road where the ground offers some protection from a falling thermometer.

Whenever driving during a Wonder Lake winter, avoiding sudden stops and starts is a good way to avoid losing control of your vehicle. Keeping speeds down and allowing more room between yourself and other vehicles is essential, too.

Comments

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...

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...

Get out to McHenry Music Festival for a good time and music near to home

Some folks here in McHenry will load up the car and head out to Red Rock Amphitheater near Denver to see a show. Some will go to the MSG Sphere near Las Vegas. Some will go to the Bonaroo Festival Concert to see a show. That’s quite a bit of driving and you’d better make sure your vehicle is up to the trip. What happens, however, if something goes wrong – if your vehicle breaks down while driving there or back? What happens if the show is canceled, as happened this year with the Bonaroo Festival? We’re talking about some serious inconvenience, aren’t we? Wherever you go, whether your driving to Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee or anywhere else in this continent, you want to perform your due diligence and make sure the vehicle is up for the trip before you go. And it doesn’t really matter if you’re driving somewhere to see some live music or for any other purpose. A breakdown can be costly and may put you at the mercy of weather conditions or nefarious characters that come across you while y...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog