How Severe Cold Affects Your Car (and What to Do about It)
In much of the eastern and midwestern United States, it’s that time of year when it is so bitterly freezing that even a 30-degree day can feel like a balmy respite. Temperatures plummet into the single digits, wind chills are painful and dangerous, and talk of polar vortexes and bomb cyclones fills the media. It’s cold outside.
Few places in the U.S. know cold better than Alaska, and James Grant, who owns Right Choice Automotive Repair in Fairbanks, has seen a bit of what frigid temperatures can do to vehicles. We talked with Grant as well as the Car Care Council to find out how the cold can affect cars and trucks and hear about any possible solutions.
Problem: Deflated tires
As the air in your tires gets colder, it contracts and has less pressure. Tires correspondingly become underinflated. Solution: Check your tire pressure more often than you normally would. The Car Care Council recommends doing so once a week. You might think a little deflation provides better traction, but tire experts caution against running tires below manufacturers’ recommended pressure, as that can cause uneven or unsafe tread wear. Getting winter tires is always a good idea in states with inclement weather.
Problem: Dead battery
Winter is especially hard on batteries. If your car won’t start in the extreme cold, one of the most likely problems is that the battery is dead.
Solution: The good news is that it can be an easy fix: jumper cables are not hard to use. But to avoid...
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