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Car Care

Ready Your Ride For Rough Weather

Posted: 12/21/2011

If you take preventative steps before the bad weather hits, you shouldn’t get stranded on the road this winter.

(NAPSI)—By taking a few preventative maintenance steps, you can keep your car on the road to safety and savings when temperatures drop.

• Check the air pressure in your tires regularly and make sure your spare tire is also inflated properly. Contrary to the popular belief that you should reduce your tire pressure in cold weather, the fact is, tire pressure usually lowers itself in winter and raises itself in summer. All you need to do is maintain the pressure at the level recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Don’t inflate your tires based on the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire—you do have to make sure you don’t over inflate.

• Cold temperatures can be hard on a battery. Check the condition of the battery cable, posts and fasteners for rust and corrosion. Have your battery checked by a professional who will check for corrosion and check the electrical system.

• Try using a synthetic oil, which generally contains fewer impurities and has much more consistent molecular structure compared to a comparable quality mineral oil. These differences result in better frictional characteristics (less friction), better natural cold flow and a more consistent viscosity across a wide temperature range. The better cold flow is especially beneficial at a cold start. The engine will start easier and the oil gets to where it needs to be quicker.

Viscosity is a liquid’s thickness and resistance to flow and all engine oils thicken with decreasing temperature and thin with increasing temperature. With a high-quality synthetic engine oil, such as Royal Purple, the viscosity changes less with changing temperature, so the oil stays closer to the optimal thickness for engine operation. High-quality synthetic engine oils also typically have a better pour point than nonsynthetic oils. The pour point is the lowest temperature at which the oil can be poured out of a container. Conventional oils can become so thick at low temperatures they won’t pour out of the bottle. Synthetics will generally retain pourability at much lower temperatures for a given viscosity grade.

• Protect your vehicle’s fluid lines from freezing. Flush and refill your cooling system with a 50/50 mixture. You should have a minimum of 20 percent antifreeze concentration in a street-driven vehicle. Royal Purple’s radiator coolant additive Purple Ice contains corrosion inhibitors and lubricants that condition the seals on the water pump and can be used with Dex-Cool antifreeze.

By making sure your vehicle is ready for bad weather, there’s a good chance you’ll arrive safely at your destination instead of being stranded by the side of the road.

For more information, visit www.royalpurple.com.

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