Winter Driving - A driver's guide from Alphabet - Home
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Home Introduction Basic checks Driving in snow Winter tyres More information
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Winter
Driving
A driver’s guide
from Alphabet
Home Introduction Basic checks Driving in snow Winter tyres More information
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Introduction
We’re getting used to the onset of extreme winter Keep a torch, blanket, ice-scraper, small shovel, suitable shoes or N
ever set off if you haven’t completely de-iced your car windows,
boots, de-icing fluid and a supply of winter grade screen wash lights and exterior mirrors. Driving with just a small ‘porthole’ of clear
weather, but what’s the best way to prepare for
fluid in the car. Some basic food and drink is also a good idea, glass in a frosty windscreen isn’t only dangerous – it’s illegal. It’s also a
driving in snow and ice? and perhaps a flask of hot drink for longer journeys. good idea to remove snow from the bonnet, bootlid and roof.
Before you go anywhere, follow these driving tips and advice on Always take a fully-charged mobile phone with you, and ensure Never leave your car unattended with the engine running to de-ice
driving in the winter months and it will help you to stay safe. you have a working in-car charger. it – you may lose the car to an opportunist thief.
Plan your journey. Tell friends or family where you’re going, which Never use warm or hot water to clear your windows of ice. Make sure your car is fuelled sufficiently for your journey, bearing in
route you’re taking and when you expect to arrive. The sudden change in temperature could crack the glass. mind you may get stuck in traffic due to wintry weather.
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Simple checks to help winter-ready your car
Use a gauge to measure tread depth Check tyre pressures regularly
Use winter-grade screenwash fluid Top-up engine coolant/antifreeze
Ensure lights and glass are clear of ice Treat your car to a pre-winter check-up
Basic checks
Having your car checked over by an authorised garage or workshop 2. Tyres 4. Windscreen wipers
is the best way to reassure yourself that you are prepared for the Check your tyre pressures, including the spare, and measure your Check your front and rear wiper blades for wear or splitting and
worst winter weather. But there are some basic tasks you can do tyre tread depths. The legal minimum for cars is 1.6mm, but deeper don’t use them to clear snow or ice as they may be frozen to the
yourself. These include: tread gives far better grip in snow. Tread limit markers in the tyre glass. If they are stuck to the glass, free them using de-icer.
grooves indicate wear; if they are flush with the tread you’ll need to
1. Battery replace the tyre. Winter tyres provide a remarkable improvement in 5. ABS & ESP
A healthy battery is essential in winter when demands on lights and control in cold weather – click the menu tab above for more details. When driving in slippery conditions ESP and ABS systems may
cold starting are heavy. Ensure the connections are tight and if the activate to help you control the car effectively. The ESP/ABS light
battery has an inspection window check the displayed colours: 3. Screen wash will flash on your dash to let you know. When ABS is in operation it
It’s crucial that you use the correct screen wash additive, especially produces a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal, together with
Green: your battery is working properly. in colder weather. Don’t dilute premixed screen wash solution as this a distinctive ‘crunching’ sound. Even with ESP/ABS, stopping distances
Black: your battery needs charging. will reduce its effectiveness and remember that the washer system may not be reduced when braking on ice or snow, so maintaining an
Clear/yellow: your battery needs replacing. can still freeze even if you have heated washer jets. increased distance from the vehicle in front is still paramount.
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Driving in snow
If you are caught in snow, a sensible approach to the road conditions T
o slow down, use engine braking through the gears in a manual T
hink about your current driving environment. Just because the
and your driving will pay dividends and help you get home safely. car or switch to manual gear selection in an automatic. conditions might have improved on main roads, country roads
or bridges might still be hazardous due to less traffic or because
Tips for driving in snow U
se your brakes lightly and cover the brake pedal to show your they’ve not been gritted.
B e gentle on the throttle, avoiding any harsh acceleration which brake lights to others behind. Remember that ABS does not
is likely to cause wheelspin. necessarily reduce your braking distance in snow and ice. Black ice
Black ice is a thin layer of ice on the road surface that’s usually
P ull away in second gear if driving a car with manual transmission, or I f you’re approaching a snow-covered hill, drop well back or wait transparent and caused by rain falling on frozen surfaces. Because
ensure you have pressed the winter driving button (if fitted) – often until it’s clear of traffic so you won’t have to stop part way up. it’s difficult to see, it can be one of the biggest dangers of winter
marked with a snowflake symbol – if your car has automatic transmission. Keep a constant speed and try to avoid changing gear on the hill. driving. It tends to form on parts of the road that don’t get
much sun – tree-lined routes and tunnels – as well as on bridges,
U
se a low gear and try to avoid hard braking. Leave as much U
se your headlights in heavy snow. Daytime running lights won’t overpasses and the road beneath overpasses. Slow right down for
room as you can between you and the car in front. be enough, and there’ll be no lighting at the back of your car. corners if you suspect it and keep your driving as smooth as possible.
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Tyres through the seasons
Winter tyre
W
inter tyres are made of a softer Softer
compound
rubber compound designed for with deep
use in cold weather. Extra grooves, tread
called sipes, and deeper tread
Sipes bite into
improve grip, traction and braking snow and ice
in temperatures of 7C or lower.
All-season tyre
Medium
A
ll-season tyres combine summer compound
and winter characteristics to offer gives all-
season grip
adequate performance in all
Tread blends
conditions, but are not optimised advantages
for summer or winter in the same of summer
way as dedicated seasonal tyres. and winter
tyres
Summer tyre Harder
A
lso known as standard tyres, compound
with wider
summer tyres have a harder rubber tread
compound and a specific tread grooves
pattern for optimal performance Fewer sipes
on both dry and wet roads when than winter
the air temperature is above 7C. tyres
Winter tyres Winter tyre markings and what to look for
Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake
When the ambient temperature dips to 7C or below, standard – or levels of grip and control in adverse conditions. In countries routinely (TPMSF)
‘summer’ – tyres harden and no longer provide optimum adhesion. affected by snow and ice, cold weather tyres are a legal requirement, A stringent certification regulating a
This severely compromises their performance when accelerating, and drivers consider it standard procedure to fit them at the first sign tyre’s snow performance. These tyres
provide high performance in terms of
braking and cornering, particularly with today’s trend towards wider of frost in Autumn, removing them again in Spring.
safety and control on snow, icy roads
tyres. Most of us will have experienced the sometimes frightening
and at low temperatures.
lack of grip, traction and control when driving on snow and ice. A set of ‘winter wheels’ – cold-weather tyres mounted on a separate
set of wheels that replace your ‘summer’ wheels – is the simplest Mud And Snow (M+S)
The resulting accidents and getting stuck can often be prevented by way to benefit from their advantages. Tyres with the M+S symbol have a
switching to cold-weather tyres during the winter months, or special tread pattern, tread compound or
all-season tyres year-round. And since cold-weather tyres wear more slowly than standard tyres structure that is engineered to deliver
better performance in snow than a
in low temperatures they can last longer, prevent wear and tear on
regular tyre, especially in its ability to
Winter tyres dramatically improve your car’s grip, stability and your standard wheels and tyres and provide cost-effective – and
initiate or maintain vehicle motion.
braking in snow and ice, while all-season tyres provide improved safer – winter motoring.
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More information
ALMAR 186.2
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