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How to get your car winter-ready before the flakes start falling
A car expert shares his automotive necessities (and a few luxuries) that make winter driving much more enjoyable.
Growing up in Michigan, and since I've been living in the mountains of Colorado, I've driven through my fair share of snowstorms. The majority of the time I've spent on the road in the winter months has been pleasant, but there have been exceptions, like the time I broke down on the side of the road in Iceland for 18 hours in sub-freezing temps.
Winter driving comes with its fair share of challenges (a lack of traction one of the biggest), but that doesn’t mean you have to hit the road unprepared. Toss a few of these essentials in your trunk and you’ll be ready for whatever the next snowstorm throws at you.
Winter Tires and Chains
There's a saying that it's never smart to cheap out on what separates you from the ground. That means your shoes, your mattress and, in the case of your vehicle, your tires. Did you know that all-season tires aren't really good for all seasons? That's right, they're only good for warmer weather — i.e., spring, summer and fall in most of the country. The wonderful world of marketing at work yet again. Ideally, you should switch to winter tires — which are made to perform in icy, cold conditions— somewhere around the first frost.
Thing is, I don't have the time or the space to swap and store tires that I'm not using most of the year. That's why I stick with models that have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on them. That means they've been tested to perform well in extreme winter conditions. My specific tires are Falken Wildpeaks, which I've run on everything from a Ram 1500 to a Subaru Crosstrek to a Ford Flex, but there are plenty of options out there, depending on your specific needs and budget.
If you don't want to put winter tires on, or you just bought a new set of all-seasons, you're not completely out of luck. Tire chains and socks are also an option for emergencies, though they can be tricky to put on. The best time to learn is safely at home before you need them, not on the side of a busy, icy highway, so make sure to practice.
I've paid anywhere from around $600 (wouldn't recommend) to almost $2,000 for a new set of tires. These Wranglers are 3PMSF-branded, so you know that they'll hold their own come wintertime.
However: These don't fit all vehicles, so make sure to use Walmart's tire-finder tool to find the right set.
This is my current fave tire for everyday use. Given my aforementioned storage issue, it's a great year-round alternative. I've used them on every car I have daily driven and owned in the past decade.
Again, though ... while these may be a great tire for my needs, make sure to run your vehicle's information through the Walmart tire finder to make sure this is right for you.
If a dedicated set of winter tires is not in your budget, you might well want to keep a set of chains in the trunk. They're a little tough to put on, but they will give you traction you need in snowy conditions.
Some states (including Colorado) even go so far as to have a chain law, which states you must carry them with you during certain times of the year depending on what vehicle you drive and what tires you have.
Snow socks are a generally less expensive alternative to chains, which work well in snow, but not as well in icy conditions. Socks are generally less durable than chains, though they are easier to put on and are much better than using only your non-winter rated tires.
Recovery Gear
A few years back a friend and I were driving in northern Michigan on a ski trip when a wrong turn led to us getting stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road in the middle of a National Forest. Luckily, a pickup truck came down the road and the driver had a set of tow straps. Within minutes he and his son had yanked my car out of the snow and we were on our way.
Ever since then I have kept recovery gear in the back of my car, especially when going on a longer road trip in wintertime. These things don't take up a ton of space in the trunk and can be a huge help when trying to get free of a mess.
You never know when you'll have to dig yourself out of a jam. This compact, collapsable shovel is great to keep in your trunk, just in case.
Designed with cars in mind, these mats take up little space and can easily be stored in the trunk for when you're mired in mud, slush or snow.
As someone who has found themself frantically running around a parking lot trying to find someone to jump my car, a device like this can be a lifesaver (not to mention a face saver). Forget jumper cables; you've got everything you need right here.
Don't count on passersby to be carrying recovery tools (see my Michigan story above). Keep these incredibly portable tow straps in your car at all times — you can hook them up to a good samaritan's vehicle and get pulled to safety, no tow truck necessary.
Simply put, these never leave my trunk once winter hits. Not only can you drive over them to get yourself out of some nasty situations, but they double as a shovel if you need to dig yourself out of snow or sand.
First Aid
For years I threw my 0-degree sleeping bag in the back of my car during winter. I thought to myself, better safe than sorry. When I flew to Iceland for work one year I instinctively brought them along, even though the camper van I was staying in had a built-in heater. A few hundred miles into our trip the van broke down, along with it our heater, and they were the only thing that kept us warm. Now I throw them in the trunk at the end of fall and leave them there until spring.
That's just one cautionary tale — here's a sampling of supplies that may make the difference between life and death in below-freezing emergency.
These blankets will help retain up to 90% of your body heat in an emergency. Not bad for $6.
A kit like this is, of course, an all-year-round must-have in any vehicle. At $15, this one's a steal —it includes 130 items, including bandages, a cold compress, an emergency blanket and a compass.
A zero-degree sleeping bag may seem like overkill, but believe me, it's an inexpensive way to ensure you'll never freeze to death. This one compresses down when not in use, so it's barely there inside your trunk.
Other nice-to-haves
Whether you're cleaning off your windshield after a surprise snowstorm at work or trying to charge your phone to call for help when your car won't start, the rest of these items are nice to have, just in case.
This year I developed a crack in my windshield wiper fluid reservoir, forcing me to go months without being able to use windshield wiper fluid. It wasn't until then that I realized how often I had used that function to keep my windshield dirt-, bug- and ice-free. This jug of washer fluid will remain liquid down to -27 degrees Fahrenheit.
This winter weather warrior has a panel to push snow off your car, a telescoping handle that extends from 33 to 52 inches so you can get to those hard-to-reach spots and even LED lights for those times you have to clear snow when it's dark. Oh, and its foam covering means ... no scratches!
How can this thing help you out of a jam? The mind reels at the possibilities! It's got everything from knives and a pliers to screwdrivers, a bottle opener, even a hammer.
This last item is more of a luxury than a necessity, but if you're a habitual camper who doesn't necessarily want to be roughing it the whole time, it can keep your phone, camera, computer and any other electronics juiced up while you're in the great outdoors. Plus, you can toss it in your car before a big winter road trip and know you're covered, power-wise.
