Doug
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 03
User status: Offline
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Tonight has been the first night to see frost and some ice about, so it's inevitable that the thick of the winter season will be on us in no time.
Normally we get tales of woe right, left and centre at this time of year. It's never good to read about a fellow member's misfortune, so, in an effort to avoid all manner of mishaps, I thought I'd compile a little list of the things you can do to avoid coming a cropper in the coming months. Some of it may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised at how even the experienced amongst us can still overlook something silly.
1. The engine.
Be sure you have all your fluids (especially wash systems) topped up. Check for leaks and looseness of any clips or hoses as the winter air can wreak havoc on these parts. Most of all, check your cooling system. Ending up on the side of the road in a cloud of steam is never a barrel of laughs and it will happen a lot at winter time.
Draper sell a coolant strength tester for less than a fiver, so pick one up and check yours. Alternatively (and preferably), flush the system and put in a decent mix ratio of coolant (variable depending on type of coolant used) to ensure your system will operate effectively in the impending lower temperatures.
2. The running gear.
Get all your wheels off and inspect each tyre for any signs of bulges and/or splits. If you have any bulges, get them replaced immediately. Some cuts and splits will be ok, others will render the tyre as scrap. If a split is longer than 25mm and down to the cords, get it changed. If you have any exposed and/or broekn cords, get it changed. The Police will be doing random spotchecks as well seeing as they're looking at ths heaviest months for drink driving and oither associated crimes, so if you don't want to lose a few grand in fines, sort it out.
Check the tread area for any splits for cuts and remove any trapped stones etc. Whilst your doing that, check the tread wear across the whole tyre. The minimum legal requirement is 1.6mm across 75% of the tread and is the applicable minimum circumferentially. It's no good having 1.6mm in one place and less than 1mm elsewhere.
ROSPA advise that you should change your tyres at 3mm as below this point, every tyre has really passed it's best in terms of overall performance. Naturally, this is a balance between safety and economy, but given the weather you really should be heeding the advice and changing them; even if you keep the original set for a track day or spares etc.
Winter tyres are also readily available now, so it's worth running around on a set for a few months. It will make a huge difference to driveability and safety, plus you get to protect your nice rims from the soon to be salt encrusted roads. These benefit from being used in temperatures of 7 degrees C and below, as this is the point where normal summer tyre performance will drop off in a big way.
Pick up a set of 15 or 16" rims cheaply from ebay and get some fitted.
As your wheels are off, check your brakes for wear and suspension for signs of leaks or a broken spring. Issues with any of these can turn a sudden braking manoeuvre in bad conditions into an accident. A few minutes of checking can make a big difference.
3. Accessories.
Obvious really, but often overlooked. Make sure you keep some de-icer and a scraper in the car. Even after a few hours, your glass can become encrusted with tough ice.
If you don't have some already, keep a spare stash of bulbs. Chances are you've changed over to hyperwhites and the like because your a car fettling slag, so you should have the originals somewhere. Keep them in a little bag as you'll never know when you'll need them.
Keep two spare jackets in the boot. Ideally something thick like a fleece would be great, but at least have something like a windbeater that can provide some protection from the elements.
Keep a decent torch on board too. Something bigger than the usual glovebox item. Along with the warning triangle, this is very effective should you come a cropper with the likes of a flat tyre on a dark country road.
If you follow the above, you'll remove a huge portion of risk for yourself from grief for the next few months. If you have any other ideas or suggestions, post them up so we can all share.
Stay safe.
Taken from E36coupe.com
Can this be made sticky?
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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i dont have a car i should be ok
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silent_thunder89
Member
Registered: 26th Mar 07
User status: Offline
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gd advice there!
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Dean_W
Member
Registered: 13th Dec 05
Location: Downham Market, Norfolk
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
i dont have a car i should be ok
Well check the tread on your trainers then  Don't wanna be stuck on a hill with no grip 
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Scotty_B
Member
Registered: 11th Jun 03
Location: East Kilbride
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Dean_W
quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
i dont have a car i should be ok
Well check the tread on your trainers then Don't wanna be stuck on a hill with no grip
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Dean_W
quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
i dont have a car i should be ok
Well check the tread on your trainers then Don't wanna be stuck on a hill with no grip
im abit fucked i buy trainers with no grip.
although i do have some of them adidas goodyear things
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mark_gsi
Member
Registered: 1st Nov 03
Location: Peterlee/darlington
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Dean_W
quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
i dont have a car i should be ok
Well check the tread on your trainers then Don't wanna be stuck on a hill with no grip
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Dean_W
Member
Registered: 13th Dec 05
Location: Downham Market, Norfolk
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
im abit fucked i buy trainers with no grip.
although i do have some of them adidas goodyear things
Maybe it would be worth taking those off the pavement for a bit and buying some winter trainers? Just some cheap ones.
[Edited on 14-11-2007 by Dean_W]
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Brett
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Dec 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
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This is why I pay AA membership tbh. There's no way i'm changing a bulb at the side of the road in the snow, wearing a high-vis jacket
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IvIarkgraham
Premium Member
Registered: 27th Mar 04
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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i did see some black goodyear ones for £20 but all the way in wales
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Fonz
Premium Member
Registered: 12th May 06
Location: Newbury, Berks
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Doug
...your a car fettling slag,...
brill advice too!!
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Pucci1
Member
Registered: 19th Oct 07
User status: Offline
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good advice  bear that in mind
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Doug
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 03
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Sticky?
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Stoneyginger
Premium Member
Registered: 25th Jan 01
Location: Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
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Topped for useful information purposes
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cheekyalex
Member
Registered: 5th Jan 06
Location: liverpool
User status: Offline
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Good reminder that.im gonna flush my coolant for a stonger mix of anti freeze. dont fancy the risk of a cracked engine block for the sake of 10 minuet job.
anotrher top tip for vauxhall owners.
Anyone who has fitted calibra seats. dont forget to hook up your heated seats they only take about 2 mins to get warm as apposed to the 10 mins it takes the engine. if anyone wants any tips on doing this just ask me. i might put a tutorial on how to make the wiring for them as most corsas dont have it.
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16V_1600
Member
Registered: 7th Oct 07
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Dean_W
quote:
Originally posted by IvIarkgraham
i dont have a car i should be ok
Well check the tread on your trainers then Don't wanna be stuck on a hill with no grip
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Jake
Member
Registered: 24th Jan 05
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by loafofbrett
This is why I pay AA membership tbh. There's no way i'm changing a bulb at the side of the road in the snow, wearing a high-vis jacket
exactly. Someone might see you.
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Rob126
Member
Registered: 18th Feb 05
Location: Mellieha, Malta Drives: Corsa D 1.4
User status: Offline
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some good advice there.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by loafofbrett
This is why I pay AA membership tbh. There's no way i'm changing a bulb at the side of the road in the snow, wearing a high-vis jacket
i got mine free, might aswell try and use it thre only things i do on the cold mornings are let the engine heat up to 90 C before taking it over 3k rpm.
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Corsa_Joel
Member
Registered: 3rd May 07
Location: Dunstable, Bedfordshire
User status: Offline
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Some good advice there.
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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4. It is cold
Bare in mind that temperatures outside are colder, meaning your engine taking much longer to warm up, both the water and oil. They say, that oil takes twice as long as water to get up to operating temperature. So once your water dial says 90, the engine might not necessairly be 100% warm.
It's sometimes a myth, but having the heaters on will take longer for the water to warm up. I drove to my girlfriends last night, in which time the water normally warms up. It didn't, because I had the heathers on trying to get the car warm.
The air is colder and damper, so don't be alarmed about white stuff under the fuel filler cap (like I was today). This is almost certainly condensation, so don't panic. If your car starts consuming oil and water, start to be alarmed however.
I had some white stuff under my oil cap today, and it was on the side of the rocker cover. This was also after a 19 mile journey, so the car did get quite warm. However, after driving back another 19 miles 1.5 hours later it had gone
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richc
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Ilkeston
User status: Offline
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I love the cold weather - car seems to pull so much better with one of them carbon induction kits
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Jas
Member
Registered: 13th Oct 04
Location: Mid Wales
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by richc
I love the cold weather - car seems to pull so much better with one of them carbon induction kits
try driving a FWD car with over 200bhp and a big Front mount intercooler 
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AlunJ
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 07
Location: Newport
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by richc
I love the cold weather - car seems to pull so much better with one of them carbon induction kits
seems to pull better here too but the gearbox doesn't agree - so much harder to shift in the cold lol
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deano87
Member
Registered: 21st Oct 06
Location: Bedfordshire Drives: Ford Fiesta
User status: Offline
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I know someone with an RB5 Subaru Impreza - he says it always runs better on colder, damp mornings. tbh, my Corsa just sounds shitter/rougher the colder it gets.
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