How to get in gear: Winterize your ride

Oil changes, snow tires are best bets

Winter is on the way and it is important for students to get their cars in gear for the upcoming chilly season.

Here are some relatively easy steps to make winter driving a little better.

Have an Emergency Kit

There are tons of useful items that can go into an emergency kit. Here are some simple suggestions that are especially useful for winter from Ehow.com:

An emergency kit should contain a blanket, extra boots and gloves, ice scraper, small snow shovel, flashlight, a first aid kit, and kitty litter or gravel to help gain traction in icy spots.

If a really bad blizzard is coming up, it is a good idea to pack food and water. If stuck in a blizzard where it may take awhile to be found and rescued, it is good to be prepared with sustenance.

Walk Around Inspection

It never hurts to take a walk around the car to make sure everything is working properly.

The National Safety Council offers some tips on what to look for while inspecting the car:

Make sure the vehicle has enough fluids, such as antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid. Keep the gas tank as full as possible to prevent the gas line from freezing in cold temperatures.

It is important to make sure the battery, fan belts, emission filters and other engine parts are all working properly. If it seems too hard to change anything that looks worn, or is too hard to tell what is worn, bring the car in for service.

Take a look at the windshield wiper blades. If they are over a year old, replace them.

Finally, double-check all of the car’s features to make sure they are working. Check headlights, taillights, brake lights, directionals, rear defroster, heater, defroster, hazard lights and hi-beam lights.

For anyone who has four-wheel drive, make sure that system is working properly as well. It is better to find out something stopped working over the summer months now than during a blizzard.

Kick the Tires

Make sure the tires are inflated to the proper level. In cold air, pressure contracts so it is important to make sure they won’t become under-inflated as the temperature drops to avoid losing any traction.

Considering buying snow tires as well. According toEdmunds.com, all-season tires can help during winter but snow tires are still going to work better.

They may seem like an expensive investment, but snow tires are going to be much cheaper than paying for the consequences from any car accident.

Car service

According to Edmunds.com an oil change can also really help a car in the winter. Since most college students lack the proper tools to do an oil change, it may be best to go and have it serviced.

By adding clean and thinner oil, a car will run better and receive better lubrication in cold temperatures.

Most car service locations also do inspections on cars with an oil change and can point out if anything else is wrong with the vehicle.

For a list of places around Boulder to get an oil changeclick here.

Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Cameron Naish at cameron.naish@colorado.edu