If you live in Centerville, OH, the weather outside can get outright frightful! However, you can use several safe holiday driving tips and winter driving tips to whether virtually any weather. At C’s Autohaus in Centerville, OH, we’ve compiled a few of our top safe driving tips you can use to stay safe this holiday and winter season. Read on to learn more about our top winter safe driving tips, and don’t hesitate to reach out to C’s Autohaus in Centerville, OH, today!

Switch to Winter Tires

The challenge of ice, snow and cold temperatures can be best met with winter or snow tires. These tires are uniquely designed to perform in Centerville, OH‘s winter conditions. Winter tires have specific features that set them apart from other types of tires:

• A special rubber tread compound that remains flexible allows the tires to best grip the road when temperatures drop.
• Deeper tread depths reduce snow buildup and offer superior traction in snow.
• Winter tread patterns are designed to channel slush and snow while expelling water.
• Biting edges on the tires act like tiny slits to provide extra traction on ice and snow.

Make Sure to Have Your Vehicle Serviced by an Experienced Mechanic

While you should always have your vehicle checked by an experienced mechanic, the stakes are much higher during holiday and winter driving. Ask the mechanic at C’s Autohaus to review your car for its winter roadworthiness. This includes a specialized inspection to ensure your vehicle is up to par for the blistering winter. A few essential inspections and services we recommend include:

• Testing your battery. Your battery power will drop as temperatures plummet.
• Inspect your cooling system. Your vehicle’s antifreeze will be put to the test.
• Check tire pressure. The pressure in your tire will naturally drop when temperatures drop.
• Inspect your windshield wiper blades. If you need new blades, now is the perfect time to replace them.
• Add a special wiper fluid. We suggest adding wiper fluid rated at negative 30 degrees.

Accelerate and Decelerate Slowly

If you find yourself driving on an icy or snowy road, make sure you apply the gas slowly to avoid skids and regain traction. Avoid trying to get moving in a hurry. Always take your time to slow down at a stoplight gradually. And remember, it takes you longer to slow your vehicle down on icy roads.

Increase Your Following Distance

As we previously mentioned, it takes significantly longer to stop when driving on icy or snowy roads. As such, one of our top safe driving tips for your holiday travels is to increase your following distance to five or six seconds. This increased margin of safety will allow you the time to make an emergency stop or maneuver if required.

Be Strategic When Driving Up Hills

When traveling up hills, it’s vital to get a bit of inertia before reaching the hill and allowing this inertia to help carry you to the top. Applying additional gas on an icy or snow-covered road will only make your wheels spin. Once you reach the top of the hill, slow your speed and move downhill slowly. However, you should never stop in the process of going up a hill.

Contact C’s Autohaus in Centerville, OH for Vehicle Service and Repair

As you embark on your holiday driving, knowing and leveraging safe driving tips is essential. And one of the most important steps you can take is to have your vehicle serviced adequately before setting out on your trip. Fortunately, the mechanic at C’s Autohaus in Centerville, OH, makes it easy.

As the leading auto repair and maintenance facility in the area, we have provided honest, quality auto repair and maintenance to the Kettering and Centerville area since 2011. We are the trusted name in all things auto maintenance and repair.

Contact us today for more safe driving tips, auto repair in Centerville, OH, maintenance, and other automotive solutions.