Winter Items for Your Vehicle

Aw crud, it's winter again. That means if you live in an area that requires you to drive everywhere, you're going to have a hellish nine months. Luckily, there's a few simple things you can do to make sure you're going to get where you need to go.

Get a Block Heater
People that live in colder climates like Canada or Alaska are all too aware of the existence of block heaters. In many of those places, cars will come straight from the dealership with a block heater already installed. Basically, a block heater is set up to warm the engine block on a car or truck. It runs off of standard A/C power, and puts off just enough heat to warm the fluids and battery in the car. Cars with engine blocks will usually have the male end of a three prong cord sticking out from under the hood of the car. An extension cord can be run from the house to the car, heating it through the night so the car is easier to start in the morning. Engine blocks reduce emissions, and generally make life a whole lot easier if you often have trouble starting you car in the morning.

Winter Tires
Studded tires are a pretty standard if not necessary purchase in some places. In others, they're outlawed completely. While they give piece of mind on icy roads, they have the unfortunate side effect of destroying the roads rather quickly. However, tire manufacturers produce various styles of winter tires that often work as good as studs. Since these tires don't have little metal spikes driven into them, they're not illegal, and can make a huge difference in how your car handles in the winter. They do have the disadvantage of lowering the gas mileage of your car, so you'll want to have summer tires as well to switch when the season changes.

Hell on Earth.

Credit: Peter Hamza

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