Preparing Your Car For Wisconsin Winters

Prepare Your Car for Winter

We are all preparing for Christmas all over the country, but the people in the North should be preparing for more than that. They need to be preparing their cars for winter as well. You don't want to get caught on the side of the road in sub-zero weather with no ways of keeping warm or safe!

Here are a few steps to make sure your car is ready for winter weather:

1. Check tires. There is nothing worse than having tires with no tread when driving in the snow, sleet, and on ice. Not only should you check that you have a good amount of tread on your tire, you should be checking your tire pressure weekly during the winter. Also be sure the pressure in your spare tire is good so that you can change it out if needed.

2. Have your battery and alternator checked up. Winter is hard on batteries and you don't want to be stuck somewhere without being able to start your vehicle.

3. Have your brakes checked. Your brakes are your most important safety item!

4. Have your exhaust system checked. You'll be driving with your windows closed during the winter and you don't want to run into dangerous carbon monoxide leaks while driving.

5. Make sure you have cold weather washer fluid in your car so you can keep your windows clean with all the salt and dirt being thrown up on your windshield. There's nothing worse than not being able to see where you are driving in the winter.

6. Always keep your gas tank at least half full at all times to decrease the chances of gas lines freezing or running out of gas where you can't get to a station.

7. Stock your car with an emergency kit, ice scraper, snow brush, jumper cables, flashlight, flares, extra blankets, extra clothes, candles and matches, bottled water, dry food snacks, and any much needed medication just in case you get stuck somewhere.

Author Note: Sara Phillips is the owner and writer for SensiblySara.com. Find helpful tips, family trip ideas and much more by following her on Twitter.