Winter and more specifically the cold is hard on everything from mechanical components to electronics. Some of the effects of the changes in seasons can however, be mitigated by preparation and some planning. Since we've just had our first blast of cold air here in the Midwest and it was ahead of schedule, we thought now would be a good time to share some vehicle prep and safety tips for you and your vehicle. These tips and tricks should help keep you and your vehicle running smoothly and lessen the risks associated with being potentially stranded should you get stuck somewhere in a storm.
1. Inflate Your Tires
As soon as that first cold night happens, you will immediately be notified when you start your vehicle. Luckily for us its Halloween and we were greeted with a multitude of orange lights. Hint taken, we'll air up the tires. Not only can low tire pressure be annoying due to the lights on the dash and the messages but it also result poor traction and uneven tire wear which both present a safety concern. This is often one of the most overlooked indicators that winter has arrived, followed by the second item on our list.
Why does this happen? For the majority of the year you have maintained your manufacturers recommended tire pressure with a moderate or warm outside temperature. When that first cold snap hits however, the air inside your tires cools, the molecules in that air have their movement slowed which means the space between them decreases. This decrease in space between the molecules makes the air less dense and in turn you lose tire pressure.
2. Test Your Battery
It would be best to have your battery tested before that initial push of cold weather into your area. That first frigid morning with a weak battery could result in slow starting or a no start situation. Most auto parts chains have a battery testing and can help you determine whether your battery is bad or is borderline. If its even borderline, replacing it before it leaves you stranded would be a great idea.
Why does this happen? All batteries use a chemical reaction to generate electricity. A battery that is disconnected and left in storage is still seeing some slow reactions happening internally, this is why you can sometimes find a battery will die after being left in storage for an extended period of time. A cold battery can have its cranking power and charge capacity reduced by as much as 20%.
3. Change Your Oil
Changing your oil can actually help with assisting your battery in having an easier time starting your vehicle. It's not uncommon for the owners manual in many vehicles to have multiple suggested/recommended oil weights. Often they have a hot weather conditions oil weight and an all weather oil weight recommendation. The verbiage might look something like this. (Model years 2007.5 to 2018: Choose a synthetic 15W-40 oil for temperatures above zero degrees Fahrenheit. For driving in all temperatures, including those below zero, choose a synthetic 5W-40 oil.) In this instance, changing to the lighter weight 5W oil will provide less resistance to pumping when cold and allow the oil to make its way through the passages and provide adequate lubrication to rotating components and turbocharger bearings more quickly. Additionally if you're doing your own maintenance at home, it's more desirable to lay on the ground and drain oil when its 65F outside versus when its 35F. We offer quality oils from Schaeffer's.
4. Inspect Your Belts, Boots, Hoses and Grid Heater
The change in temperatures will also have an effect on all rubber engine components. When rubber gets cold, it contracts which can contribute to becoming more brittle and in turn cracking and causing leaks. Having a belt break, charge pipe boot blow apart or a coolant hose split in the middle of a snow storm on the highway is not the time to practice a NASCAR style pitstop. That is added stress and unexpected expense that can be avoided, so lets do that. With the engine off, check the belt(s) for cracking, separation, missing ribs or fraying. If any of these are present, spare yourself the trouble and replace the belt now. A belt that has a catastrophic failure can cause substantial damage when it breaks, destroying your cooling fan, radiator, coolant hoses, wiring and more while it flails around the front of the engine bay. 
Especially important to check on turbocharged applications or supercharged vehicles is any charge air transfer boots (intercooler piping boots) this can be a visual inspection on the front or top side of the boot and a physical (by touch) inspection on the back or underneath. You're looking/feeling for any bulging, cracking or rough/abraded surfaces that could end up giving up the ghost at the most inopportune time. The ones that come to mind first at the Ford 6.7 Powerstroke guys and their notorious cold-side charge pipes that like to go the way of the frag grenade, BOOM. HSP Replacement Cold Side Tube
Worn hoses are definitely a slow killer but that gradual leak of coolant can become a torrential downpour when you have a complete rupture of your cooling system. An even like this while under load can lead to you being stranded at minimum or at worst overheating and causing very expensive damage to your engine. A good way to check hoses and this isn't limited to just coolant hoses. While the engine is cool, grab the hose and squeeze, it should be generally soft/pliable and when you release, it should quickly return to its original shape. Additionally a visual inspection for any cracking/seeping of fluids is a quick and easy check.
An addition for the Cummins owners because if you don't love that absolute torque monster of an engine that will positively pull the ears off a gundark, you're no friend of ours. Do yourself and your hairline a favor, give that grid heater bolt everyone talks about a wiggle test. When temps drop to 40F that heater is going to be cycling every day and if that bolt has started to come loose it can be just a cycle away from torching itself off and spending the rest of it's days motorboating your piston and valves. It's a relatively cheap fix but an astronomically expensive "oh sh*t" if you don't catch it before it happens. Grid Delete Plates can be found here.
5. Defrosting Your Windshield
You woke up late and you've found your windshield completely iced over. What a giant pain this is going to be to deice your windshield. Have no fear, there are a few tricks you can use to help expedite the process. If you're like us and have a lifted truck with larger than stock tires that might not fit in a traditionally sized garage we feel your pain. If you planned ahead this is even quicker but it can still be done in the morning. Using your windshield sunshade, install it with the vehicles sun visors also in the full down position. Start the vehicle and run the defrost like you normally would. Using the sunshade and vehicle visors to help capture and retain the heated airflow from the defrost vents, you will notice your windshield defrosting as much as 40% faster. Of course you can always help the defrost system out by using a hand ice scraper as well.
6. Windshield Repairs
Another step sticking with the importance of your windshield, is inspecting and repairing it before winter. This is a super easy one to inspect and check, just a quite look can guarantee you a winter free of visual obstructions. A small chip can become a HUGE crack in no time at all with a few temperature changes. Also worth considering is how adverse and rough road conditions and the added vibrations and bumps of potholes and gravel on roads can cause those small cracks to spiderweb even more. Get them fixed now before a small free repair from your insurance company ends up as a complete windshield replacement.
7. Fuel Treatments and Filter Gelling
This is a big one for diesel truck owners, diesel fuel contains paraffins which when exposed to cold temperatures solidify into a gel, "gelling" the filters and stopping all fuel flow through them. This will lead to a frustrating crank no start situation and a nasty mess that requires fuel treatment, heat and a change of fuel filters to clean up. Sometimes it will even require a tow to a warm location to completely thaw out the truck. You have a few options to keep your fuel from gelling and treat your gasoline to help with all season performance as well. Changing your fuel filters at the manufacturers suggested intervals or even just prior if it lines up with the changing of the seasons is a great practice. An additional protection is to add a winter or all season fuel treatment. You can try options from Schaeffer's and Hot Shots Secret here.
8. Winter Wiper Fluid
Changing fluids or simply refilling with a winter wiper fluid can be a huge boost to both your safety and your easy of keeping your windshield and wipers defrosted and clear of ice and snow build up. Winter wiper fluid is often rated as low as -30F or colder for its freezing and deicing capabilities and some even include a water beading agent. The lower the temperature, the higher the alcohol concentration. (Could be good for water/meth injection also)
9. Undercarriage Wash and Coating
Most drive through car washes offer some kind of underbody wash and during winter is a great time to utilize a heated undercarriage wash to help remove salt and chemical deicing agents from the underside of your vehicle. When these big winter storms hit, tons and tons of salt is dispersed onto major road ways to help break up ice and prevent re-freezing, this salt however is a MAJOR contributor to rust. While most vehicles do come from the factory with an undercoating to prevent corrosion, it's not perfect.
10. Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) and Emergency Kit
The rest of this list really concentrates on prepping your vehicle for the winter, so we thought we ought to put one together and help prep you for the winter. As a vehicle operator we often have a false sense of security and are simply one mishap away from being stranded in a really bad way. We might have a cup of coffee from the gas station and a donut or a soda and a bag of jerky on a road trip. What happens if you end up in a ditch in the middle of a snow storm and have to wait for help over night because the highway is closed? Are you prepared for that? Most people probably aren't. First Aid kits come in many varieties, a general rule of thumb is to have something that you know the layout of the contents and are comfortable using. You could have an entire operating room in your backseat but if you don't know how to use any of it, you're pretty much useless. In our case given the background of our staff many of us use a military IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) and supplement with some civilian medical items. Compression bandages, bandaids, some wound ointment (bacitracin), a burn or itch relief cream, tourniquet, duct tape or medical tape and an off the shelf anti-inflammatory and headache remedy is a great start. This should cover you in most situations. For the emergency kit, 1-2 hiking meals or military MRE (meal ready to eat) is ideal, 4 quarts of water (you can supplement with a sports drink), gloves of some kind in case you need to attempt a repair on your vehicle, a shovel if you need to dig out, a wool blanket or sleeping bag, a roadside emergency kit (with flares/triangles) to help with signaling, a wool cap/beanie, multi-tool and jumper cables. This would round out a pretty good 24hr emergency supply. Remember folks, if you're going to head out during poor weather, have a plan and tell someone where you're going before hand. If you get stuck and end up stranded, that person will at least know where you went and when you should have arrived.
Hopefully this post assists you in at least one way to be more prepared this winter. Be safe out there folks!