Winter is right around the corner, which means that if you are one of the millions of Americans that prefer buying a truck to a passenger car, you’re in for the roughest period of the year to drive. You must take extremely good care of your truck during the winter to ensure that it’s ready for the slippery roads, reduced visibility, and terrible weather. To keep your truck in tip-top condition and ensure that it can handle any task that you throw at it, follow these winter care and maintenance tips.
Windshield wipers
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Being the wettest time of the year, winter will have your windscreen wipers working extra hard, which is why you must ensure that they are ready for the job. If your wipers are more than six months old, replace them to ensure great performance throughout the winter. While you’re at it, swap out your washer fluid for one that won’t freeze in cold weather, and always ensure that it’s full before leaving home, as you’ll need to use it more frequently to remove slush and salt.
Winterizing your bed
The truck bed also needs some love during winter. You can start by covering it with a liner to protect it from damage caused by snow and ice. Even better, you can invest in a bed cover that prevents the dangerous build-up of ice and snow in your truck bed and keeps your cargo safe from weather elements and theft. It’s also a good idea to add some weight to the bed to weigh down the rear wheels and provide a much-needed traction boost.
Prepare your tires
Spinning out and ending up in a ditch is not the best way to find out that your tires are worn out. So before winter starts, carefully inspect your tires, and replace them if you find that they don’t have enough tread left. If your area doesn’t get heavy snow, a set of highly-rated all-season tires should do the job. If you live in an area where ice and snow are ever-present, you’re better off buying dedicated winter tires. These have rubber compounds and tread patterns specifically designed to grip snow or ice for optimum traction on slippery roads. If you plan to go off-road, consider adding tire chains. Regardless of the type of tires you use, make sure that they’re properly inflated to compensate for the air lost as a result of temperature drops.
Winter is a great time to be a truck owner as it gives you the ability to keep running errands or even haul your sledding gear and snowmobiles to an off-road adventure. But, if you don’t prepare your truck for the tough times ahead, you may find yourself stranded on the side of the road in the freezing cold.
