Crutcher

So I've lived in the south all my life (San Diego, CA and Mobile, AL), and I have no idea what the differences with my car are going to be when I move up north. Will I have to use different weight oil? Different fluids all around? Any and all information is appreciated. Thanks

Mad Dog Tannen

The only thing I would do is make sure your antifreeze is good. Don't refill it with just water and use antifreeze windshield washer fluid. I would say that you oil doesn't need to change. Also turn on your defroster right when you turn on your car (before it warms up) in the wintertime, otherwise it could crack your windshield. All season or snow tires are a good idea too. I don't know if they salt the roads up there but keep that under carridge clean by rinsing it and maybe getting it coated. That's all I can think of.

grendel

Well, depending on WHERE in Minnesota, my advice might not apply for you, but if you find yourself in a part where winter is TERRIBLE and LONG, then you might benefit from these:

1 - Get a block heater.
Cold does nasty things to engines, and block heaters are cheap parts to buy/install, and can seriously save your car.

2 - Snow tires are not optional.
These are required. Not M+S, and not all-seasons. SNOW. There are 2 things you can do to avoid the ditches in winter: slow down, and have proper tires. Sure, you can get away without them, but it's a question of safety. Most everyone up here has two sets of wheels - crappy ones (or steelies) with their winter tires, and then their summer wheel/tire sets - this allows you to quickly swap out your tires yourself once the snow starts to stick around.

3 - Invest in a few ice scrapers.
You'll use 'em. Particularly effective are the telescoping ones that have a brush/squeegie on one end, and the scraper on the other end, like this:


4 - Keep a spare set of gloves in your car. Also feel free to throw an old pair of jeans, a shirt, sweater, socks, etc into a bag and leave it in your trunk. Just in case.

5 - If you have foglights, you'll quickly come to love them the first time you're driving during a snow storm

6 - Keep in mind that the way you drive HAS to change. Physics requires it.

7 - You should be able to find indoor car washes pretty easily - use them often. Keep the car clean, especially the undercarriage. If your city doesn't salt (which is terrible), they'll use sand (which will gunk you up, too). Both need to be removed at least weekly if they're being used. If the weather has been good (meaning no new snow or ice forming for a couple weeks), then don't worry about washing - but as soon as the city trucks start making rounds again, start your wash cycle up again, too. Oh, and the reason you look for the indoor wash places is so that you can adequately DRY your car before you leave. Otherwise, your doors, trunk, hood, and gas door might freeze shut. LOL

Might post more as I think about it more, but off the top of my head, this is what I'd tell someone new to REAL winter car ownership LOL

8 - As far as fluids, most of those are going to be the exact same as what you're using already. Oil will be the biggest concern - you don't want it to be a thicker viscosity, but sticking to Honda's recommendation will be fine.

9 - Some of your maintenance will be accelerated. Your maintenance schedule will start to follow the 'shitty conditions' timeline, rather than the 'normal conditions' one.

10 - If you've never driven on snow/ice/mix before, take advantage of an empty parking lot as soon as you can (once there's some snow down) - get comfortable with how your car handles and with how far you can push it before you lose braking control, or steering control, etc. Knowing how to pull your car out of an uncontrolled slide can save your ***, huge time.

Nosepicker

Damn, from Socal to Minnesota. My next door neighbor moved to Minnesota last year and came back this year. He said it was hell. There was absolutely nothing to do there. LOL!

Best of luck to you man.

Crutcher

Thanks everyone, especially grendel. That's exactly the kinda stuff I was looking for. And yeah, I'm completely new to snow, so I need all the advice I can get haha :P Thanks again,
Crutcher

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

What I did when I got stationed in upstate NY (stationed there from early November to late May), I found a BIG empty parking lot, drove around, and practiced regaining control of my car (after purposely losing control). Of course, I got a stern talking to by security, but then I pointed out that I had Nevada plates, and told him to assume I was from Vegas where we don't get very much snow, and I saw that the big empty parking lot I was in was safer than trying to learn to drive on the streets in the snow. He saw my logic and went on his merry way.

Needless to say, it was a lot of fun (lol) and I learned how to drive in the snow.

edit: I quickly became friends with my ice scraper/snow brush, and I wholeheartedly agree with the extra (waterproof) gloves in the car.. I also kept a small collapsible camping shovel in my car. I actually used it more when I experienced a freak, record low/snowy winter in western Washington state.

lazlong

Why do you think everyone in Minnesota has like 8 kids. lol

lazlong

Living in Tx and having a scraper I get laughed at but the 2-3 days a year I need to use it I have the laugh.

jsmithe2010

Trade the car for a boat if ur gonna live in the state of a thousand lakes.

am sure the Minnesotans would appreciated if u take some lesson of driving properly in that road condition.

Condolences man, 6 months of Winters awaits u.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

all what grendel said plus try to see if you can find some safety kits, like lights, plus the shovel that XXXrice did mention, and whatever safety stuff you think you might need. You never know what could happen at any place.

Also, never run with less than half tank, if you get stranded in some plcae, you will want to have the heater working as long as it can...

Always carry cell phones or some sort of communication devices as well.

Mad Dog Tannen

Even better than a heater is a blanket or 2! What of your car breaks down?

Staninator

iTrader: (1)

You'll be totally fine with your car in Minnesota. I live in Minnesota and my civic runs strong! Winters can be harsh just be sure to invest in some winter tires and you'll be okay. If your car is lowered, it may be kind of hard to drive during some of the big snows up here but the streets are usually plowed within a few hours. There is nothing you need to do to your car.