Don't just survive winter. Be ready for it.
Run through this list before the first −20°C morning. It takes a weekend, and it beats a dead battery at 7 a.m. in January.
TIRES
- Check tire pressure — tires lose ~1 PSI per 5.5°C drop. Check cold, before driving.
- Confirm your winter tires are on — and check tread depth (under 4/32" means they're done).
- Keep a tire pressure gauge in the glovebox — not the gas station air pump, your own.
- Carry a portable tire inflator — a soft tire in a blizzard is a tow-truck call you don't need.
VISIBILITY
- Top up windshield washer fluid — use the −40°C rated stuff, not the summer blend.
- Check wiper blades — streaking or skipping means replace them now, not in a storm.
- Put on a magnetic windshield snow cover — 30 seconds the night before beats 10 minutes of scraping.
- Check all lights — headlights, brake lights, signals. Burnt bulb = invisible to the plow behind you.
- Clean headlight lenses — road salt film cuts your light output more than you think.
EMERGENCY KIT
- Stash a safety hammer + seat-belt cutter in the driver's door pocket — within arm's reach, always.
- Pack a thermal emergency blanket — tiny in the trunk, life-saving if you're stuck in a ditch.
- Carry a snow shovel set — the collapsible kind that actually fits behind the seat.
- Keep a phone charger in the car — 12V or power bank. A dead phone in a ditch is a nightmare.
HOME
- Put a door draft stopper on the exterior doors — the first −30°C night finds every gap.
- Check the furnace and carbon monoxide detector — batteries fresh, filter changed, CO detector working.
15 items. One weekend. Zero January surprises.