Monday, February 27, 2006

Geek Post - Winter Driving Time

WARNING: this post is for geeks, nerds, gearheads and anyone wishing to learn about car requirements for winter. The author tends to be somewhat zealous about such things since he treats cars like babies and so disavows any liability for depression, reflection, hunger (for more), disinterest, disruption of your day's rythm, sleepiness, nausea, big eyed syndrome or any sort of mayhem, peaceful or otherwise by readers of this post. However donations are always welcome. This post is rated GG (Geek Guidance Recommendedl).

WINTER DRIVING EH?

Coming from a tropical country, one's only major converns when driving a car are:
- Will the car overheat?
- Is the air-conditioning working?

And that’s it in the tropics. .



Oh the “Fun” of winter, sliding around on the ice and snow (I wish I had car like this though). I have since learned a lot since getting a car here (*sage sounding voice*). So like any new parent its been a process of discovery during winter as well as laughable and terrifying experiences. So for winter driving, there is a host of items you are better off with and for safety’s sake too.


Tires
Regular tires I use are All Season Tires but only good for 3 seasons, Spring, Summer and Fall and the occasional sprinkling of snow. But any ice or real snow and you can forget about moving. I remember one hilarious moment when I was spinning my tires and not moving on a very very slight incline! Image hosting by PhotobucketI had to let my car roll back about 50 meters to a flat spot and then getting momentum to charge up that slope. How sloped? Errr less than a disabled person’s wheelchair ramp. But the worse part was, on ice, just touch the brakes and you slide, I once almost slid to the middle of a junction, lucky no cars then. Lessons lessons and ABS doesn’t help, if anything, you will probably slide further since the tires don't stop rotating.Then along comes real winter and better that you change to Winter Tires. They provide waaaaayyyyy better grip, won’t slide on ice and snow so easily, drives and brakes so much better on the white stuff. But these really suck on long trips and during the summer they have less grip because they have been made stiffer for the winter cold. See how chunky are the tread blocks.



Anti-freeze Windshield Washing Liquid
Image hosting by PhotobucketIn hot weather its easy, plain water will do.
In winter, anti freeze is a must, there is a lot of muck and mud thrown up by car tires and washing your winscreen is a regular affair.




Anti Freeze Coolant and Engine Oil.
Image hosting by PhotobucketThese are a godsend, otherwise you will have a nicely formed block of ice in the engine bay instead of an engine the next morning. Some cars have their radiator grills covered, unthinkable in SG! I also remember the engine temp dropping (!) instead of the usual heating up that cold cold day.



Engine Block Heater
Image hosting by PhotobucketTogether with the anti-freeze, this little baby will keep you engine nice and warm. Just plug in. Engine gets warmed up faster too.





Gas (petrol)
Up here in the Sua Teng (Hokkien for mountain top) better to add anti-freeze to the gas. Petro-Canada already adds that to their gas so saves me a bunch of trouble.


Wipers
Regular wiper blades work, Winter blades better, they have a rubber sheath over the skeleton so ice get into it and become stiff.


Must have fashion accessories:

Image hosting by Photobucket Snow brush – for brushing off all that snow that covered your car overnight. Also can be used to brush snow off oneself, be used as a pointer and a self defence weaponc against squirrels.







Image hosting by Photobucket Ice Scraper – for scraping ice off your windshield, its hard work! Also for scraping off your tongue frozen to a metal post.






Image hosting by Photobucket Snow shovel – to dig your car out after a really heavy snow storm










After all the lessons learned -
In my next car I want heated seats!!!!!! Not nice to have very cold butts and nuts

Electric heating element for the heater instead of waiting for the engine to heat up brrrrrr it takes aaaaaaaa while...

P/S - I think Blogger is about to expire on me, super slow, takes so long to load and errors popping up. Really got gremlims, where's the sunlight? ....... I need to move back to the city where there is broadband. I found out yesterday I've only got a 28.8kps connection *sob* sigh...

Comments:
eh eh? :P
 
I'm a very, very good passenger... does that count?

(ok lah, I understooded most of what u were toking about 'cos my ex was a car freak too... LOL!)
 
I, on the other hand, just wants to know if Katie Melua is on the playlist.., and when we're going to stop for KFC..

Blogger's been acting up from time to time too here. Overload, perhaps.. after all, think of the bandwidth it must need to run this behemoth 24/7!!
 
baseball bat not on your "must-have" list? ;-)
 
may, yes of course! being a good passenger counts a lot, you could pass the peanuts chocalte chip cookies, diet pepsi, wipe the sweat off the drivers brow when it gets too slippery etc :P

albie, St Giovanni don't have KFC meh? ;) where is the nearest for you? Slurp, i hungry again thinking of that slurp...

Blogger is Gog-bler (got blur) spelled differently thats y its so nutty

see fei, we don't use base ball bats around here, it's ice hockey sticks!

S A, hmmm you've given me an idea, maybe a Gatling Gun will be better :P
 
The nearest, closest, most convenient KFC from St Giovanni is the one at Leicester Square, London. And I am not exaggerating!
 
u'll take me in your car right if i go there? i promise i'll be good. :D

i could imagine braking on ice without the winter tyres! (btw, something unrelated, why do ppl like to use American spelling, yeah?)

28.8kps??? so ulu! so khor lian...
 
for you, simple american, i accept the fact that you really can't help it but but everyone else?

just wondering out aloud...no harm or war intended :)
 
Although my earlier years were spent in the UK, my current trend for americanizing my english is mainly due to having worked with, and staying in, and communicating with, most things american, and the most corrupting of all, using american software that uses american spell-checks!! Anyway, when you can type flavor instead of flavour, that's one letter less. Multiple that by an average of twenty or so such words in an email, and that's 20 fingers less! LOL.... so there! :P .. In the end, it comes down to habit more than anything else.
 
Me too! Sorry, SA!

FF: you're too 'nan ren' for me. Haha! Geeks are Greek to me. But I married one still! LOL! Shhh...
 
Hey productivity counts right. less alphabets faster post eh?
But the real moral of the story is when in Rome do as the Romans do ...hehe :P

Hmm I think we better put KFC on the menu for albie when he goes back to msia or we could fedex him some....and this gives me an idea..set up a KFC chain in europe? :D shall we lb? then we can become sugar daddy instead of looking for sugar mummies
 
Mother S! no wonder you married one, too 'nan ren' eh? LOL
 
angel rider, sure sure can sit my car anytime, the barf bags are in the glove compartment, seatbelts are you know where, life rafts are BYO :) and sunglasses to look coool are compulsory.
 
have you consider huskies and sleigh? Might save you a bundle and getting to work would be so pleasant. LOL
 
Cocka, eh to feed a bunch of huskies I'm gonna need to buy a farm! those buggers can really eat! LOL but I might adopt one of them retired cuties though :P
 
Huskies?? Any pets allowed at your place?? Huskies are pretty big and vocal! Not to mention they are pack animals.... Let me pimp poodles.... MUAHARHARHAR

What's it with guys and their dislike for poodles har??
 
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