How To Drive Your Volkswagen in Winter?

Check Out These Winter Driving Tips from Volkswagen
If you’re apprehensive about driving your VW in the snow, here’s some helpful winter driving advice from none other than Volkswagen’s Test and Development Driver Benjamin Leuchter and Peter Bunke, Head Trainer at the Volkswagen Driving Experience. Keep reading this blog from Frank Boucher Volkswagen of Janesville as these experts share their top tips for cold weather driving.

Before you hit the road

Benjamin Leuchter says, “Many drivers either don’t know what to do when the weather gets cold or are in a hurry and take shortcuts.” Giving the example of clearing snow from the windshield, he says that most drivers only clear enough snow from the windshield to barely see the road instead of completely removing the snow from the vehicle. Doing this puts both the driver and others on the road at risk.

He suggests clearing all the snow and ice from all the windows and not just the windshield. You may also remove any snow covering your car’s side mirrors, headlights, and license plate and from the roof of your vehicle before hitting the road. Snow on your roof could fall on the cars traveling behind you or fall on your windshield and block your view.

Read More: How To Keep Your Car From Rusting This Winter?

Winter tires

Peter Bunke recommends using high-quality winter tires on snow, and we couldn’t agree more. Winter tires or snow tires are designed to offer better grip and traction on snow than all-season tires. He also suggests setting the tire pressure to the recommended levels for your vehicles because tire pressures may drop during winters.

Using washer fluids

You can increase the visibility of your windshield by using washer fluids formulated to perform well in low temperatures and turning on your car’s heater and A/C at the same time to help remove the moisture inside the cabin, which could reduce visibility by building steam on the windshield.

Coolant, Antifreeze, and Battery

The experts recommend checking your engine coolant and antifreeze mixture is at the recommended level while also keeping an eye on the battery health. Car batteries can get strained under heavy load in low temperatures, and short trips are not enough for the vehicle’s alternator system to recover the lost charge. You can use a battery charger. If problems persist, a new battery can be a good investment.

Also Read: How Can I Tell if My Car Battery is Dying?

Take it easy on the road

It’s never a good idea to start your car and rev it hard in cold weather or after the vehicle’s been parked for a long time. Peter Bunke suggests driving at lower speeds and RPMs for the first few miles until the engine gets warm.

Keeping a safe distance

Rear view of a blue Volkswagen ID.4 skidding in the snow
The experts also suggest refraining from using cruise control systems. They suggest keeping a safe distance between your vehicle and the car ahead because the roads can get slippery, and stopping distances might increase during winters. They also suggest driving the vehicle in a smooth and controlled manner and avoiding sudden acceleration, aggressive cornering, and sudden braking. Volkswagen vehicles are equipped with drive select. Depending on the road condition, choose the appropriate driving mode or use the ECO mode because throttle response is muted in this mode, improving traction.

Bunke recommends steering in the direction of the skid if your vehicle skids on snow and if it is oversteering and the wheels are sliding outside the turn. Be very careful when accelerating if the vehicle is understeering and the front wheels slide outside the turn. Most modern VW vehicles come equipped with traction control. However, driving at lower speeds and RPMs is a safer bet.

Read More: How Do I Safely Drive in Snow or Icy Road Conditions?

Get Your VW ready for the Winter at Frank Boucher Volkswagen of Janesville

We hope you find these tips helpful. If you want to get your Volkswagen ready for the winters or want a new set of winter tires, check out our online Tire Source shop or schedule a service at Frank Boucher Volkswagen of Janesville today!