QOTD: Ready for Winter?
I saw snow was flying in parts of the country over the weekend. Here in Chicago, I think I saw reports of a dusting of flurries in some parts of the metro, but I saw nothing in my 'hood. It was just cold.
I had hoped to wait until after Thanksgiving Day to write this QOTD, but winter sometimes arrives well before we -- or at least those of us who have the good sense to wait until the Turkey Day leftovers are boxed up -- start decking the halls.
So, I ask those of you who live in a part of the world where winter is an actual thing, and/or those of you who plan your vacations around powder -- the stuff on the ground, not the kind that I've seen 20-something bros snort in the bathroom at an NYC bar -- are you ready for winter? Is your car ready?
Or are you holding on to the pumpkin-spice latte with a death grip and telling the ghost of Bing Crosby that he can shove his white Christmas up his chimney?
Do tell.
[Image: Standret/Shutterstock.com]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Summer mats stored ..Weather Techs installed ..The Impala is scheduled for an oil change and its fourth Krown spray ..
Being retired, the expense and and aggravation of installing steelies and winter tires just isn't worth it. I have a weather app, and an UBER app . If its going to be nasty, the Chevy can sit in the driveway for a week . UBER will take me anywhere and bring me anything I want or need .
The Convertible is sleeping in the garage , full of 91 Octane ..$$$ !!! ouch !!! . Added a little fuel stabilizer , and bought a new battery monitor . I'll wake up the Camaro when all the corrosive concoctions on the road are washed away.
Heck no!
At least each day is a day closer to spring! We had a nice warm spell in Northwest Ohio through most of October and into November, so unfortunately it’s probably time for the cold. Below normal temperatures next week—oy!
Neither my car nor my self is quite ready for the cold. Life gets in the way. The winter wheels and tires may get a workout this year, after sitting in storage for all of winter 2021. My plan in general is to drive nowhere if there is snow, slush, or salt on the ground. (Actually, I don't mind driving in the snow - it's the slush and the salt that bother me.)
I am still booked for a game of golf this weekend. Weather is predicted to be sunny and 27 degrees (F). I refuse to accept or acknowledge the metric system. Bought some Weathertech Mats (Made in the USA!). Had the winters installed on my vehicle October 30th and my wife's on November 5th. So one or two weeks too early. Get them Krowned each spring. Silicone the rubber and the door handles so that hopefully they do not freeze. The house is 'fairly' ready, but I have not yet hung the Christmas lights.