I'm not an expert, but as one who lives in real winter and laughs when places like Georgia get a dusting of snow and traffic is tied up let me give some pointers in no specific order.

Your car

Unless your car has antilock brakes don't jam them. To stop, pump them. When released they roll and you can control the car when (not if) it fishtails.

Steer into the skid and stop braking. It is counter intuitive, but it makes sense. Your wheels line up and you get some control of the car back. Since you got off the brake your wheels may be spinning and you might now have some traction and can try again.

Oh, slow down. Things you may have to do in an emergency you may have to try repeatedly.

If you are going too fast (say you were driving safely and an 1diot cuts you off) shift to slow down, don't brake. That's why your automatic has 2 and L. By the way this may not do wonders for your transmission, but you get to keep control of the car.

Overpasses and bridges freeze before regular roads. Do not maneuver or stop on them. By maneuver I mean pass. It might have been OK a second ago, so you pass the slow guy, but unfortunately you are on an icy bridge and you end up skidding into on oncoming traffic. Trust me, you can pass the slow car after the overpass.

Just like stopping gradually, you need to start gradually. After a stop take your foot off the brake and let it creep in idle then when it is moving GENTLY press on the accelerator. You want the tire to move forward, not spin so fast it digs in. Think of mud, but slippery.

If the weather report says it will freeze fill your gas tank. I'm not insulting you by saying you have water in your gas tank. Air is humid even if "arid" it has some water vapor. As your gas tank gets cold water condenses on it. Filling up cuts down on the amount of water vapor.

The reason this is a concern is it may freeze. A small amount of ice can plug your fuel line and make your engine act as if you are out of gas. If this happens you can melt the ice by setting a small fire under the gas tank, but I would NOT recommend that.

Your wiper blades bend away from the windshield. If it is raining and you know it will freeze have them stick out. Yes, your car will look $tupid. Yes, the rubber blades will freeze. Yes, frozen blade do not squeegee as well. Yes, that shortens the life of the blades. You'd rather have them freeze in the air than onto your windshield. Screw up enough and you will need a new wiper blade motor. Trust me, new blades are cheaper.

Walking

Bricks freeze before sidewalks. (Slate is even worse.) Remembering this can keep you from an unexpected fall. The last thing to get icy is grass. Dirt absorbs the water, and the ground is frozen, but at least it is not ice. If we are talking about packed down slush that refroze, for some reason grass melts later than sidewalks.

Packed down slush that refroze melts later than regular ice. It still melts at 32 degrees F but insulates it self better. If everything else is slush and there are footprints, they are probably the one slippery spot.

Oh, ice floats unless it doesn't. Sometimes capillary action makes frozen slush stick to a sidewalk. If it is covered with a puddle it is extremely slippery and not stable. (It won't explode, just float at the slightest provocation and that may be hazardous to your footing.)

If the ground looks wet and the temp is near freezing, it may be ice. Thin ice is just as slippery as thick ice.

If snow has been compressed, it is almost as slippery as ice. Almost. If you have a Hobson's choice of walking on flat ice or bumpy ice, pick the bumpy. You might get lucky and get some traction. Better yet if there is snow nearby walk on it. (White snow. Not gray that has been slush and refroze.)

Rock salt is good but avoid using it where things like brick or decorative stones have been mortared into place. I don't know why but salt water is not good for mortar. Use kitty liter. (Not used!)

This is not the end all be all of living with Winter, but if you go North or the North comes to you maybe it'll help.

Traveling:Always bring something extra such as
blankets,spare clothes,food,etc.in case you're
stuck in bad weather.

Walking:Don't be in a rush,take it slow.Better get there late but in one place and not at all.
If you come North to visit or move during the
Winter go to a store and see if you can get a
pair of clampers for your shoes.Kind of like
chains for your feet.I have a pair and believe me they work.

Clothing:Wear extra layers,especially when the
thermometer dips below zero.

Drink plenty of liquids.

Clothing:Wear extra layers,especially when the
thermometer dips below zero.

Drink plenty of liquids. - Scott McClenny

If you have to pee, remember to take off the extra layers.

Cars, II

If you live or know beforehand you will come into an area where snow and cold is likely, please go to the mechanic for your winter tires early (here its around end of september/october); otherwise you'll slide and hold up everybody else with winter tires.

I don't know if the AAA offers it, too, but over here there are courses by the ADAC (german autombile club) to learn to drive on different, difficult surfaces. So you can train what to do when sliding etc. Practice in this cases is worth more than any theoretical instruction.

If the temp. gets below 20 C, the battery and injection of a gasoline car will have serious problems, so plan enough time if your car is outside when its that cold. (Diesel cars have a lower temp. I think). (Often, a jump start is best).

Put a small amount of glykol (cheap alcohol) in the water for the windshield wipers, so it doesn't freeze; and carry a few safety pins, since the nozzle can become blocked easily (at least in older type cars).

If the forecast says a lot of snow will fall and your car is parked outside, its a good idea to put a big piece of cardboard on the windshield - saves some time in the morning cleaning.

If the windshield wipers are frozen to the windshield because you forgot to put them outwards, don't use force, as this will damage the wiper blade. Use a little bit of water (not warm water - the glass will crack! to loosen the blade. Takes time, but is preferable over ruining the wipers.

If you travel across country, put a bag of sand or unused kat litter or sawdust in the trunk to sprinkle around the tires in case you get stuck.

And if you're going to go into the mountains, don't forget snow chains!! (Here, many passes are closed except for cars with winter tires and snow chains). And you should practice to put them on before, at home, in quiet, not when you're holding up a queue because you should have put them on a mile earlier.

If you are driving in a city where salt is heavily used, its a good idea to wash your car more often: the saltwater-mixture is very corrosive, esp. to the undercarriage.

If you parked outside and more than an inch of snow has fallen, take your time and clean enough of the car, that is: Whole windshield (not only an area two hands wide in front of your face), back window, side window at least on your side, and, important, don't forget to brush off the roof! (Otherwise, the roof will heat up during driving, the snow will melt, and the next time you brake hard, the whole load will slide down on your windshield!)

For cleaning the windshield of snow and rime: A credit card breaks easily. There are little plastic triangles around, one wavy side for snow, one hard side for rime, one rubber-lipped side for final clearing. There are also little plastic pieces with a big glove attached, to keep your hand warm. (And don't use warm water!)

Letting your engine run idle for several minutes to heat up the car inside while doing the outside cleaning produces so much pollution you can be fined here in germany. (Even if you aren't yet fined in the US, you shouldn't do it, as its such a waste of gasoline and pollutes much more than driving.)

Put a piece of soft cloth or window leather inside the car to wipe the condensation of the windshield which will form because of your breath and takes time to disappear. (You should clean the interior side of the windshield with cloth and soap water regularly, anyway, to remove accumulated grime from your breath, cigs, etc.)

Walking: hands and head loose a lot of heat energy fast, so gloves and caps aren't for sissies only, but very sensible.

The windshield factor is well known by now, right? And the forecast gives the "felt temperature" in addition to the actual temp., too, right? So you can prepare. (E.g. wet weather will feel colder than dry weather)

Oh, winter air is very dry, and the wind isn't good for your skin, either, so put some basic cream on your face and hands before the skin breaks and cracks from dryness. (I guess this concerns women more than men, at least it happens more often to me than to my friend).

In the mountains, (like at the sea), the snow will reflect more UV-rays, so you have to use a special, extra-strong sun-screen. And don't forget the lips! And use real sunglasses which will protect against all UV - I have seen a kid who got pinkeye during a skitour because his sunglasses were too cheap and didn't protect him enough. Not nice.
But everybody knows that already, I guess.

Somethign we do at work and I have done for a while now is to wax the outside windows after getting them totally clean. This not only helps keep the rain from setting up but helps prevent ice from forming as easily and makes it easier to remove when it does form. Oh and if your car freezes shut there are only a few ways to get it open without damage: One spray a lock or door de-icer chemical into the cracks and wait for it to melt the ice. 2 wait for the air temp to get up enough or try another door. Pretty much unless you can get a heat gun or other heat source to the car and not melt the paint waiting is your only choice. One of the other techs learned this the hard way when he snapped the handle off a dodge caravan that had frozen shut.

R,

interesting tip about waxing the windows. But how do you get the wax easily off when cleaning them again in the spring? Wouldn't you have to use a lot of soap?

About the key: there are devices to carry in your pocket to heat the key with, if the lock itself is frozen. Although with modern keys you have to be careful if there is electronic inside, it wouldn't be a good idea.

Its very important to keep the de-icing spray or can outside the car, as its useless when its locked inside.

I've heard its also a good idea to wax or use talcum for the rubber insulation in the door frames (these little rolls of rubber which make sure the door closes tightly), because severe cold will make rubber brittle, which, of course, isn't very good.

And if you're going to go into the mountains, don't forget snow chains!! (Here, many passes are closed except for cars with winter tires and snow chains). And you should practice to put them on before, at home, in quiet, not when you're holding up a queue because you should have put them on a mile earlier. - constanze

Snow chains can bad for the streets. Many American locales make them illegal on a public road. I don't know which ones ban or allow them.

Snow chains are bad for the streets?? Umm, what kind of streets do you mean? I know (or rather, can guess) that snow chains can hurt the asphalte on a cleared road, but I meant mountain passes with a solid layer of snow on them, where because of the incline, only snow chains will have a grip. Or are even mountain roads cleared by snow plows day and night??

If the forecast says a lot of snow will fall and your car is parked outside, its a good idea to put a big piece of cardboard on the windshield - saves some time in the morning cleaning. Your floor mats are good for this too (bottom side up). Of course, you want to get as much snow as possible off before returning to your car. I tried cardboard once, freezing rain, many minutes of scraping, not fun.

I also knock as much snow as possible off my boots by hitting against the side running board, or knocking off with my brush/scraper. You don't want all that melting inside the car.

In all my winters, I have never brushed snow from the roof, unless it was like 4 inches or more.

Clean every window and mirror.

I understand WD-40 works as a good lock de-icer.

Don't wash your car on a very cold day. You may never be able to get out of it!

Four-wheel drive does not equal four-wheel stop.

Depending on the Mountain area, yes, they are cleared. I don't know about Denver but "cities" in Maine and New Hampshire are definitely plowed regularly during a snowfall. If you are driving to a closed ski lodge to relive Stephen King's The Shining you may have a better grasp of your situation than someone in the state capitol. (Gee, constanze, you're Libertarian views are right.)

Constanze: I havent had any problem with my windshield and I have been waxing it along with the rest of the car for over a couple of years. With regular carnuba wax it wears off after three or four trips through the washing machine at work and about a dozen or so hand washes. Carnuba wax only gets milky or nasty if you dont wash the car very often or have too hard of water.The trick is to make sure that you have all the dirt, oil and other crud off the window before applying the wax. And remove and buff the wax down to a crystal clear coating. It requires a lot of elbow grease as I do it by hand as a power buffer can cause a problem if not wielded properly. And I do this all year round so ther eis usually a thin layer of wax on my car's windows at all times. About the electronic keys, I know Chrysler and believe many other dealerships will void the warrenty on the keys if you have applied direct heat to them as it can damage the electronics in the key or at least the plastic coating over it. Working for a dealership we have had to get into frozen cars and wd-40 does work ok as well as isoprpyl alcohol and the special lock de-icer stuff. We have several cans of it back in the wash bay but they all still take time and you have to work it into the lock as sometimes its not the lock thats frozen but the rubber moldings. Which i dont know what to say about as we use a special oil based dressing on the used ones and nothign on the new ones and they dont seem to become too brittle around here(SW Ohio) even when it was down in the teens a few nights ago. We dont recommend waxing the rubber moldings though as that can cause them to be discolered and actually dry the rubber out more as they have injected into them softening agents at the factory (allegedly)As for brushing off the roof unless there is an extreme amount on it I usually dont bother and only do so at work because we have to remove all the snow off the vehicles on the lot. Generally if you start driving the wind will blow all the snow off or the force of you driving will cause it to slide off the back of the roof, unless you have an older crown vic like i do with that 1/2 vinyl roof like they put on there. And you are most definately right about 4WD not being 4W stop. I had to take a ram 4by down the street on an icy day and was playign with it a bit and got it to slide around in its own wheelbase in an empty part of the lot in 4x4 high mode. As for washing your car as long as you dry out the jams and around the lock area it should be ok.

In all my winters, I have never brushed snow from the roof, unless it was like 4 inches or more.

Maybe I messed up the measurements. But our safety commericals always insists on clearing the snow of the roof if a lot has fallen overnight. (Its called "7th sense", airs every other sunday on TV - here is the link and although the site and voice-over are in german, I think the videos are still very instructive. Try the archive under "Archiv".)
I don't know often it happens over there, but here in Bavaria, close the mountains, its likely for 10 or 20 cm of snow to fall in one night.

Don't wash your car on a very cold day. You may never be able to get out of it!

Seems I didn't express myself clearly. I meant during the course of the winter, when a period of relatively warm weather - around 0 C - allows it. If its -15 C, you won't have that much trouble with meltwater anyway.

Blue,

I don't know about Denver but "cities" in Maine and New Hampshire are definitely plowed regularly during a snowfall. If you are driving to a closed ski lodge to relive Stephen King's The Shining you may have a better grasp of your situation than someone in the state capitol. (Gee, constanze, you're Libertarian views are right

I wish you'd stop your ravings and insultings when discussing a non-political topic. I said esp. "Mountains". That your cities in the east (Maine - where are mountains, not hills in Maine??? Doesn't it have maritime climate, not continental?) are cleared is obvious. The city of Munich is close to the mountains, too, but is cleared regularly. Maybe people over there don't drive across mountain passes, and maybe you only have to get into the mountains to get to some ski lodge. Then the rule still stands of having snow chains in your trunk and putting them on as soon as a sign indicates it or the street is covered thickly with snow and is getting steeper.

And I certainly resent being called a libertarian. I'm nothing of that sort, and I fail to see which of my words you construed as to mean anything like that. (Stop smoking that stuff, I'd say.)

Can some please, please, please explain to me how I insulted constanze. This is not the first time she claims I insulted her and I have no idea how.

Constanze, Do you really want me to insult you? You provide ample opportunity. (No emoticon for the second sentance on purpose.)

As for being insulted at being called a libertarian (I called you a Libertariamn BTW, the capitalization matters) I suggest you look up the meaning of the word. No, not on Zompost where they insist Richard Nixon was a Libertarian. Try a dictionary. Then tell me what philosophy thinks you might decide what is better for you as opposed to your "betters".

I'd also reccomend getting a map. I know Switzerland has alps and Sweden is northern. Maine is Northern not Maritime. Kentucky is not Maritime, but I doubt they'd call their climate Northern. It has moutains. So does New Hapshire, Vermont, etc. Why do I know more of your geography than you do of mine?

BTW, when you drive out of one "city" here you drive into another. There is no country. (This is hard for even Americans from outside megalopolises to grasp. This is Bosington.)

Ravings? You ain't seen nothing yet, constanze. If I recall you got touchy when I pointed out that laws vary on snow chains. Tell me if I advocated doing something that may be illegal in parts of Germany would you point out that some German laws vary?

I know what I should've said: "constanze, being your superior, will pay the ticket if you use themn where prohibited." Yes, that would have been better. (No emoticon on purpose again. See a pattern?)

I am rushed and did not spellllcheeeck.

R: I havent had any problem with my windshield and I have been waxing it along with the rest of the car for over a couple of years. With regular carnuba wax it wears off after three or four trips through the washing machine at work and about a dozen or so hand washes.

How do you get your windshield into the washing machine?

hehehe. Nice one influx. Considering how the washing machine at work is 10 feet across and 9 ft high and puts out jets of water at 110psi with twin brushes I think it will get things rather clean. :-) And Blue you might want to come out to Ohio. I can show you some parts of the state that are Veeery much country and not even close to the big cities.

Influx,

I understand WD-40 works as a good lock de-icer.

Can you please explain to me what WD-40 is? (In case its available over here under a different name / brand/ label).

R,

...Carnuba wax only gets milky or nasty if you dont wash the car very often or have too hard of water.The trick is to make sure that you have all the dirt, oil and other crud off the window before applying the wax. And remove and buff the wax down to a crystal clear coating. It requires a lot of elbow grease as I do it by hand as a power buffer can cause a problem if not wielded properly....

This sounds very interesting, so I want to pass it on to my friends, but I have a little trouble understanding the fine details: where do you get the wax, and in what form? At the car wash, in a big block (like those for waxing ski), you rub it on and polish with a soft cloth? Or do you get it liquiefied, and it sets after some time?

...We have several cans of it back in the wash bay but they all still take time and you have to work it into the lock as sometimes its not the lock thats frozen but the rubber moldings. Which i dont know what to say about as we use a special oil based dressing on the used ones and nothign on the new ones and they dont seem to become too brittle around here(SW Ohio) even when it was down in the teens a few nights ago. We dont recommend waxing the rubber moldings though as that can cause them to be discolered and actually dry the rubber out more as they have injected into them softening agents at the factory (allegedly)...

Maybe your rubber moldings are produced differently. I certainly don't know the specifications of car makers regarding the rubber moldings (I mean, I do know about different exhaust and pollution specifics between Europe and the US, and a speed-controller will only be built into an US-car, for example). here they recommend for the germans to use a rubber- or fatty stick (a special one) although the same effect can be achievied with vaseline or glycerin (which is cheaper). They claim that this prevents the doors a little from freezing as well as the rubber getting to brittle.


To set the facts straight: (I hope for a moderator to come along, but I won't get to the internet till next tuesday)

I thought the topic here is "winter in general for people who aren't accustomed to it", not "winter in maine".

I don't have a map of the US at my work (the only place I can surf) because I don't need it very often, and the location of 50 states is a bit too much for me to remember.

I mentioned only Maine, since I was sure this is on the eastern coast. I don't know exactly where Kentucky and the others are, so I didn't talk about them.

I asked a geograph this afternoon to clear things up and learned:
- Maritime climate (which is the opposite of continental climate) exists mostly in Europe, due to the moderating influence of the gulf stream.
- Maine (and the northern part of the US east coast) is neither, since it lacks this moderation, having instead the cold influence of the labrador stream. (its too wet for continental, too exaggerated for maritime climate).
- "Northern" isn't a proper climate designation at all, as northern countries have very different climates, depending on their location. Instead there is polar and sub-polar.

I didn't mention either Sweden or Switzerland. I know that Switzerland has mountains (and a contintal climate, btw), and didn't claim otherwise. I know that Sweden is in the north, but it doesn't have "Northern" climate, its mostly maritime climate (because of the east sea). I never claimed otherwise.

I was referring to the mountains and driving on country roads. If Maine has no countryside, only cities - please change the topic to "Winter in Maine only".

And I consider to be called a Liberatarian or libertarian an insult. I don't see the need to justify why here, or give a definition. If anything, this would belong to PM. But I don't see the necessity for that.

And now we return to the regular topic...

Can you please explain to me what WD-40 is? (In case its available over here under a different name / brand/ label).

http://www.wd40.com/Brands/wd40_product_info.html

Brian basically beat me to the punch but the WD stands for Water Displacer and is a kind of oil. As for the wax the stuff we have is a liquid that comes in a large 1/2 gallon bottle at work from our supplier company but similar stuff can be bought at the local mart in sizes ranging from a few ounces up to a quart or so. Only waxes that you would use to polish the body of the car should be used on the windows. Sillicon based waxes are good too but since they are usually more expensive the company buys in bulk the carnuba and I have the attitude that what works is good enough for me. As for how to apply it the way we do it at work is squirt some on a special sponge and rub it on the spot working it to a thin film wait for it to dry for a few minutes and then rub off with a clean soft cloth. Usually the instructions are on the bottle and I am not meaning to be insulting just telling how we do it at work and not everybody may know everythign. As for the moldings all i know is from experience and what the service guys have told me. But putting vaseline and stuff on them should be cool I guess. I mean if the govt oks it then it must be fine :-) Hope this helps you and if you need anything else just let me know.

Hope no one minds if I offer a few tips.

Walking on grass is one of the best things you can do to maintain your grip - for some reason most people will walk on the pavements and crush the snow to ice, although if traffic and surface conditions allow the road is good as well.

Drivers
Firstly, make sure your car is roadworthy before the bad weather kicks in - oil, water, fan belt tightness (if you hear a squealing when you accelerate with the electrical system loaded - it isn't tight enough) and so on. It gets cold waiting for the recovery people because your engine's died.
Vaseline over the battery terminals will prevent any shorts through moisture.
Drop your tire pressures a little to get more in contact with the road surface and increase your grip.
Give yourself, the guy in front and the guy behind time. Set your alarm clock half an hour earlier, make your packed lunch the evening before, ask your boss if you can adjust your hours to come in and leave a bit later, what ever it takes. Drive carefully and don't rely on your normal stopping distances - you may suddenly find a patch of black ice and stop halfway through someone elses backseat, even if the road has been gritted.
Never pour hot water over your windscreen to thaw it out - having to call someone out to replace it because you've just seen what thermal shock means isn't a good idea. Start your engine and just let it warm up before using the heater, start with minimal amount of airflow and let it build up - thawing inside to out, and don't just scrape a vision slit, this is a car you're driving, not a tank.
Keep your fuel tank more than quarter full - more if you drive very long distances or know you're likely to need it for an emergency, keep your mobile phone charged and have an emergency kit in the boot - blanket, spare jumper, shovel if it gets really bad.

Umm a couple points I know from experience that the belts can and will squeel if you have them too tight, and too tight is just as bad as they can snap and then you have a nice long wait as well. Also I dont really agree with the tire pressure adjustment thing as improperly adjusted tires can throw the modern ABS systems off balance, at least according to the service guys. (Isnt it amazing just how much time dealership service guys have to stand around and chat with a detailer :-) ) but for the most it seems like everyone is copmoing up with good intelligent actions, which makes one wonder why you hear about so many people doing some less that intelligent things. I can understand when a good driver just finds themselves in a bad situation and runs out of road, time or options but some people just seem to enjoy putting themselves into that place. One thing for me to add which goes in with what I did at work today: Batteries must be run for some time to keep the charge up. Normal driving will work quite nicely as long as the duration is enough to bring the engine temps upto normal operating. If all you do is turn the car on for a few minutes and then turn it off not only will that not charge up the battery but will damage the engine as the oil and other fluids wont have enough time to work through all the nooks and crannies. Also just hopping in and taking off with a cold engine and then revving it or otherwise doing your Earnhardt impression is a very bad thing for the aforementioned reason. But other than that keep up the good stuff.

If you're in Texas when it snows (that once in a lifetime event), and you're from up north - DON'T DRIVE! These people don't know how to drive in snow. It's much safer to simply take a snow day (which is something Texans don't understand, since it happens so infrequently and they're so stubborn they drive anyway).

And, Blue Berry, we Texans think you East Coast people are a little strange. It's three hours here from one (big) city to another, which is why we're in favour of the 70mph. Of course, around here, if you're actually going 70, people are passing you right and left.

Well, not only that, mei, but I've seen people who were from up North, who, having spent a year or two in Tejas, couldn't drive in snow anymore. They seemed to have lost that skill. But, yeah, as a Native Texan, I can tell you, when people in the Lone Star State see cold, white stuff on the ground, our first assumption is that Hell froze over.

Deep in the Heart of Texas.

Well, I think I can still drive in snow, but it's hard to tell. When I lived in Minnesota for a semester of college - all the snow disappeared! They had about one foot, one inch at a time. By the time I was ready to drive in it - it was gone. But I think I can still drive in snow. Except in Texas, because, as I said, Texans don't know how to drive in the white stuff.