Driving Sports

The gigantic snowstorm covering most of the United States this week has got us thinking about outfitting our cars for winter. This is pretty unusual in the Pacific Northwest, where our worst problem is usually dripping water from our Gore-Tex REI rainwear getting all over the seats. So those of you who live in upstate New York and Northern Minnesota and other places where Winter is serious business, please add your comments and suggestions below.

Here are the ten things you should have if you plan to venture out in snow, ice, sleet, or freezing rain:

10) Your cell phone. If you don't have a cell phone, get yourself a Go-phone, Cricket, or one of those other pay-as-you-go phones and put $20 into it. It's handy for roadside emergencies and calling your friends with a 4WD for a ride.

9) AAA membership or towing coverage on your car insurance. Just one yank out of a snowbank and that puppy's paid for itself several times over.

8) Some food and water. Doesn't have to be take-out Chinese - just a box of granola bars will do to keep you from going hungry if you get stuck. And water - the experts tell us that water is the stuff to drink to keep you alive and healthy. But hell, we like energy drinks, so keep some of your favorite go-juice on hand, too. Throw in a first aid kit while you're at it.

7) Snow chains. Studded snow tires, Blizzaks, and AWD will get you only so far. We don't mean to be smug, but we drove right past a stuck Subaru the other day, driving our chained-up Mini Cooper. When the muck gets really deep, you need chains.

6) Jumper cables. Batteries hate the cold. If your battery isn't brand-spanking-new, it can fail you when you need it most. Keep a set of cables in the trunk and most folks will cheerfully offer you a boost when you need it. One thing - learn how to use those cables before you need them. If you have an Audi, the battery's often located under the rear seat. No one knows why.

5) Some warm clothing. It's cold. You're stuck. Might as well be comfortable. Throw in a dry pair of socks. You'll wish you had 'em if you don't.

4) Your iPod, or a book. Boredom is the quickest route to bad decisions if you're stuck.

3) A full tank of fuel. If you do get stuck, you might be there a while, and running the car engine gives you both heat and electricity. Just be sure your engine has enough air flow to keep cool. If you're nosed into a snow bank, your car will paradoxically overheat very quickly.

2) Traction assistance. Sometimes this is a bag of sand, a roll of chickenwire, some nifty little plastic grip-plates, or even a portable air compressor (12V to run off the cigarette lighter) so you can leak air out of your tires to get some grip, then pump them back up to drive. Whatever works in your area, have something in your stash to help you help yourself.

1) Training. Find and take a course in ice and snow driving techniques. Best among all of these is a SkidCar class. If you're better than the average driver in the snow, chances are better that you won't need the other nine items in this list. Keep them in your car anyway, but then you can use them to help others who aren't as bitchin as you.

Just for fun, here's a slide show gallery of winter rally images from the 2008 Alcan Winter Rally, where we learned most of these handy tips.