Winter Prep

Well, as I live in the -real- "Great White North", it's winter prep time. Winter traditionally sets in here in three weeks. It's already freezing at night, though of course, today it is really really nice (sunny and +16C). Farmers Almanac (which I never believe anyway) says late winter in Canadian west and early in east. So far they're right on for the west. We usually see snow in early Sept. on the highway to the mountains (#16 or Yellowhead for those who know the area). It hasn't happened yet!

Today I added the lower grill block (upper went in last week). I routed the block heater plug to the drivers side and fastened it to the grill there (up to now it has been sitting where the dealer left it - fastened to the grill in an inconvenient place). All I have to do to use it is pull the cover off and press the extension cable on - it's "inside" the pipe insulation end. While getting groceries today I noticed my coolant temps went up to +90 C, just like summer, but it took about 30 min of driving to get that high. Fans never came on. The temp really didn't want to stay up there either. Amazing. This car is so efficient, no wonder it's so cold in winter.

This afternoon I get winter tires - Nokian WR in stock size. Only have 10,000 km on the stock Goodyear Integrities. They will not go back on the car.

Cost of four Nokian WR tires - $600
Cost of sliding into something because tires aren't up to winter - $2000++
Value of avoiding accident - priceless!

I can't think of anything else that has to be done. The snowbrush/scraper is already in the car.
Jayman, anything I'm forgetting?

 

Good suggestions all. Thanks.

Being Alberta, the washer fluid is winter type all year round.

I've never used winter blades, mainly because it's so cold here we don't usually get snow freezing on the blades - it's usually powder snow.

What I really want is a heated steering wheel. My rear end can take care of itself, heat wise, but my hands can get very cold, as it's too hard to drive with mitts on (those switches are sooo tiny!).

A little on tires. Now usually when we replace tires the new ones really outperform the old ones, mainly because the old ones were worn out. So a comparison is really unfair. Sort of.

I just got back with my new Nokian WR tires on my Prius. My comparison to the Goodyear Integrities is valid as the Integrities were also new (only 10,000 km on them).

The Nokian WR tires are quiet and the car's handling is great. It feels more "planted". I went 40 km west to get them at a better price, so returned on the highway. To get on the highway I had to use an entrance ramp, and I forgot how sharp it curved. The Integrities would have drifted. The Nokians just went around the sharp curve, no complaints. It's too early to comment on mileage, but so far watching the MFD I see no difference.

Yup, even though the Integrities were "adequate" they are junk tires compared to the Nokians! They are claiming equivalent traction to ice tires yet they wear very well even on summer roads (100,000 km treadwear warrantee). Impressive tires! I inflated them to 40 front, 38 rear, as I had in the Integrities, and they are a little stiffer. I got the higher speed rating stock size, as I believe they are a little stronger. 185/65 R15 88H.