The winters of New England are no joke. Weather drops below freezing, so the air hurts your face, and the snow pummels everything. Driving becomes much harder in the winter than in other seasons due to the ice and snow. In extreme cases, roads are closed off. It can be intimidating to drive when you know the weather is going to get rough, which is why it’s important to make sure your car is prepared for anything. Here are a few tips to get your vehicle winter-ready from the best mechanics in Nashua.
Tire Pressure
Tire pressure and tread depth are going to play significant roles in how your car handles in winter weather. As the temperature fluctuates, the air in your tires expands and retract. This causes your tire pressure to fluctuate as well. You can test your tire pressure with a gauge and fill it with an air compressor to your manual’s recommendation. As for tread depth, you can use a penny to test that. Place a penny in the tread with Abraham Lincoln’s head pointing up. If you find his head is still visible at the top, it’s a sign to replace your tires before winter hits.
Supplies
As a safety precaution, you should make sure you have a supply kit in the trunk of your car. While you should always keep an emergency kit in your car, you should make sure it is well stocked as winter comes around. Your kit should include essential items like road flares and a flashlight, a first aid kit and a radio. To customize the kit for winter, you should add blankets, a warm change of clothes, an ice scraper, and a bag of sand to get traction on the road.
Coolant
Making sure your car’s coolant and antifreeze levels are ready for winter is the key. The only thing keeping your engine from freezing and stalling in the winter chill is your coolant. You can check your coolant levels at home with a kit or bring your car to the best mechanics in Nashua to make sure it’s done right.
Driving in the winter is an intimidating thought that becomes less intimidating when you know you’re prepared. Making sure your tire pressure and coolant levels are at peak performance are the first steps. For extra safety, be sure to update your emergency kit with winter supplies. For any questions on how to prepare your car for winter, contact RK Auto Repair, the best mechanics in Nashua at 603-595-7575 or visit them online!
Ah, brakes. The part of the car that allows you to drive safely with our careening off of a cliff and into a ravine below, or from hitting the car in front of you. Brakes are important and they need to be taken care of no matter what. If you let your brakes go, it can be disastrous for you and those around you. Thankfully, brake repair in NH is fairly easy to come across, it is important to keep an eye on your brakes before something goes wrong.
First, your brakes are a huge contraption of parts. It starts with the pedal and continues through multiple ways so that you have control of the car. Just by pushing the pedal won’t stop a 2 ton vehicle but will start a domino effect of what does stop the car. Pressing the pedal starts two forces up. These forces are Leverage and Hydraulic force according to Explain that Stuff (they have the best basic information for you!).
When you push the pedal, it releases a hydraulic fluid that will manipulate the rest of the brake gear for you. When you press the pedal you apply the leverage needed to start the hydraulics in the car. A piston is released into the fluid then goes into cylinders that will activate the four brakes in the car. Where the cylinders neat the brake are wider than the ones near the brake pedal, you are able to multiply your pressure in order to stop your vehicle by means of friction. That is the basics on how your breaks work.
Pistons, fluids, cylinders, brakes and pedals all work together to stop your car in order to keep yourself and others safe. In older cars, pumping your breaks were believed to help but with newer car brakes, you do not need to pump. The more you press, the more fluid is released so that you can stop your car. This is why it is important to pay attention to the warning signs that your brakes give off. We mentioned a few ways to tell if you need new brakes in Nashua, but it is always good to refresh so that you can continue driving safe.
The main things to look out for with your brakes are the following:
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Noises
- These noises will include:
- Squealing
- Grinding
- Clicking
- These noises will include:
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Pulling
- If your car pulls to one side, always bring it into the shop whether breaking or not!
- Low or a hard pedal
- If you need to nearly fully depress the brake pedal for them to engage, or it is too hard to press the pedal for the brakes to engage bring them into RK Auto immediately.
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Grabbing
- This could be described as sensitive brakes. If they engage almost immediately at the littlest pressure to the pedal
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Vibration
- If your pedal causes any sort of what you would describe as vibration, especially under normal conditions bring it in.
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Light
- Many cars today will have a brake light that will illuminate. If everything else checks out, but you have that one, bring it in and we can figure out what is going on with your brake system.
As a part of normal wear and tear on the car, don’t worry that you need to replace your brakes in Nashua. With winter, city driving and just age your brakes will need to be repaired and tuned up.
If you notice any of these issues, reach out to RK Auto at 603-595-7575 or on our website!