Any Mainer worth their road salt loves to give advice about winter driving and car care, or to complain about the inability of others to drive safely in such weather. There are a lot of commonly held beliefs about driving in the winter, and we’re here to bust some myths — or uphold things that are actually true.
Here’s seven winter car care and driving beliefs that may — or may not — be true.
Are there other myths that are worth busting about winter vehicle maintenance? Shoot us an email at [email protected] with your suggestions, or leave a comment below.
You only have to clear your car off enough to see out your windows.
This is not true — and, potentially, illegal. The Maine Legislature enacted a law in May 2023 that requires drivers to take “reasonable measures” to prevent snow or ice from falling off the vehicle while on the road, with potential fines starting at $50 for a first offense and $150 for a second offense.
The law aims to prevent accidents involving sheets of snow or ice flying off cars, which the Maine State Police say caused more than 30 crashes last winter alone. Clearing off your car — including the roof, hood and truck — should be a common sense measure, but as many motorists can attest to, plenty of drivers don’t actually do it.
You need to warm up your engine during the winter so your car performs better.
This is only partially true. According to the American Automobile Association, the only “warming up” your engine needs is a minute or two, enough for oil to circulate through all its parts so it’s ready to drive. Driving at a moderate rate of speed will “warm” your engine up much more quickly than letting it idle. That said, on a below-zero morning, it might take a few extra minutes for the heat to start working or the heated seats to warm up — but that’s a matter of personal preference.
Don’t let your gas tank get too low or you’ll risk getting ice in the gas line.
This is not true anymore. According to the fellows at longtime NPR car repair radio show Car Talk, gas tanks used to vent directly to the atmosphere, which meant outside air was always in the tank — and with it, water vapor. That water could collect in the tank, most problematically as ice, and cause the engine not to run, or the tank itself to rust.
Today, however, tanks are completely closed off to the environment, with air coming from an attached canister. There’s no need to worry about your tank getting below a certain level. Nor do you need to put what used to be called “dry gas” in the tank — all fuel now contains alcohol, which is what dry gas is.
Electric vehicles deplete their batteries much more quickly in cold weather.
This is true, although it is becoming less dramatic in more recent years. Cars.com says that EV batteries can lose up to 40 percent of their range when the temperature is below freezing, due to a variety of factors. That said, as EV batteries continue to become more efficient and powerful, the loss in range will also decrease. If you intend to drive a long distance during the winter in your EV, plan ahead to make sure you can recharge at more frequent intervals.
Don’t use cruise control in snow or ice.
This is definitely true. Cruise control keeps your vehicle in a constant state of acceleration. If you’re driving in slippery conditions like ice, snow and slush, traveling at that constant speed could result in a skid or slide — especially at high rates of speed. The best advice is to simply not use it until the roads are totally clear.
Pumping the brakes when driving on slick roads will help regain traction.
Anti-lock brakes have been standard in vehicles for more than a decade, and were in most new vehicles even before that. The sophisticated technology in ABS systems monitors your speed and detects when your wheels lock up and begin to skid or slide. Pumping your brakes to regain traction is simply not necessary — your ABS system will do it for you.
Pouring a little hot water on the windshield will help melt the ice faster.
That’s true. The basic laws of thermodynamics prove that. Those same laws also mean that throwing very hot water on a very cold glass surface will very likely result in the glass shattering due to the sudden change in temperature. That’s one way to clear the view out of the front of your car, we guess — just break the windshield entirely. Better to exercise patience and deal with the annoying drudgery of scraping and clearing it off.
