Preparing My Car For Canadian Winter Driving
 

Hi all,
I'll be driving to LaMalbaie and Quebec City this coming winter (February) for skiing and the Winter Festival. I lived in Montreal a few years ago so the general driving conditions I'm ready for. What I need to prepare, is my car.

The hotels I'll be staying in have indoor parking, but during the day it will sit in surface lots. Should I use a different oil than 10W-30 (my normal choice down here in warmer climes)? Should I head North with a brand new battery in my car? Just don't want to destroy my car trying to get it started in very cold weather.

Thanks for any tips!

Snow/winter tyres mandatory in PQ.

Make sure your coolant is still good (can buy a cheap tester at your Pep Boys, Walmart or wherever) so it doesn't freeze. I think -40C/F is the benchmark? Oil should be o.k. unless it is really cold.

If you worry about oil, go synthetic as the stuff has a wider viscosity range than conventional oil (one advantage if you don't really have to warm up your engine).

You can get your battery load tested to see if it's good or not.

Thanks YVR. I've got a good set of winter tires to put on my car before I leave so I'm not worried about that. When I lived in Montreal I had a car with a plug-in heater, but it's not necessary here in the exurbs of DC!

Bonjour :).

Lol since you've lived in Montréal before you know most winter mornings can get down to -20 to -30 ish outside. You have to have winter tires driving in Québec but even if you didn't I'd still recommend them. As far as the oil for your car... I'm not an expert but I know the Toyota dealership uses 5W30 in my Rav 4.

Are you coming up here for the carnaval de Québec? Bonne vacances.

Just to clarify, winter tires are mandatory in Quebec for Quebec-registered vehicles only. While I definitely recommend the use of winter tires and understand that you already have a set you're planning to use, you wouldn't be breaking the law without them.

Also, don't forget to keep a snow brush and window scrapper in the car. A small shovel might not be a bad idea, either. Drive safe!

10W30 is a bit heavy for cold climates. The first number represents the cold viscosity, the second number represents the hot viscosity of the oil. Bigger number means more viscous oil, and thus more resistance to flow. In the 10W30, it has the viscosity of a SAE 10W oil at 0C, and the viscosity of a SAE 30 oil at 100C.

For all climates what you should do is get the smallest first number you can, so that the oil is pumped into the engine quickly upon start-up, and get the second number to be whatever the manufacturer recommends for the temperature range you'll encounter. This information will be in your owner’s manual. If the engine is in good condition, synthetic will help the cold starting, as it's pour point is typically colder than conventional oil.

Most modern engines will be happy with 5W30, although some newer engines require 5W20. Thicker isn't better, as thicker oil will not flow into tight bearing clearances as well as thin oil, so it could end up damaging your engine. Thick oil also takes more power to pump, so the added friction generates heat in the bearings. Uses a fraction more fuel too.

Suppose the manufacturer calls for 10W30, you can safely use 0W30, 5W30 or 10W30, but not 10W40 or 20W50.

If your battery is older than 5 years I'd replace it on general principals, but if it holds a charge well it will be fine.

Get your car rust proofed ...

High heat kills batteries more quickly than cold. In Arizona, most batteries don't last more than 3 years. I've seen cars come from colder climates that still had the original battery after 10 years.

That being said, batteries are the most common reason for breakdowns.. so if yours is more than a few years old, still not a bad investment. Also, make sure your battery cables aren't corroded at the battery terminals - it kills batteries faster and can cause a no-start on it's own. The old trick of pouring Coke onto the terminals to clean corrosion works, but makes a bigger mess and doesn't work as well as the spray chemicals you can get at an Autozone type store. If there is corrosion, make sure you disconnect the battery cables before cleaning them to ensure a more thorough job.