For the next few months in Wisconsin, the definition of "cool" becomes completely flip-flopped.   The lower profile summer tires and monster wheels you were sporting in the summer are no longer cool.   Those pretty carpet floormats and mono-wiper blades are no longer cool.  Having your coilovers cranked down so your oil pan screams every time it sees an ant is no longer cool.  

Having clear windows so you can see others is cool.   Having good snow tires that will help you stop, start, and turn in inches of snow is cool.   Having a few inches of ground clearance so you don't get stuck every ten feet is cool.   Having black steel wheels that don't care if you pound a curb or two and don't care about road salt is cool.  In the winter, getting from point A to B without having a heart-attack and without risking someone's life (or your own) is cool.

I see so many people in the dead of winter still sporting their huge, chrome 'bling-bling' wheels, their windshields are covered with ice so they can't see, and their cars are so low that they might as well be driving sleds.   What's the point?   In the winter, no one cares what your car looks like under that gray pile of sludge.   Sure, there might be that one sunny day or maybe even a week where the roads are clear enough to *almost* justify keeping your car looking nice, but is it really worth it?  Safety aspects aside, the fact that road salt is eating away at those 20" wheels should be enough reason to put them away for the season.

Here are some suggestions for being 'the new cool' this winter:

• Get dedicated snow tires.   You'll be amazed at how well they work... these aren't your grandfather's snow tires.   I highly recommend purchasing them from a place like the Tire Rack.  Not only will you get excellent snow traction, but your summer tires will last longer and your summer wheels won't get pitted with road salt.
• Get good winter wiper blades.  Many new Volkswagens already come with all-rubber wiper blades that are easy to clean in the winter and work very well in the winter.  Aftermarket blades like the Bosch Icon blades are a bit more expensive, but you'll wish you had them when your el-cheapo blades fall apart in the worst possible storm.
• Use Rain-X on your windows.   Although it has to be applied often in the winter, Rain-X usually works so well that you don't even need to use your wiper blades.  It also makes it easier to clean an ice-covered windshield.
• Get all-weather floor mats.  Put your pretty carpet mats away for the summer and get some heavy, rubber mats with deep channels to keep all that snow, slush, and salt away from your car's carpetting.  Yuck.
• If you have coil-overs, raise your car.   For those of you who like to ride low in the summer, forget about that in the winter unless you like ruining the bottom of your car and getting stuck!   If you do change your car's ride height, don't forget to get a wheel alignment as well.
• Pack some emergency supplies.   Pack a portable shovel, some warm clothes, and some warm boots in your trunk.   Hopefully you won't ever need any of it, but you'll be happy you have it if you do need it... or someone else needs your help.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of making your care safe (ur, I mean 'cool') in the winter is that you'll appreciate your car more in the spring.   If you manage to make it through the winter without any fender-benders, the day you get to put on your big summer wheels and put away those ugly rubber floormats will be just about enough to make you fall in-love with your car all over again.

Tags: