Driving tips

Take a turn too fast and one of two things happens. In understeer, the front tires lose grip and the vehicle continues straight even though you have turned the wheel. In oversteer, the rear loses grip and swings wide. Each has a different correct response, and the instinctive reaction is usually wrong in both cases. Wet conditions make both far more likely.

You don’t have to live at the North Pole to benefit from winter tires. If you frequently encounter snow or ice, or if the temperature is consistently below 45 degrees, well, you may want to think about moving. However, if you like that kind of weather, your tires are going to need the extra grip and turning capabilities that only winter tires can deliver. Even if you have 4-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, you still need winter tires on the front and back to combat the elements and stay safe.

There’s a trick to driving in wet conditions. You ready? Here it is. SLOW DOWN. Seriously, if more drivers would heed this advice in the rain, accidents would dramatically decrease. Wet weather doesn’t get the same attention as snow and ice, but it should. Wet roads present similar dangers—like less grip and longer stopping distance. To watch wet weather driving techniques, watch the video below, which was shot on a professional wet track with a professional driver.

Luggage packed, tank full, GPS set, seatbelt on. You are not ready yet. Your tires are the only thing between you and the open road, and a tire problem 300 miles from home is a very different situation from one near your house. The pre-trip check is short: pressure on all four plus the spare compared against your door jamb sticker, and tread checked both visually and with the penny test.

Some tires grip better. Some last longer. Some are engineered specifically to deliver better gas mileage through lower rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is the energy your tire consumes deforming against the road with every rotation, and it is one of the few fuel economy variables you directly control. The other is inflation pressure, which costs nothing to get right.

Off-road driving rewards technique over throttle. In sand and snow, if your wheels start to spin, ease off the gas to let the tires slow and regain traction. In mud you want the opposite: maintain some wheel spin to help clear mud from the drive tires. Approach obstacles at an angle so one tire engages while the other three stay on solid ground. On hills, approach straight on and always have an escape plan.