DJ Swanson
Taking a road trip in the summer or just a Sunday drive can be a fun way to blow off some steam and enjoy the warm weather. However, it’s important that you have your car ready for the extreme temperatures and driving conditions of summertime. Here are our top tips for making the most of your summer drive.
Tire Pressure
How often do you think about your tire pressure? If the answer is “rarely ever,” then you need to give it some more serious thought. The hot roads in the summertime are even harder on your tires than normal driving, and low tire pressure can lead to all sorts of problems. You could be getting worse gas mileage, poor traction, and even increasing your risk of popping a flat by driving on underinflated tires.
Make sure you check your tire pressure regularly and keep your tires inflated to the PSI recommended in your owner’s manual. That way you can rest assured knowing your tires are functioning properly!
Fluid Levels
No time of year is quite as hard on your engine’s fluids as summer. Power steering fluid, brake fluid, engine oil: these things can all be severely taxed by the hot weather. This goes double for coolant, which your vehicle needs to function properly in hot weather.
Without checking on these levels, you could be letting your engine’s problems spiral out of control. It’s tough to fix an engine when the symptoms become bad enough to stop your car from working properly. That’s why it’s critical you keep an eye on your fluid levels and get everything topped off before you hit the road.
Brakes
Get your brake pads checked before you hit any long rides. There’s nothing more nightmarish than losing control of your vehicle because you can’t bring it to a stop! And, as you might imagine, hot weather and stop-and-start traffic put more wear and tear on your brake pads and rotors.
Before you get out there for a summer drive, get those brakes checked. It’s worth having your brakes up to date. After all, they’re the main thing between you and a traffic accident!
Snacks
Keeping some snacks and bottled water in your car isn’t critical for the car’s performance, but you might prefer to have these things on hand if you get stuck in traffic. Who wants to be hungry and thirsty and stuck in bumper-to-bumper summer traffic on the highway?
