Spring has officially begun! We seemed to spend all winter writing articles anticipating spring. But now that spring is here, everyone seems eager for it to get out of the way as soon as possible. That’s because it’s currently in the way of summer!
It’s nice to be saying goodbye to the wicked chill of winter. But don’t let that make you forget that summer brings its own problems! Let’s not pretend that all that extra sunshine and heat is a perfect thing. One thing you’ll find out (or be reminded of) very quickly is its effects on driving. Using your car in the summer isn’t always a barrel of fun!
Make sure you and your family are prepared for those upcoming summer car journeys.
Air conditioning
The first thing that probably pops to mind here is your air conditioning. The interior of your car is going to get hot and stuffy if you don’t have the right cooling and ventilation systems. Getting too hot in your car can make you feel uneasy, tired and dizzy. Those are the last things you need to be when you’re on the road! You should ensure your car has strong air conditioning. You shouldn’t just rely on open windows. There may be times when you’ll be in dusty or wet environments where you shouldn’t have your windows down.
Cooling system
The hot weather will also affect your cooling system. An alarming amount of drivers don’t perform adequate maintenance on the cooling system under their hood. You should be checking that everything is okay there at least once a week in hot weather! The cooling fan needs to be functioning and the coolant levels need to be correct. If these things aren’t in check then your cooling system is at risk of overheating. This will have catastrophic effects on your engine – and your wallet! Make sure you know what coolant you need and how to adjust your coolant levels.
Tyres
A scorching summer will get the roads baking. You can feel the heat of the tarmac underneath your feet. You may not realise that these hot roads are actually affecting how your tyres operate. It affects rubber of your tyres, which can negatively affect speed and handling. Thankfully, there are tyres out there that have been created with summer roads in mind. Tyres like the Michelin Primacy 3 are designed to keep your comfort and handling consistent throughout summer. That means your safety, too! It’s generally accomplished by using softer rubber, which works better against hot surfaces.
Other items
In the hot weather, you’ll be getting dehydrated much quicker. The sun is also going to get extremely bright, which will affect your vision in possibly dangerous ways. You need to make sure you’re keeping a good supply of drinking water in the car. Bring a new, cool bottle with you for every journey. Don’t leave one big bottle in the car over a period of a week! The water will just get warm and nasty. Make sure you’re also equipped with sunglasses. Consider getting a spare pair used solely in the car and keep them in your glove compartment.
