You Might Think You Own a Tough Truck, with Your Fuel Wheels and All

You might think you own a tough truck, with your Fuel wheels and all, but it still needs to be properly prepped for the upcoming winter season. For many truck owners in this country, winter means several months of cold, snow, ice and other treacherous conditions. So it is in your best interest to prepare all of the systems in your truck for winter.

Check the Antifreeze

In most cases, your water and antifreeze should be mixed at a 50/50 ratio. That is, it should be half water and half antifreeze. However, if you live in a part of the nation where temperatures regularly dip below the zero mark, you might want to drain a little bit of your radiator and replace it with straight antifreeze. Now, too much antifreeze could cause unwanted problems when the weather warms again in the summer, so you will want to change it again in the spring.

Battery

Check your battery to ensure you will have plenty of cranking amps through the winter. Check the battery cables and terminal to ensure they are clean and tightly attached to the battery. But remember, no matter what you do, your battery can fail without warning.

Wiper Blades

If your wiper blades are more than six months old, you will want to replace them. If your wiper blades are leaving streaks or otherwise not doing a very good job of keeping your windshield clear, then have them replaced. Also, make sure the window washing fluid you have won't freeze in winter temperatures. Make sure you top off your window washing solution on a regular basis.

Oil Changes

Check your owner's manual for recommended oil viscosity and for oil that is best-suited for winter temperatures. It is also important that you stay up-to-date on your oil changes.

Tires

Cold temperatures lower tire pressure so adjust tire pressure as needed. If your tires are running thin on the tread, now is the time to have them replaced. You might have tires that work great on trails and in mud, but might not be rated high for snow travel. Keep this in mind; the only tires that work well on ice are studded tires or tires with chains.

Paint

The adverse weather conditions and elements will wreak havoc on your truck’s paint job. You can protect it by starting the winter with a good coat of wax. You will also want to wash your truck often in the winter.