5 Steps To Winterize Your Car Quickly

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

The temperature in Atlanta is dropping and your car may not be up to the weather. If it’s going to last through the colder months, you’re going to have to winterize it.

 No matter if you’re mostly driving only the surface streets or all around I-285, you’ll need to prepare your vehicle for the cold.

How To Winterize Your Car The Right Way

Because road safety is #1, winterizing your vehicle is important. And a lot of people (in Atlanta) don’t know what that entails, we’re going to walk you through it.

1. Switch To Winter Windshield Wipers

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Visibility is your top priority when driving around in the winter. You’ll need to change out your wipers if you don’t have the special kinds for winter. You can pick them up at your local Advance Auto Parts, O’Reilly Autoparts or Autozone. 

You can also buy them online here:

2. Buy Some Winter Tires

In the South, you’ll do just fine with some all-season treads like the MICHELIN Defender2 All-Season Tires.

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Winter tires hold traction much better than regular tires. Unless conditions get uncharacteristically bad, motorists driving in places like Atlanta and other parts of the Southeast shouldn’t really need winter tires.

But make sure your all-season tires have the correct tire pressure, especially during the colder months.

If you find that you need some winter tires, here are some of our favorites:

3. Keep Your Gas Tank Half Full

Because you never know how traffic has been affected by the driving conditions, it’s a good idea to always keep your gas tank half full.

It’s not going to take anymore money than it does to fill it up, believe it or not. Keeping a half-full tank gives you peace of mind and ensures you have enough fuel for a moderate journey.

The temperature in Atlanta is dropping and your car may not be up to the weather. If it’s going to last through the colder months, you’re going to have to winterize it.

 No matter if you’re mostly driving only the surface streets or all around I-285, you’ll need to prepare your vehicle for the cold.

How To Winterize Your Car The Right Way

Because road safety is #1, winterizing your vehicle is important. And a lot of people (in Atlanta) don’t know what that entails, we’re going to walk you through it.

1. Switch To Winter Windshield Wipers

Purchase

Visibility is your top priority when driving around in the winter. You’ll need to change out your wipers if you don’t have the special kinds for winter. You can pick them up at your local Advance Auto Parts, O’Reilly Autoparts or Autozone. 

You can also buy them online here:

2. Buy Some Winter Tires

Purchase

Winter tires hold traction much better than regular tires. Unless conditions get uncharacteristically bad, motorists driving in places like Atlanta and other parts of the Southeast shouldn’t really need winter tires.

But make sure your all-season tires have the correct tire pressure, especially during the colder months.

If you find that you need some winter tires, here are some of our favorites:

3. Keep Your Gas Tank Half Full

Because you never know how traffic has been affected by the driving conditions, it’s a good idea to always keep your gas tank half full.

It’s not going to take anymore money than it does to fill it up, believe it or not. Keeping a half-full tank gives you peace of mind and ensures you have enough fuel for a moderate journey.

4. Keep A Winter Safety Kit In Your Trunk

Buy Now
Because you never know what could happen, you should keep a winter safety kit in the trunk of your car. What should this kit include? It all varies, but here are some must-have basic items:

5. Take It To The Shop

Your local mechanic knows how to get your car prepared for winter driving conditions. These would include switching to a thicker oil for your vehicle and other modifications.

Another thing they’ll be able to check is the strength of your battery and whether it needs to be replaced.

No matter what you do, remember to drive safety and take as many precautions on the road as you can. Be safe!

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Tee Johnson: Tee Johnson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AtlantaFi.com, Atlanta’s independent hyper-local publication focused on news, restaurants, events, jobs, neighborhoods, and lifestyle. A 15+ year Atlanta resident and longtime journalist and content creator, she covers Travel News, Events, Business, Hair Care, and Money with a practical, Atlanta-first lens. Before launching the site, Johnson worked as a substitute teacher in Atlanta Public Schools and later in corporate roles at Home Depot’s Vinings offices. A marketer by training with a degree in business management, she grew frustrated with the fragmented, hard-to-find information about what was actually happening in the city. That gap led her to create AtlantaFi as a curated, one-stop resource for the pulse of Atlanta—#ATLHAPS—without the national noise. Editorial decisions remain independent; the publication does not accept products, meals, or services in exchange for coverage. As Editor-in-Chief, she oversees original local reporting and curated practical guides that help residents, visitors, and businesses discover and engage with the city. Readers turn to her work for timely event roundups, dining and neighborhood insights, business and travel updates, and straightforward money and lifestyle coverage grounded in firsthand observation of Atlanta. A devoted lover of all things Atlanta, Tee enjoys pickleball, a good margarita or bourbon, and walking the Atlanta Beltline. She can be reached for editorial inquiries at tjohnson@atlantafi.com (serious inquiries only).

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