So, I have to drive 1hr back to my dorm from work. I leave early but not early enough before the storm sets in. :X

Trip takes 2hrs instead of 50 mins. ABS kicks in like mad everytime i brake, and I don't brake late either;
Question: Would the brakes be fine for the rest of the winter if its like that? The previous owner recently put on new brakes before selling it to me.

Also, the car "hesitated" to start from 18F weather after I got off from work at 1:30PM. About 40 minutes after the snow storm started. Just changed the oil like 200 miles ago with my first K&N filter FTW (had leakage from Fram, yes i read ur posts about the right filters toyomatt) and 5w-20 castrol gtx. BUT, the morning @ 9PM , 15F ish, the car started up fine...
Question 2: What can I do to keep my car going smooth through this might-be rough winter? I suppose at 90K miles, I might need new sparks and battery or no????
(Timing belt is 4th on my to-replace list cuz im unsure if the previous owner replaced them...how do I check if its good or not??? Shocks and bearings are top two!)

Any recommendations for COLD weather driving is greatly appreciated!!

 

If you haven't replaced your spark plugs...start there.
Make sure your antifreeze is in good condition and mixed properly...

If you have a Manual Transmission...use your lower gears to slow you down instead of your brakes. If you had your abs kicking on while driving in the snow, then you are probably breaking too much. (If you have an Auto Transmission, then you could also use the lower gears to slow your car down).
***You pretty much want to avoid sudden changes of speed (either accel or decel)

EDIT: Oh and VERY important...Try your best to know when steep hills are coming so you can be sure and carry your speed going up the hills...And whatever you do DO NOT SLOW DOWN OR STOP WHILE GOING UP A HILL IN THE SNOW! You don't want to speed race up it, just make sure you have enough momentum so make it up the hill without having to give it alot of gas.

Now I started off driven through snow without abs on a rear wheel drive car, so I'm used to not using the brakes so much and being very careful about losing the back end. But in Front Wheel drive cars, it CAN be easier to control in the snow...either way (IMO) its safer to gradually slow your self down with the trans instead of jamming on the brakes...

If you have to drive on ice...just call it a night whereever your at!

Hope these help some!

(I'm not trying to underestimate your intelligence...so i apologize if i tell you something you already know!)

 

Sorry to waste two post...But I just saw your other questions:

Timing Belt - I would plan on doing this once it starts getting warmer (or if you have access to heated garage/shop). I would move this on up to #1 on your to do list b/c it is the most important and could possibly cause the most damage. You could always pull the upper timing belt cover to get a look at the condition of the current belt (there is only 1). You are quickly approaching the recommended mileage for replacement of the timing belt, but if it was my car I would change it well before it is due (just alittle insurance on the motor)...

Battery - This should be ok, unless it has shown signs of weaking on you...I'm pretty sure heat and cold stress the battery, so it may not hurt to drive it to an auto parts store to have it tested if you are super worried about it

Brakes - You could always pull the wheels off and check the brake pads, but if they were recently replaced you should be ok!

Fram - I wouldn't recommend these oil filters...I used to use them, and never had any problems out of them. But I have seen more frams crap out than higer quality oil filters (KN, Mobil 1, Honda, etc...)

In case you are wondering why I'm going on and on...I'm a little bored tonight!

 

It's most likely not the brakes but the tires.

 

this snow storm rocks!! i threw my winters on, and ran sea foam through the throttle body and gas tank. may get a battery with more CCA.

 

Our satellite dish keeps conking out. I gotta keep going outside to throw snowballs at it to know whatever it is off the dish. I don't think it's working to remove the frozen rain though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by InanimateCarbonRod &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Our satellite dish keeps conking out. I gotta keep going outside to throw snowballs at it to know whatever it is off the dish. I don't think it's working to remove the frozen rain though.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

that was random, but yeah....back to topic

yeah forgot to say i drive an 01 EX 5-speed. 3rd winter driving a stick car so I wouldn't say I have that much experience yet but enough to drive a car without ABS and know easy on the clutch. i Started without ABS also . Yeah ill never go back to fram for a car that I own! I'll see if the roads clear up some time next week to get my battery checked I think it needs a replacement too. :X

as for the other posts, yea i have 205/50/15 Kumho's on all four almost-new &lt; 4000 miles.

whats sea foam got to do with this cold weather? (i see ur from oconomowoc) I have used it with older civics to clean out the motor and stuff but on these new cars? I donn't think it's necessary with ~90K miles....

 

We're supposed to get the same storm on Monday. CR-V FTW!

 

ABS is kicking in because your tires are slipping when braking. How much thread do you have on your tires? You may want to consider winter tires if your area has lots of snow, slush and ice and freezing temperatures. Also with ABS, you don't have to use the pump your brakes technique. Just press firmly and steer...

 

i'm supposed to have this winter storm tonight, but not much is falling, plus 2 years ago when i got the em2, i got it two days before six inches fell and i will let you know one thing our civics are **** in snow and ice.........i hit a phone pole dealing with freezing rain and i was in s full drift, my car was completely side ways thought i'd pull out of it using the conter steer effect but i hit it.... then the followin winter from nearly 200 feet away i started sliding torwards a stop sign and i was about 3 sec from t-boneing a car and some how i made a right turn to avoid the car that i was about to hit.........then i put on a oem wing and had no problem whats so ever.....outta all the situtaions i went through i think that the downforce that i didnt have on the back end was a great deal on me crashing or not......i was going 30 or40 in both situtaions so maybe not check it out lol

 

yeah I definitely have lots of tread left, as stated before &lt; 4K miles. I do have an OEM wing, don't know if that really matters :X, snow is on the ground.....at 30-40 mph I'd think it would do very little...if at all.

any other suggestions? keep em coming, very useful stuff so far!

 

but if its snowing there wind..........downforce is weird,, i remeber highschool we had a wind tunnel and every single thing effected it soo maybe not, maybe so but our rear ends are very short.........

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fongyz22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
that was random, but yeah....back to topic
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not that random, considering the topic title of the thread.


It sounds like you're doing everything right and your tires are good for the job at hand. There will be times where the tires just aren't going to grip , no matter how good you or your equipment is; that's when you just have to be super cautious.

Everything looks nice and clear down here now.

 

Wish we had snow........its 64 degrees......thats random lol.

 

In your original post, you said that the ABS is activating EVERY time you hit the brakes. If that is really true, then you are probably driving way too fast for conditions. Try to plan ahead for those stops. Even 30 mph can be too fast if the roads are very slippery....especially if you're route involves a lot of stop and go driving. Probably the best advice I ever got about driving on snow-covered and icy roads was offered by my Dad over 40 years ago (I grew up in upstate NY with very snowy and cold winters) who coached me to pretend that there was a raw egg between my foot and the accelerator and brake when driving on slippery roads. That concept has stuck with me for over 50 years of driving....and has served me well.