Considerations for Extreme Cold (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TheGrrrrr
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I live in Illinois. My parents and sister live west (my sis is about 2 hours from me, closer to Iowa).
Unless it's blizzard conditions of snow, you'll be fine with your truck as-is and a cell phone. Maybe try to avoid running too low on gas. I'm not going to say you shouldn't keep emergency gear with you, but if you break down you can call for a tow truck and/or someone will pass you by at most hours of the day wherever you are. Illinois is just not remote like Alaska. The main roads get salted and plowed before the snow even starts to fall, and will stay clear unless it's snowing so badly they just can't keep up (and even then you'll find the crews work all night).
Now that said if you're going out in heavy snow or ice or blizzard/white out conditions, you should plan on getting stuck for an extended period of time, and in that case some blankets in particular would be a good idea.
The main things I would recommend are:
Unless it's blizzard conditions of snow, you'll be fine with your truck as-is and a cell phone. Maybe try to avoid running too low on gas. I'm not going to say you shouldn't keep emergency gear with you, but if you break down you can call for a tow truck and/or someone will pass you by at most hours of the day wherever you are. Illinois is just not remote like Alaska. The main roads get salted and plowed before the snow even starts to fall, and will stay clear unless it's snowing so badly they just can't keep up (and even then you'll find the crews work all night).
Now that said if you're going out in heavy snow or ice or blizzard/white out conditions, you should plan on getting stuck for an extended period of time, and in that case some blankets in particular would be a good idea.
The main things I would recommend are:
- check your battery and if it's weak you might want to replace it, because when the temps get to -20F you'll be surprised how slow the vehicle seems to crank as compared to normal (my old 4Runner would struggle to start even with a new battery once the temps dropped around -20F), and
- a spare set of jumper cables and/or a lithium jump pack aren't bad to keep in the vehicle in case you do need a bit of a boost due to #1
- I have flannel-lined jeans and khakis for when this kind of polar vortex hits, but you can get by if you put a pair of sweat pants over top of your jeans when you're outside (or a pair of pajama pants underneath)
- t-shirt, sweater, fleece, coat. I'm serious about layering up. If you don't have a fleece and heavy coat, put a light (spring season) jack on and then the heaviest one you have on top. You can always remove layers if you're moving around a hot, but you can't add layers you don't have
- mittens work better than gloves. I have double-thick gloves and my fingers still get cold if I'm waiting on the train platform unless I put my gloved hands in my pockets
- wool hat and a scarf long enough to wrap around and cover your face
- double socks
I would be more concerned with ensuring you have a good battery and proper washer fluid for the temps. And good tires inflated to the proper pressure. Have a survival bag as others have stated. But it doesn't sound like you'll be very remote or driving in inclement weather/blizzard conditions. Just cold. Here in Idaho it's been brutally cold. Yesterday ambient temp was -25 F. The 200 didn't flinch. These trucks are made to endure extremes. Drive safe and use the DOT apps for road conditions as you travel.
The 0W-16 is for the Prius I believe.
bloc
SILVER Star
Newer hondas use it as well.
I read through the thread, but didn’t see a reminder for an ice scraper for your windshield, and brush to clear snow from your roof to prevent blinding drivers behind you.
I have been dumb enough (on multiple occasions) to leave full cans of Diet Coke in my truck overnight. Minnesota winters don’t forgive that mistake.
Imagine a slurpee coating the inside surface of your seat or dash. Now, it doesn’t usually go very far, and 12 ounces won’t coat your entire interior, but it’s still a mess. Sometimes it’s the lid blowing out, and sometimes the lid holds but the sides give out. And then there are times that it looks like the can was shot with a bullet.
I’m here in the south where we are only teased with a little snow every couple of years. But my suggestion is to watch out for those very foggy areas while driving. Those 100+ car pile ups are the worst. I don’t know if this arctic cold would cause much fog like that ( never been in super thick fog myself) but it’s something to watch out for.
Not needed for those temps and for a short duration trip. Fairbanks Alaska is one thing. A trip to the cold part of Illinois does not warrant It.
While no one ever gets flat tires having a plastic tarp, wool blanket, or a pad is something I have in my vehicles so not have to lay a down in the muck. Even have a pair of overalls. Also drop the spare and grease the mechanism.
Regarding clearing snow. Clear off all of the vehicle especially the roof. Some dumb arse stopped in the middle of the road the other day so to clear the snow that slid off the roof and covered the windshield when they braked. I use a horsehair floor or bench brush for clearing snow. They work better than the crappy snow brushes.
Regarding clearing snow. Clear off all of the vehicle especially the roof. Some dumb arse stopped in the middle of the road the other day so to clear the snow that slid off the roof and covered the windshield when they braked. I use a horsehair floor or bench brush for clearing snow. They work better than the crappy snow brushes.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
- Thread starter
- #33
Agree with everything here. There is no colder place on earth than whatever train platform you happen to be standing on at 7am on any winter Monday in Chicago.
I'll be just south of the Quad Cities and the forecast is improving for that area. Even so, I called an audible last night and booked flights. My whole plan for driving was based on trying to swing through Colorado on the way home and maybe hit Moab, but schedules have changes and won't allow all that fun. I'd still prefer a 23 hour drive in a blizzard over a 3 hour flight on Allegiant.
I wasn't asking if it was necessary, I was asking if anyone ran either.
Formerly from rural Nebraska. I'm of the belief that most people just don't realize what rural driving or cross country driving is like when you have to take routes that aren't on the interstate. My route back home this winter will have a good 300 miles of single lane highway driving that doesn't hit the interstate. On that highway I'll see few people, especially if this cyclone is as bad as they say it will be, and a snow plow isn't coming fast - hell some parts it'll be a road grader. Plus you get those midwest states where snow is generally falling sidways instead of down, things get bad fast and in a deceptive way.
scottm
SILVER Star
My 200 is sitting at O'Hare right now. In a few days I'll be jumping in it, for a 175-mile drive around the bottom of Lake Michigan, and up the Michigan coast in lake effect snow and ice, back home. It has stock Toyota oil, stock Toyota windshield fluid, and it will do fine. I rarely had trouble with my high-mileage 100, 80, 4Runner, Subaru, Audi, VW, etc in this weather on this drive. If you have some kind of oil and coolant in your 200, and a battery that isn't dead, you will be fine.
I did park my Audi at O'Hare with very diluted antifreeze, temps well below zero froze the plastic radiator and iron block solid. But it still got me home with a lot of stopleak.
I threw my insulated coveralls in the truck before setting out this morning, and some extra energy bars in my backpack. Shovel, down coat and parka, down sleeping bag, tools, are always in the truck for winter. I lost my old military winter survival boots in this last house move, should get a new pair for the truck.
I did park my Audi at O'Hare with very diluted antifreeze, temps well below zero froze the plastic radiator and iron block solid. But it still got me home with a lot of stopleak.
I threw my insulated coveralls in the truck before setting out this morning, and some extra energy bars in my backpack. Shovel, down coat and parka, down sleeping bag, tools, are always in the truck for winter. I lost my old military winter survival boots in this last house move, should get a new pair for the truck.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
You'll also need to change your ih8mud name to "The Brrrrr". 
Lots of good advice here. We don't usually get that cold in Vermont, and on the rare occasion that we do, we mostly stay hunkered down at home unless absolutely necessary.
Before winter I try to make sure every vehicle is up to date on maintainance, has a good battery, winter or three peak AT tires, decent wipers, properly rated windshield washer fluid and appropriate motor oil. Every vehicle gets a scraper, first aid kit, a bag with warm clothes (hat, mittens, wool socks), blanket (plus a space blanket or two) and a couple of MREs. Everyone carries a cell phone, charging cord and a triple A card when on the road.
Have a great trip!
Lots of good advice here. We don't usually get that cold in Vermont, and on the rare occasion that we do, we mostly stay hunkered down at home unless absolutely necessary.
Before winter I try to make sure every vehicle is up to date on maintainance, has a good battery, winter or three peak AT tires, decent wipers, properly rated windshield washer fluid and appropriate motor oil. Every vehicle gets a scraper, first aid kit, a bag with warm clothes (hat, mittens, wool socks), blanket (plus a space blanket or two) and a couple of MREs. Everyone carries a cell phone, charging cord and a triple A card when on the road.
Have a great trip!
We have a freeze warning with a low of 32 degrees here in Tampa FL tomorrow night! High of 48 on Saturday! Temps won’t get back in the 70’s for a week! I know to bring in the orchids and hope for the best for the banana trees, but any special tips for the LC in the garage??
make sure to disable your auto folding mirrors!
