Winter in the Okanagan brings a variety of challenging driving conditions including wet, icy and snowy roads. These factors reduce your vehicle's control, making it more challenging to prevent accidents or damage.

In addition to bad weather conditions, it’s important to remain vigilant about bad driving behavior of other drivers, as their actions can also contribute to accidents. Your readiness for these factors play a big role in your ability to respond effectively when faced with a dangerous situation. Knowing how to maneuver and operate your vehicle under these conditions will contribute to your transmissions’ health and improve road safety for yourself and others. These manual transmission driving tips for winter will set you up for a winter of safe driving.

1. Shift down instead of braking

If you have ever hit the brakes too hard on icy roads, you likely experienced that heart-stopping moment when your vehicle didn’t slow down but started to slide. Unfortunately, this mistake often leads to rear-end collisions. While some situations like black ice are unavoidable, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk.

One advantage of driving a manual transmission vehicle is the ability to use the gears to slow down. This is beneficial because heavy braking can lead to wheel lock-up and a loss of traction. When approaching a stopped car, start shifting down 200 meters before reaching it. This allows you enough time to shift down to a complete stop.

If you find yourself sliding or losing control, take your foot off the brake or accelerator pedal and press the clutch pedal to the floor to cut power from the engine to the wheels. Keep your hands on the wheel and stay calm until you regain traction again.

2. Avoid starting your car on a hill

Driving a manual vehicle comes with many advantages, but one drawback that becomes apparent during the winter months–the challenge of starting on an icy incline. One of the important driving tips for winter is to try and avoid icy inclines. Even the most skilled drivers find this task difficult, making it advisable to avoid it whenever possible.

If you can not avoid it, refrain from hitting the brakes before approaching the hill. Hopefully, this maintained speed will allow you to cruise up the hill without any issues. If you go on a route that requires you to stop on a hill, it’s advised to find a different route or wait until the conditions have improved.

3. Favour your lower gears

A common mistake that drivers make is shifting into higher gears when roads are in poor condition. In densely populated areas where frequent stops are likely, using higher gears (4th, 5th, 6th gears) can impact your ability to stop quickly if needed. Relying on high gears may force you to slam on the brakes which could lead to slippage or hydroplaning.

If you find yourself driving slower than the flow of traffic, it’s best to move to the slow lane and let others pass you safely. While you cannot control the actions of other drivers, resist the urge to pick up the pace to match their speed as this becomes more dangerous for you and everyone around you.

Although this rule can be challenging to follow on highways, especially during poor driving conditions, taking extra precautions and driving in a lower gear in the slow lane can contribute to overall safety and reduce the risk of potential accidents.

Although we suggest going slower in poor driving conditions, it’s always advisable to drive the speed limit when conditions permit. Doing so not only ensures your safety but also helps maintain the smooth flow of traffic.

4. Avoid rapid acceleration

Accelerating quickly is not recommended at any time, but especially when the roads are bad. A sudden increase in speed can cause the tires to spin and lose grip, which in worse cases can lead to a loss of control. Keep your acceleration gradual and maintain a slow and steady increase until you’re at your desired speed.

5. Accelerate on concrete, not ice

When driving on a road containing icy patches or areas with deep water pockets, it’s important to know when you should accelerate and brake. It’s a general rule of thumb to cease acceleration before encountering an icy, snowy or water-covered section of the road. This precaution becomes particularly critical when approaching a corner; refrain for accelerating on icy corners. Once you’ve safely navigated the corner, you can resume acceleration.

The same principle applies to braking. Initiate braking or downshifting before reaching an icy, snowy or wet surface to minimize the risk of slipping.

Observing winter highway conditions, you may have noticed that one lane often exhibits more ice than the other. This is from fewer vehicles using that side, allowing ice or snow to persist. For the best traction, it's advisable to drive in the lane where the underlying concrete is visible, as this provides the best grip for your tires.

Winter driving can impact your transmission

Without a doubt, our transmissions undergo significant stress in the harsh Canadian winters, so it’s important to look after them with regular manual transmission maintenance to ensure optimal functioning. Onboarding these driving tips for winter to care for your manual transmission will provide you with assurance to navigate winter conditions confidently, knowing that everything is in working order. Be sure to follow these important driving tips for winter!

Highway 97 Transmissions is one of the Okanagan's most trusted transmission shops. With years of experience, your transmission is in capable and caring hands.

Check out our current specials here or contact one of our transmission experts at (250) 860-3871.