KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010 / NEWS
SAFETY
3A
Car maintenance prevents costly fixes in the winter
BY CARLO RAMIREZ cramirez@kansan.com
Slippery roads, temperatures below zero and extreme wind chills are on the way. Despite the treacherous conditions, we still must hop in our vehicles and go about our lives. Preparing your car for winter can prevent accidents and relieve you of future stress.
You may think your car is ready to take on severe winter storms yet again, but there are a few things that can make facing the wintery conditions easier for both you and your vehicle.
TIP #1: TAKE CARE OF YOUR TIRES
Check your tire pressure
Check your pressure Richard Haig, owner of the Westside 66 & Carwash, said it's a good idea to check the pressure on all your tires and fill them a few pounds higher than they call for. Many mechanic shops will try to charge you to put nitrogen air in your tires, but Haig advises against that and says the normal air is just fine.
"Eighty-three percent of the air we breathe in the U.S. is nitrogen anyways," he said. "There is no difference between that and regular air, but they will try to sell you it anyways."
Put winter tires on your vehicle
If you drive a performance vehicle such as a Mustang, Haig recommends switching from the stock performance tires to winter tires. Winter tires have more treads and deeper grooves to help the car "grip" the road better in slippery conditions. Also, all-season tires harden at temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter tires however, are made with a different rubber, which stays more flexible even in below zero conditions. This flexibility improves traction.
TIP #2: TAKE CARE OF YOUR WIPERS AND WINDSHIELD
Keep ice from building up on your winers
When you park for the night and head inside, a good practice is to pull your windshield wipers up and away from the windshield. This keeps the wipers from freezing and sticking to the car. Haig suggests switching your windshield wipers to winter blades which cost anywhere from 12-20 dollars. Winter blades feature a rubber "boot" which helps keep snow and ice from building up
within the blade.
Be careful trying to get ice off your windshield
If your windshield is frozen over with ice, it is important to be patient. The wipers alone are not strong enough to remove the ice and running wipers over a frozen windshield will wear down the blades almost immediately. Haig's advice is to turn the car on and let it run for a few minutes. He warns not to pour hot water on the windshield as this could crack your windshield all together. According to Haig, many people purchase anti-freeze to speed up the defrost process. In his opinion, anti-freeze it is a waste of money. Just buy yourself a window scraper. Some scrapers even have built in gloves to keep your hands warm while you scrape off the ice.
"I walk to campus a lot and rarely have to drive, so i just forget about my care so my wipers are always frozen to the windshield and it always hard to get them going." said Steve Ryan, a sophomore from Hinsdale, Ill.
TIP #3: KEEP JUMPER CABLES WITH YOU
If you do not use your car often then it is crucial to keep jumper
CAR (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
said the software tells information like where in the world materials come from and how many greenhouse gas emissions the materials create.
"Being able to reuse parts allows us more time for testing," she said.
Dellwag said she thought revamping the 2009 car would benefit the Jayhawk Motorsports team in competition.
Testing allows the members to discover potential problems that could hinder performance in competition, Rimel said.
The members of Jayhawk Motorsports affectionately call
their lab "the shop" but it's more than that.
"We're not fixing brake pads changing oil filters," Rime. "We're literally engineering es."
Edited by Emily McCoy
MARRIED (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
married in high school, so if you think we are young, look at them."
This connection also helped them maintain their relationship despite rigorous schedules.
Branstetter said a passion for sports helped bring him close to his wife, Kolby, a senior from Round Rock, Texas and an infield player on the softball team.
"As soon as I met her and we had that connection, it was easy for me to decide this was the person I wanted to be with," said Branstetter. "We could connect on every level of life."
"We got married right before the football season started," Branstetter said. "But it never changed me as an athlete. We both have the same desire to win and be successful, so we just understand each other."
Unlike Branstetter, Joshua Anderson, a senior from Perry, said his life has moved in reverse. He met his wife to-be, Rachel. He got married. He worked blue-collar jobs driving trucks and building houses. He had two children. Only after that did he go to college.
"At the time we met, I was just sort of drifting." Anderson said. "I didn't have any ideas one way or the other about when I should marry, it just happened."
After the wedding, though.
Rachel Brashear-Anderson said the couple's priorities changed.
"When you are married, there is no attitude of 'Oh my gosh, this is so hard, let's party,' she said. "You are spending your own money in hopes of improving the future for your family."
In addition to a full course load, Anderson also works part time as a shop tech in the Art Department. Brashear-Anderson works as a Doula, or a birth assistant. She also makes money as a piano teacher and musician to make ends meet.
"I was too young to have very developed expectations," Anderson said. "Marriage for me was maybe the only natural decision of my life. Everything becomes more difficult when you get married, and going to school full time makes it even harder."
"With children, you either pay tons of money for childcare or one parent stays at home." Brashear-Anderson said. "If Josh had gone to school before we had kids, I would have been able to pursue my career in my own time. It puts a strain on finances, and also relationships."
Anderson said he relies on his wife's support to get through school.
Brashear-Anderson explained that school comes with sacrifices.
"You have an impetus to succeed, and you have someone who is there for you," Anderson said. "Making everything work for everyone is very difficult and requires a lot of sacrifices."
Anderson said school has also challenged the couple.
"I imagine life after school will be great," Anderson said. "Because in a lot of ways, being in school has been like putting our relationship through the wringer."
Branstetter said the biggest change he has felt since getting married is his mind-set.
"I stopped thinking about me and what I wanted to do," Branstetter said. "Now it's about her and what she needs to do and what we want to do together. I don't think we ever expected how dependent you become on each other."
Anderson said despite all of its challenges, being married and a college student provides a concrete partnership.
"You have someone there for you," Anderson said. "Your life is so different from other students in a way they could never understand. You are never alone."
Edited by Emily McCoy
cables on hand. Jumper cables are vital to getting your car started if your battery dies. Just remember positive-to-positive and negative-to-negative. If you do not know how to jump a car, wait for someone who does because it can be extremely dangerous.
"Living in the dorms last year, I wouldn't drive too much. The jumper cables came in handy pretty often, for me and people on my floor," recalls Charlie Herr, a sophomore from Chicago.
Cold weather tire problems can be alleviated by checking pressure and switching to winter tires. All-season tires can harden at temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN FILE PHOTO
TIP #4: DON'T SLAM ON YOUR BRAKES IF YOU HIT ICE
but at a much faster rate than humanly possible. Eventually, with steady pressure, the brakes will re-grip.
If you have the unfortunate experience of hitting ice and skidding, it is important to keep steady pressure on the brakes. Many people try to keep padding the break on and off, however the ABS break system is designed to do just that
"Give yourself a little extra time to get wherever you are going."
Haig said. "And if you don't have to go somewhere, maybe just wait till conditions are better to go."
Edited by Alex Tretbar