Things You Need For Your Perfect Snow-Escape

Now that Christmas is over, you’ve probably stopped hearing the famous carol “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” playing. But a fair number of places in North India are still welcoming snowfall through February. This makes next few weeks an excellent time to escape to the mountains for a picture-perfect snowy landscape. However, driving through snow and ice can be a tricky affair, especially if you are not used to driving in these conditions. So, here are a few tips to help you navigate your journey safely.

Pick The Right Ride

The vehicle you choose must be powerful enough to climb inclines and provide adequate traction and control to make the drive safe and effortless. A superior and powerful SUV, like the Ford Endeavour, for instance, is equipped with advanced technology that makes driving through challenging terrains, like snow-covered mountains, safe and easy. Snow is a low-grip surface, and sometimes the roads in such regions can have ‘black ice’, which is an invisible patch of ice on the road – that offers almost no grip at all. Nonetheless, your Ford Endeavour has active and passive safety and tech features that reduce the risk of driving on these roads.

• Traction Control: This feature helps prevent wheelspin under acceleration, ensuring you always remain in control, even while driving up or down up a snow-covered slope.
• ESP (Electronic Stability Program): Keeps the car moving in the direction of the front wheels by applying the brakes individually to each wheel and sometimes even cutting their power. This ensures you retain steering control and is exceptionally helpful when driving on narrow and slippery roads.
• Electric Locking Rear Differential: It enables you to maintain grip even if one of the rear wheels finds itself spinning on ice. A standard rear differential sends only enough power to move either of the wheels, which means that the car could get stuck if one of the wheels is in the air. However, Ford Endeavour’s electric locking differential ensures that the engine’s available power goes to the rear wheel to render adequate grip and traction, allowing it to pull the car out of a slippery spot even if one of the rear wheels is in the air.
• Terrain Management System (TMS): It ensures that the traction and control are optimised for snow and ice. This premium SUV tailors the throttle response, gearshifts, traction control, ABS (anti-lock braking system), and ESP to suit the terrain by setting the mode to snow. The TMS is a shift-on-the-fly system, meaning you can switch modes without stopping and losing momentum. All of this ensures that every drive on your winter-wonderland break is effortless, safe and enjoyable.

• 4×4 Low Range: Should you get caught in heavy snowfall, simply shift gears to low range; this pushes the engine’s torque to a higher level than regular gear ratio. Additionally, the Ford Endeavour’s 225mm ground clearance can help you confidently to wade through snow-laden roads.

Another striking feature of the automatic gearbox is its SelectShift feature that skips gears to ensure optimum torque and power delivery depending on driving conditions.

Best Practices During Peak Winters:

Check the health of various systems: Battery performance tends to drop with temperature, so if your battery is weak or old, the odds are that it may not perform well on a trip through snow. It is also necessary to check various systems like the electricals and braking systems at an authorised service centre to ensure they perform at their optimum.

Check windshield wipers: Have a good look at your windshield wipers and change them if the rubber has gotten hard or brittle, and ensure the motor is working properly so that your vision is not impaired by snowfall. The Ford Endeavour has automatic wipers that will clear snow effectively to ensure clear visibility in rain and snow.

Pay attention to snow poles and snow-related road signs: Snow poles mark hazards that might get buried under the snow. Pay attention to them, and steer clear of such areas. Remember, road signs warning you of snow are there to warn you of any impending danger; so it is wise to slow down and drive cautiously when you see them.

Pay attention to the dashboard: The Ford Endeavour has traction control, ABS, and ESP, features, and all of these have warning lights on the dashboard that flash when they are triggered. So, here are some indicators that you should look for when driving.

• If your traction control light is flashing, it means you’re accelerating too hard. So, take some pressure off the throttle until the light stops flashing.
• If the ESP light is flashing, it could indicate that the front wheels don’t have enough grip to turn. Slow down, and try straightening the steering a little
• If your ABS light is flashing, ease up on the brake pedal. Drive slower and start braking earlier, so that you’ll need less braking force on your drive.

Snow chains are your friend: Snow chains are fitted on top of your existing tyres to help them maintain grip in snow. You can consider purchasing them if you are driving to a region that experiences heavy snowfall and snowstorms. However, remember to practice putting them on multiple times before you head off on your trip.

Anti-freeze additives are a must: Diesel tends to freeze in sub-zero temperatures and starting your car in the morning can become a nightmare if you are going to stay at places where temperatures drop to negative 15-degree Celsius or lower. Thankfully, all fuel stations leading to places that experience such weather extremes sell anti-freeze additives that can prevent such untoward situations. Make sure you add it to your car’s fuel tank for a smoother drive.

With the right preparation and knowledge and a capable car like Ford Endeavour, you can have a wonderful winter vacation and a stress-free drive. So don’t wait, head-out to the winter wonderland today to catch some fresh snow.