This article will focus on 9 things you can do to improve your cars performance while driving on a bitter, cold winter day. Many of these ideas might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to do these simple tasks:

Buy Good Anitfreeze Please do yourself a favor and buy quality antifreeze. The cheap stuff is liable to freeze. So spend a little more so you don’t have to worry about your car overheating. And make sure you keep your fluid at a 50/50 ratio of water to antifreeze. That’s the optimal ratio to prevent the fluid from freezing up.

Get Your Charging System Checked You’re battery might be brand new, but if you have an old charging system, you’re battery could die. So get your charger checked out.

Look at Your Belts and Hoses When is the last time you’ve opened your hood? If you haven’t done it in a while, do it today. Even if you don’t know what to look for, you can at least check the condition of your hoses and belts. Hoses and belts are cheap, so make sure they are in good condition. You don’t want to get stranded because of cheap hose or belt.

Check Your Windshield Wipers If you haven’t bought windshield wipers in a while, you probably should just go buy some new ones. Most are relatively cheap, and a good pair will be very helpful during a stormy day.

Keep Extra Windshield Washer Fluid in Your Car If you’ve ever driven on a snowy day, you know how quickly you can go through windshield washer fluid. So make sure your washer fluid is always full—especially during the winter—and carry an extra container in your car so you can fill up if you need it.

Bag of Salt or Sand for Traction If you live in an icy or snowy area, you know the value of having a bag of sand or salt handy for tire traction. Simply spread salt or sand out on the snow to give your tires some traction if you ever get stuck.

Get an Ice Scraper and Snowbrush When you need to get ice and snow off your car, you definitely need a good scraper and brush. If you don’t have one in your trunk, get one. You’ll be glad you did.

Keep Warm: Old Clothes/Blankets/Shoes/Waterproof Poncho/Umbrella You should always store some extra blankets, old clothes, shoes, umbrella, and a waterproof poncho in your trunk. These are emergency items that can be very helpful if you get soaked in the rain or snow.

Tire Chains Yeah,they might look really easy to put on, but you really should practice before getting yourself in a situation where you need them. So practice putting chains on at home, so that you know how to apply them on a cold, snowy day.