Survey Sorts Winter-Driving Fact From Fiction

CARS.COM — We hear an awful lot these days about “FAKE NEWS!” when it comes to political coverage, but there’s also no shortage of misinformation out there about automotive maintenance and best practices. South Korea-based Hankook Tire this week released the Hankook Tire Gauge Index, its quarterly survey of motoring Americans. This time, the survey sought to find out which among a flurry of automotive myths pertaining to winter driving Americans are falling for.

Related: Video: Get Your Car Ready for Winter

See fact separated from fiction below — and don’t let anyone lead you astray with false information.

1. You should let a cold car warm up before driving.

Only if you have time and money to waste. Otherwise, this one’s fiction, despite being believed by 82 percent of Americans.

“Your car will warm up much faster while driving at a normal operating speed,” Hankook stated. “Idling does very little to actually warm up the engine and instead wastes gas.”

2. Gas in your tank can freeze in extreme cold.

Nah. But 35 percent think so anyway. What can freeze, however, is condensation in your tank, which could indeed damage your fuel line. You can avoid this by keeping your tank at least half full when the mercury plunges.

3. Brake sharply and counter-steer to correct a skid.

We can’t let nearly a quarter of survey respondents slide on this one. Instead of the bad advice above, steer into the skid, keeping your foot off the gas or the brake, and resume acceleration only once you regain control. Click here for tips about how to get through winter in a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.

4. Tire pressure can drop with the temperature.

This belief — held by 94 percent of participants — isn’t just hot air. It’s true: For every 10 degrees of temperature change, your tires can lose 1 to 2 pounds per square inch of pressure, or PSI.

“And if left unchecked, underinflated tires can shorten the tread life and reduce fuel economy,” Hankook warned.

5. All-season tires are a no-go in the snow.

This one treads on both fact and fiction. While two-thirds of Americans think their all-season tires are designed to handle snow, that’s only partially true. Hankook says they’re best suited for mild conditions, but that winter tires provide greater traction and safety in snowy conditions.