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-   -   Driving in Canadian Winters: My Experience & Tips (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/289857-driving-canadian-winters-my-experience-tips.html)

Video;

https://youtu.be/A3sdyFcagic

^ Above video talks about how I coped with driving in Canada during Winters & also my experience driving in Snow, followed with some Tips.

The video is split into two parts;

00:01 : My Experience
04:39 : My Tips

For those who prefer text may read on from the next post.

I was in Toronto region since mid December onwards & had the opportunity to experience proper Winter conditions with a White Christmas & New Years eve. Got to experience temperatures as low as - 18 Deg. C to a high of + 8 Deg. C. Also got a couple of sunny days & also a wet rainy day. However majority of the time spent was in snowy conditions with a good amount of snowfall experienced.



^ The ride with me was the 2024 BMW X5 LCi xDrive with the 40i engine (B58 + 48V Mild Hybrid system);



Being in Toronto region the backbone highway is the 401;



407 which is a Toll Route Expressway;



Or the backroads like the Highway 7;



Never did I experience any snow accumulations on these roads.

Thanks to the pre-treatment of Brine;



This is sort of a mixture of salt & water, hoping to lower the freezing point of water & effective to avoid snow/ice accumulation on roads.

If there is any accumulation on roads like this;



Then the snow ploughs come into action, ploughing the snow to the side of the road;



Definitely the highways are prioritised over the back roads or small lanes.

In case of Downtown region;



Snow is again ploughed by the snow trucks and if there is excessive snow then there are Snow removal operations conducted where the ploughed snow is collected by the snow trucks and dumped outside city limits at designated snow dumps.

Overall not praising Canada as this is expected of any developed country, but yeah just sharing what I learnt while having a great time this Canadian Winters. Also apologies if anyone is offended by me being in Canada (was visiting family) during a time when there's an unfriendly government with their attitude towards India. However a prediction came true, its a start;



:thumbs up

Some pictures of me driving around the GTA;



Parked next to a semi frozen lake;



Quaint Lighthouse;



At Tim Hortons;





At a Costco Fuel bunk;



Enroute a local Ski Resort;











Street Parked in a Small village;



At the top of CN Tower;

Some Basic Winter Driving Tips;

- See & be Seen;

For your own & others Visibility, hence Its essential to remove (brush off) snow from the vehicle which would have been accumulated overnight during a snowfall. This is also important as the snow should not fly off your vehicle & bothering other drivers causing safety concerns, you could get into trouble too.

- Winter Tyres;

The X5 is traditionally running a staggered setup with really wide tyres at the rear but for the winter it's been equipped with a squared (275s, Continental Ice Contact) winter tyre setup. Many residents follow this practice of having 2 tyre sets. It's mandatory in some states too around December to March.

- Tyre Pressure;

Cold weather reduces tyre pressures faster, hence its best to check tyre pressure at least once a month.

- Washer Fluid;

Best to equip the Washer fluid tank with Anti Freeze or some performance washer fluids rated for upto -40 Deg C as temps. in this region dip upto - 30 - 35 Dec. C too.

- Avoid sudden braking;

Even experienced drivers can skid hence it's always best to be attentive on the road & maintain safe distance. Engine braking (downshifting) can also be practiced.

Load;

- Was discussing with locals they keep something heavy in the trunks, this was a tip from someone driving a Golf & a Mazda 3 hatchbacks (FWD models).

Emergency Kit;

- Best to have a shovel, a snow brush etc. Snow chains not necessary unless venturing into the National parks then it's good to have as a backup.

Winter tyres are the single best thing for driving on snow. In many countries they are mandated for winter periods.

Even better studded tires, such as you will see in all Scandinavian countries make an incredible difference. But they hard in the roads and not allowed everywhere.

Just an overview what is allowed where in Europe

https://www.stronordic.com/informati...res-in-europe/
Jeroen

Nice pics and thanks for sharing your experience.

I used to have a different set of wheels for winter and summer on my 3. Used low profile for summers.

Hey Karan, thanks for sharing these tips. Just one additional note that is BMW specific. BMW recommends their own windshield washer fluid concentrate that has anti-freeze properties as well. It is blue in color if I remember correctly. They are against using any other off-the-shelf solutions (especially Rain-X) as they clog the washer reservoir sensor and sometimes the pump as well. This was an issue I had with my X5 a couple of winters back and had to stock up on the OE washer fluid after draining the Prestone branded washer fluid that I usually used.

Thanks :thumbs up

Yes, this set of winter tyres on the x5 was also on downsized rims.

I would personally would want to know how would an all season tyre perform in these conditions to avoid having a different set, will be a good experiment IMO.

:thumbs up

Thanks for your inputs.
Yes, the x5 I was driving was equipped with OE washer fluid only.

Nice video, Karan.
My basic rule to driving in snow is to brake early, brake slowly, avoid braking or accelerating while turning and be very very careful when changing lanes on the highway because of the slush that accumulates between the lanes.

Nice pictures.
Karan, there is nothing to make anyone feel offended by you visiting Canada, or, as a matter of fact, anyone visiting or staying in Canada. As long as we behave civilized and don't disrespect our country in foreign land, we don't have to be aligned with the politicians.
This whole ruckus happened bcoz of Trudeau, and Thankfully, finally, he has even stepped down now. I don't think such a thing will happen ever again (at least in that way). However, I don't see the whole immigration thing easing OFF anytime soon.

Coming to the point, I believe our govt should learn a thing or two from the way Snow is handled in Canada, or any other developed cold countries. Every now and then, I see cars skidding OFF in (or, near) Manali. The reason - of course, none of them have winter tires (or at least all season tires), and there is also no rule for winter tires or chains there. The icing on top is - I don't think our state/central govts cares about clearing snow OFF the roads (nor they have the equipment). Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here.

Nice article with useful tips and beautiful photographs. Thank you for sharing and keep on munching miles.

Thanks amitoj for your appreciation & sharing your experience / tips :thumbs up

Thanks lol:

True. Such videos are aplenty on Social media. Definitely need strict vehicle & road regulations for regions getting snowfall in India particularly the hilly areas.

Thanks Kkumar.