Written by Menswear Style in Cars on the 11th January 2017

What are your hot wheels doing this winter? Are they ready to set off on a mind-blowing wintry journey? And although a sports car is a rare thing on winter roads, you don’t necessarily have to lock it in a garage and buy an SUV because of bad weather. Rather the opposite in fact; the winter season is a great opportunity to test what your car is capable of, tame inclement weather and feel like a real hoon. But speed driving in winter requires some reasonable corrections such as switching over to winter tyres. So, what should you take into account when preparing your sports car for a safe winter drive? Grab some valuable tips from the expert in the safe driving field – the UK’s retailer of tyres and automobile parts 123spareparts.co.uk

Are sports cars actually good for winter?

Let’s agree that it’s uncommon to see a two-seater dicing through snowdrifts. But the truth is that sports cars are even safer for a winter drive, and with wise preparation (and probably investment), they can perform even better than sedans or SUVs. Their great responsiveness, low gravity centre, and wider footprint that guarantee a perfect road feel, stability, and increased grip make these cars reliable partners in winter trips. Experts unanimously agree that AWD or FWD (consider Mazda MX5, Subaru WRX STI, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, or Mitsubishi Evolution) cars perform better than their RWD counterparts.

Why are winter tyres essential for a wintry race?

As all sports cars are initially designed for summer racing, their tyres are inappropriate for the winter elements. While the tread of summer and all-season tyres becomes rigid, loses grip and wears out much faster at temperatures below 7°C, winter tyres preserve a perfect grip on both ice and packed snow thanks to their special softer compound. Modern high-performance winter tyres have nothing in common with those outdated knobby black circles that turned driving a sports car in winter into a parody. Today’s winter tyre has a stiff sidewall, low profile, high speed rate (consider Pirelli’s or Michelin’s winter tyres designed for snow higher than 0.5ft and speeds up to 150 mph) and retains all performance characteristics of your sports car.

Steps to prepare your sports car for a winter drive

1. Ensure your brakes are in perfect shape. Test your car’s whole braking system starting from discs, brake pad and ending with brake lines and hand brake. The best time to do it is when you change tyres for winter because to reach discs and pad, you have to take off your wheels anyway.

2. Make your car’s back heavier. Sports cars are usually much lighter than sedans, so put some weight (bags of sand work well) into the car’s boot to prevent it from skidding and spinning out.

3. Check your battery. Frost pushes the charging system to its limits. Ensure that your battery is strong enough.

4. Switch over to steelies. Experts say that steel wheel rims are better for the winter season because they corrode less. But still, wash off salt as often as you can.

5. Inspect your wipers. They need to be soft in order to remove snow from your windshield effectively. Replace them if they have corroded.

6. Drive carefully. Keep down your speed appetite and remember to accelerate slower and never slam on brakes when driving on a slippery road. Your car is a fine machine, but that won’t make up for the caution and skills you might be lacking.

We give you tips and easy steps to help you drive on snow and ice. Is Your Sports Car Winter Drive Ready?