Winter weather brings additional risks to operating your rig. Not only is driving more difficult, but there are additional challenges for your engine.

Preparing before winter arrives can minimize risks, and help eliminate increases in your operating costs. Here are some things you can do.

Check your coolant freeze point.

This is a good time to have your mechanic inspect the entire cooling system. And you may want to consider switching to extended life coolant. Replacing conventional coolant with ELC doesn't relieve you of making sure freeze point is correct, but it eliminates nearly all other coolant maintenance chores.

This means no more test strips or supplemental coolant additives, and no more periodic replacement of coolant (extended life coolant can be good for 600,000 miles or more).

Consider Fuel Additives

If you don't normally treat your fuel with additives, the approach of winter is the time to consider them. Fuel additives can lower the cloud point so that fuel will flow when temperatures plunge during winter.

Additives can also handle water contamination, keeping fuel lines from icing up. Additives can boost cetane quality, which helps in winter with faster starts.

A good multifunctional fuel additive will do all of this, as well as clean up dirty injectors and keep injectors clean. Clean injectors mean optimum power and fuel economy, and minimum exhaust emissions.

Use Synthetic Oils

Synthetic engine oils provide real benefits under winter conditions. Many have a wider viscosity range, such as 5W-40, which permits engine cranking and starting at much lower temperatures than conventional oils (SAE 15W-40 oils are good for starting down to about plus 5 degrees Fahrenheit).

On start up, synthetics' superior flow properties assure rapid oil delivery within the engine. This means better lubrication and reduced wear. And with faster starts, your starting system and electric system have less work to do, meaning they'll last longer. At your next oil change, consider switching to synthetic oil for the winter.

Of course, you can keep using synthetic oil year round.

ROTELLA^® is the Answer

The ROTELLA product line can help with winter preparation. Shell ROTELLA ELC for your cooling system will help lower maintenance needs. And with Shell ROTELLA T Synthetic, you'll have better lubrication and faster starts when your engine is cold.