Why do they pour alcohol or vodka on the wheels of a car in winter

On the eve of winter, car trunks are replenished with accessories traditional for the season that make life easier for drivers: shovels, an anti-freeze eggplant, lighting wires, brushes and ice scrapers. However, experienced drivers put there, in addition to the standard winter set, a bottle of ethyl alcohol or, in extreme cases, vodka. The AvtoVzglyad portal figured out why, and what the very “extreme case” should be.

The properties of ethyl alcohol are not limited to clouding the mind of the person drinking, and therefore the scope of the high-grade liquid is wider than some people think. And drivers are among those who take full advantage of the truly magical characteristics of alcohol.

For example, experienced car owners know that in winter, “anti-freeze” is consumed rapidly, and its high price does not always guarantee quality. Therefore, they buy it for 100-150 rubles from sellers on the side of the road - it’s not expensive, and it doesn’t stink, and the liquid almost withstands the characteristics stated on the label, and it’s easy to “tuning” - it’s enough to increase the alcohol content in the blue liquid before severe frosts, pouring it into the washer reservoir. When frosts come, the “washer” in the tank is guaranteed not to freeze. This means that it will not be broken, and the thin tubes leading to the windshield washer nozzles will not become clogged with ice.

According to experienced drivers, alcohol will help to quickly get rid of a dense layer of frost and ice crust on the windshield. The method is especially relevant when you need to quickly get into the car and leave. It is enough to pour alcohol on the area of ​​​​the windshield opposite the driver and wait a bit for the ice to turn into water.

And even when you are trapped in a snow trap and skid to ice, the same bottle of alcohol comes to the rescue. By applying a flammable liquid to a slipping wheel and pouring it into the contact patch of the tire with an icy surface, you can also get rid of ice, thereby improving the adhesion of the tire tread to the ground.

And of course, alcohol will always allow the driver stuck in the snow to warm up. They can wipe themselves or, say, kindle a fire. And you can, in anticipation of help and in order not to freeze at all, take it inside - but this is already an extreme case.