#WinterDriving

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that colder weather hurts fuel economy, but you might be surprised to learn how steep the penalties can be.

Returning for 2013, Porsche will offer its Camp4 Canada driving program to give brand enthusiasts a winter performance driving course that will exhibit its latest sports cars.

Teen drivers need to be extra vigilant on the roads – especially in winter. This isn’t just about distracted driving… it’s also about staying on top of proper car maintenance at a time when roads are at its worst.

According to a Consumer Reports survey, 40 percent of drivers postpone car maintenance or repairs, and drivers 18 to 34 years old are the most likely to put off work on brake pads or tires – items that are necessary for safe everyday driving. By cutting corners on proper car maintenance, a teen driver’s risk of getting into a car accident in inclement weather increases, as does their long-term car care costs.

To help combat this issue, Honeywell Friction Materials presents “Bendix Brakes for Teen Safety.” This social media campaign educates parents and teens about how important it is to keep up your car’s maintenance. Here are a few handy and easy tips to keep in mind:

• Change your wiper blades when you change your oil and check your fluid reservoirs once a month during the winter.

• When you brakes start to squeal, it’s time to change the brake pads, and if you here grinding noises, that signals a more serious problem. Get a certified technician to check out both noises immediately to prevent costly repairs.

• Do a tire tread test with a quarter – if you can see the top of Washington’s head, it’s time for new tires.

• Your car contains a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze, so make sure the level is full and the mixture is accurate.

Visit Bendix Brakes for Teen Safety on Facebook or YouTube for information on getting teen drivers ready for winter. We’ve included a Bendix video after the jump – it’s a humorous stand-up routine that pokes fun at teens and winter drivers.

Where does a 3,472-pound bull run? On sheet of ice, of course — what was your answer, Pamplona?

It can’t be said enough: winter tires and careful driving are the only way to stay safe while travelling on snow and ice.

Even the best driver will ultimately fail to predict obstacles in some scenarios on the road, which is exactly what happened here. A Russian motorist, or at least a motorist who speaks Russian, catches footage of his own crash after swerving to avoid a couple of hitchhikers.

He is presumably trying to correct a skid that starts after the initial reaction, but ends up sliding right off the road. We hear him swearing in Russian just before the car rolls over and sustains significant damage including a smashed windshield. It doesn’t seem like anyone was seriously injured based on the footage.

Watch the video after the jump.

Some cars handle better than others in snow and as high-performance beasts go, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII is certainly among the best.

The Evo, as it is commonly called by enthusiasts, is a lot like the Subaru WRX STi. They’re both beefed up rally versions of their manufacturer’s humdrum sedans. Stiff suspension, power-a-plenty and a rigorous all-wheel drive systems make these the go-to for off road racers.

That really doesn’t mean anything, though, if you’re caught in a snowy pile up on the highway like the driver in the video below was. Thankfully for him and his car, he understood that driving on an embankment and dinging up his ride was better than stomping on the brakes and sliding out of control. According to the West Virginia Metro News, about 30 vehicles were involved in the crash.

Unfortunately for so many others around him, winter defensive driving is an easily forgotten skill that can save you money and your life. Just remember that front- rear- or all-wheel drive cars cant do diddly without a driver’s due diligence. Stay calm, dress warm and keep a kit in your car in case you get stuck.

That said, there’s a reason our review of the 2011 Evo MR features us hooning around in the snow: it’s damn fun. You don’t buy this car for comfort, you buy it because road gripping, lane churning performance and precision are an enthusiast’s bread and butter.

You can watch the video below, and as always— drive safe. Warning: there is a lot of swearing in the video.

Ferrari will offer a special winter driving course in Aspen, Colorado, with the goal of elevating driver skill and enhancing appreciation for the all-season FF GT, which hits dealerships this fall.

You’re getting pummelled by snow and a wimpy snow brush just isn’t going to get all that ice and white stuff off your vehicle. It’s time to call in the Snowdozer.

Winter, why aren’t you over yet? For drivers, winter is the slowest season of them all. As soon as the snow starts to fall from the sky, you can count on traffic jams until April. We’re late for work, our knuckles turn white from grabbing the steering wheel too tight and people forget that snow tends to make the roads slippery. Is there no hope for our winter roads?

It looks like our prayers have been answered by a U.S. engineer. Scott Brusaw, a 53-year-old electrical engineer from Idaho, is causing a stir with his idea for a solar-powered roadway, and already the U.S. government and General Electric are very interested in the project.

So here’s how the idea works: A sturdy glass material that would house solar cells would replace the existing petroleum-based asphalt. The new road would both heat up the surface (melting the snow) and provide electricity to power electric vehicles and signs on the road (and maybe even homes in the future).

Unfortunately, it’s going to cost some big bucks to put in place. Brusaw estimates the costs at $4.4 million (U.S.) for just one mile of solar-powered road. But, he also thinks that the cost would be made up by the clean energy it would generate.

“Our ultimate goal is to be able to store excess energy in or alongside the Solar Roadways,” the project’s website says. “This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used for the generation of electricity. This, in turn, cuts greenhouse gases literally in half.”

And you won’t have to worry about the glass used in the new roads, as Brusaw says “glass, especially when fused together in layers, is stronger than most people think.” Joining the project are top glass researchers at University of Dayton and Penn State, who are developing material strong enough to support vehicles and provide traction.

Watch the video after the jump learn more about this solar-powered road.

[Source: The Toronto Star]

Of all the automakers that offer winter driving schools, Lotus seems like the worst fit. With their famous British reliability and bare metal cabin surfaces, the prospect of driving a Lotus in freezing temperatures strikes us as a task fit for British masochists like Max Mosley.

A little snow on the ground shouldn’t mean that you pack your sports car away until the spring. And in Canada, Porsche is encouraging drivers to “Never Hibernate.”