Many people associate Crimea with the sea and the sun, but winter roads here can be unpleasantly surprising. Plus during the day, minus at night, in the morning there was a thin crust of ice on the asphalt, and somewhere on the rise to the village there was also fog. Cars don’t like this mode at all, and drivers even less so.
And the main thing here is not even how you steer, but in what condition the car itself is. A skid on a serpentine road, a brake failure, or a stalled engine on the side of the road is not “bad luck,” but the result of little things that were put off “for later.” At some moments you can’t do without help, and then it helps tow truck in Simferopol. But let’s be honest: it’s much nicer to drive in winter than to wait for a platform in the freezing wind.
The Crimean winter is capricious
The main feature of the local climate in winter is not frost, but changes. Today +7 and sleet, tomorrow -3 and ice. The roads are dry in some places, like glass in others. Suspension, tires, battery, light — everything receives the load in jerks.
Therefore, the car experiences the Crimean winter like a marathon with unexpected sprints. If something was already “at the limit”, the first freezing rain will show it.
Under the hood that lives its own life in winter
Let’s start with the most banal, but it is this that fails most often.
- Battery. If the starter was spinning sluggishly in the fall, one day in winter it will simply say “no.” Especially after spending the night in the yard at zero and windy. Checking the capacity and, if necessary, replacing it is not a luxury, but a way to get away in the winter in the morning, rather than looking for wires.
- Coolant. Antifreeze ages and loses its properties. With plus-minus changes, microcracks and small leaks appear, and the engine begins to heat up where it previously behaved calmly. A quick inspection of the system and checking the freezing point greatly reduces the chance of standing on the side of the road with the hood open.
- Oil. In cold weather, oil thickened by mileage and time turns a cold start into a test. Freshly lubricating your engine for winter is one of the quietest but most useful preparation items.
Yes, this all sounds like normal maintenance. But in winter, especially in Crimea, “ordinary” maintenance suddenly becomes what separates a relaxing trip from an unnecessary adventure.
Is it visible or only seems
The second theme that comes to the fore in winter is light and visibility.
Headlights get dirty very quickly in the Crimean slush. A little fog, wet asphalt, oncoming headlights — and you can no longer see holes, curbs or ice in the shadow of a tree. Cloudy reflector plastic and unregulated light enhance the effect.
The windshield wiper blades are also a small detail that is noticed exactly at the moment when a cloudy arc runs across the glass instead of a clean stripe. Old rubber bands, frozen hinges — all this turns the movements of the wipers into a decorative element. In winter, it is better not to wait until they finally “die”, but to change them earlier.
Well, and the washer. In the summer you can top it up “according to your mood,” but in the winter, without anti-freezing liquid, you deprive yourself of a normally functioning view. And driving along serpentine roads when the glass is covered in dirty crust is only a so-so pleasure.
The tires and suspension are the same “nothing, still ok”
There is not always snow in Crimea in winter, and many people calm down on this. The asphalt seems to be black and dry. And then you drive out of the shadows into the sun — and vice versa.
Not only the tire itself is important here, but also its condition. A worn tread on wet ice no longer grips as well as before. The pressure in the wheels drops in the cold, the grip is worse, and the car can suddenly “float.” A quick check at a tire shop or at least at a gas station saves a lot of nerves.
The suspension is a different matter. Spontaneous potholes, patches, reagents in the city and wet roadsides behind it accelerate the fatigue of silent blocks, struts, and ball joints. The slight knock that you are used to in the fall can turn into an unpleasant surprise when turning a corner in winter.
How to behave on a winter road in the Crimean way
Even a prepared car does not cover all the risks. Crimean roads in winter require a little more patience and a little less heroism from the driver.
On serpentines, it is better to slow down more than your habit dictates. On Taurida, keep a generous distance, taking into account that someone ahead may suddenly remember the winter conditions already at the moment of braking. Any shiny section of asphalt in winter should be perceived as potential ice, especially on bridges and in lowlands.
And another point that is often forgotten. If you feel like you are being “carried”, do not jerk the car with sudden movements. The calmer you work with the steering wheel and pedals, the greater the chance that the car will obey.
And if you’re still unlucky
Yes, you can be careful, check everything and still end up on the sidelines one day. The car sat down in a mess, the engine stalled, the transmission said “enough” — there are many options.
In such a situation, it is important not to try to “jump out at any cost” at any cost. Jerking the cable off-axis, spinning the wheels until they squeal, and trying to rock the car where there is ice and a ditch under the wheels often result in additional damage.
Calmly turn on the emergency lights, put up a sign, make sure that everyone is safe — this is the basic minimum. Then you can think about whether someone you know is helping or whether it would be wiser to call professionals. Sometimes an extra twenty minutes of waiting saves much more than “let’s pull now and it’ll go.”
The Crimean winter is not the most severe in terms of degrees, but in terms of treachery it is quite competitive. A tested battery, fresh fluids, live wipers, adequate tires and a slightly calmer driving style — this is not a set “for bores”. This is a set for those who just want to drive in winter, and not tell their friends long stories about how they stood on the side of the road and waited for help.
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