Should you warm up your car? Cold weather tips to keep your car moving this winter

Winter is here with snow falling and frigid temperatures across the region. If you are making your morning commute on these cold days you must be cautious of how to prepare your car for the drive in these conditions.

Here are some tips on how to make sure your car starts in the freezing cold.

Should you warm up your car?

A heavy debate still wages over whether you should warm up your vehicle in extremely cold conditions. In the 1990s, it was essential for most drivers to let their car warm up before they started driving on the road. Older vehicles relied on carburetors that needed to be warmed up to work well or the engine would not receive the proper amount of air and fuel.

Cars now operate under different engines. However, J.D. Power says taking a few seconds to warm up your car could still be beneficial. Warming up your car can allow the engine to lubricate itself, helping the oil move to different components. It can also help your engine last longer.

J.D. Power warns to not idle your engine for more than 30 seconds. The lubrication process does not take a long time, and if you continue to sit in your car without driving then the driver is just wasting fuel. Driving is also the fastest way to warm your engine.

The rise in temperature from warming up your car can also help with clearing your windshield of frost.

More tips: How to prevent pipes from freezing in your home (and how to thaw them out)

How to defrost/defog your car

Some days after it snows and temperatures remain low, ice can appear on your windshield blocking your view of the road. American Home Shield recommends people to use a variety of products when trying to remove left over ice on your vehicle such as commercial deicing products, scraper or water and alcohol mixtures.

Once all the ice is removed, sometimes your car's windshield view is still blocked but this time with the glass is covered in fog. Some cars have defoggers built into their system already so if you have that available just turn that on for a few seconds before heading off into the road.

American Home Shield says to turn your fan on high to maximize the amount of drying air. Fog usually comes from temperature and air's moisture content.

The insurance company Allstate says one must use different methods when defogging a cold or hot windshield.

Allstate listened to a former NASA engineer who explained that to defog a cold windshield you must put the heat on maximum setting because hot air can hold more moisture. Then turn the AC on which will pull the moisture from the air, follow that up with turning off the recirculation button and finally cracking down your windows for a few minutes.

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Electric cars and cold weather problems

Electric vehicles are known for losing efficiency in cold weather, Consumer Reports states. Research has showed that below-freezing temperatures can cause electric vehicles' driving range to be reduced by up to 30%.

These cars can be affected by cold weather because the physical and chemical reaction in a vehicles' battery needs more time when the mercury element in the car drops, according to Recurrent. These types of cars also can not tap into the motor for warmth like vehicles that run on gas.

Owners of EVs can prevent battery issues by warming up the cabin in the vehicle when connected to a charger, shown by studies done at Case and Consumer Reports. This will make your car less reliant on the battery itself. Reducing speed can also help the battery from dying at a faster pace.

Tire pressure and gas

Drivers should be extra aware of their tire pressure in frigid temperatures. Robert Sinclair, manager of media relations with AAA Northeast, says that when temperatures fall so does your tire pressure. Air expands in the heat and contracts in the cold so for every 10 degree drop in temperature, tires lose one pound per square inch, according to Sinclair. This can cause dangerous.

Your tire pressure monitoring system, or TPMS, can activate under these cold temperatures. Be sure to constantly check your tire pressure system especially if that warning symbol from the TPMS arrives.

Watch your gas

It is also a good decision to always make sure your gas tank is half full in low temperatures. Sinclair says gas lines can freeze-up without at least half a tank of gas because moisture can become trapped and freeze in the pipe line.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Should I warm up my car in winter? Some cold weather tips