If a lot of snow has fallen while your vehicle was parked, or if the tires you installed just weren't up to the job and you veered off the road, you may find yourself stuck in the snow.
Is your Car Stuck in Snow?
Find out where the problem is
First, check the entire vehicle. You will need to see if there is no snow on the exhaust pipe. If not, please clean it by hand. Then move the snow away from around each tire. Ideally, you should have a shovel in your car as part of your winter emergency kit, but if not, improvise with whatever is available. As much as possible, try to break up any ice that has formed under your tires.
You will also need to get rid of the snow between the tires and the exit route.
Get behind the wheel
Now start the car. Disable your traction control system (there is usually a button for this somewhere on the dash) and put the car in the lowest gear. Whatever you do, don't slam on the gas. All he'll do is spin the tires and get into more trouble.
If you are stuck in the snow, you will need help to get out. As you start slowly, ask a person or two to help you by rocking the car back and forth to try to get it out of any potholes. Drive with the wheels pointing straight ahead and roll back and forth until you have enough grip to pull it out. If that fails, turn the front-wheel-drive wheels in a different direction.
If that doesn't work, you can try placing floor mats in front of the drive wheels (front wheels on a "front-wheel drive," rear wheels on a "rear-wheel drive"). If you can't get your hands on the carpet, you can use your car floor mats, although they will get damaged. You can also use branches, but be aware that anything you put under your tires could come off and hit people trying to help.
Another alternative is to sprinkle salt, sand, or even kitty litter in front of the drive wheels if you're stuck in the snow. The salt will help melt the ice, while the litter/kitty litter will help add traction. You can also try melting snow and ice with antifreeze, but be sure to clean it up afterward, as antifreeze can be very poisonous to animals.
You can get more friction by letting some air out of your tires. However, only resort to this if you have the means to re-inflate the tires afterward. You will break your tires if you drive without enough pressure.
If all else fails, you will need to call for roadside assistance. And don't forget to reactivate traction control once you're back on the road.
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