wintertip

[bruchri]

Hi,

A tip for those that drive their Westie during winter in the freezing cold without doors.

http://www.gerbings.co.uk/gerbings_heated_gloves.html

I have been using a pair of their bonfire gloves for the last four years.

You can connect them to the 12v of your car battery.

You can run the wires inside your jacket so that you can move freely.

They are not cheap but driving with frozen fingers is not my kind of fun.

Any one else with a good tip that makes driving a Westie open top in winter as much fun as the rest of the year?

kind regards

Bruno

[john_margaret]

Alot of bike racers and tourers use plug-in heated kidney belts - quite a good idea as most of your blood is circulated through your kidneys.

I use the westie through the winter (and it shows). My tips for winter driving are:

*Carry a good mini tool kit. Must have vice grips and and adjustable spanner.

*WD40 for wet distribtor caps (and 101 other uses).

*Tyre Weld (becase the day you do get a flat, it will proabibly be p*****g and you won't want to be wet and cold for longer than you have to).

*A clean rag for demisting (if you don't have a heater).

Breakdown cover would proabibly be good advice but I don't have any.

[Blatman]

Tyreweld

Use external pathces. Much better and don't wreck the tyre beyond repair once you get it home.

Search for Crafty Plugger. Used them a lot and they're great. My last Crafty Plugged tyre did 4000 miles on it. Not that I reccommend trying that, but just as an example of how god they can be in a pinch. You should always get the tyre repaired ASAP following a DIY repair, and most tyre places seem to want to scrap a tyre that's been tyre welded...

[john_margaret]

Hi Blatman

External Patches? What are they.

I'm familiar with adding gaitors etc into the inside of the tyre and hammering a nail into a puncture to fill the hole to get me a short distance.

I know most people don't recommend tyre weld as it wrecks the valve, but I don't carry a spare and it gets me home.

Also, As I don't carry a footpump around with me even if I patched the tyre I'd still have to fill it with air at least tyre weld does this (it's actually holts tyre sealant that I use). I've seen the damage that driving with no pressure can do.

Comming from a biking backgrond I usually replace my tyres regularly as a matter of course after any tyre damage. For £6 for a punctre repair or £30 for a new toyo T1R why take any risk.

[Blatman]

External Patches? What are they.

Search for Crafty Plugger

As a biker, the worst thing is a puncture in the middle of butt f**k nowhere So I carry a tube of Crafty Pluggers and 3 or 4 compressed CO2 cannisters to inflate the tyre when fixed. My last flat, on my BMW motorbike, went fron flat to fixed in about 5 minutes, lasted another few thousand miles, and I wasn't late for work. I keep Crafty Pluggers and either gas cannisters or a foot pump on *all* my vehicles, and have done for many years

Try this for size

[john_margaret]

Advice noted, Crafty plugger and CO2 canisters it is then.

Will try to pick some up prior to my next tour.

[bruchri]

Great tip Blatman.

I already carried a repair kit with me but the one I have needed glue .

This seems to be a better kit.

I'm will  order at least one.

Bruno