Winter Is Coming

Whether you are preparing to hunker down for the winter or are already being hit with snowstorms and below-freezing temperatures, your diesel should be at the top of the to-do list for winter preparations! Challenges such as fuel gelling, dead batteries, worn out glow plugs, cold starts, and more can take their toll on your diesel.

Luckily, Alligator Performance makes it easy to ensure your diesel remains a reliable powerhouse even when the weather is less than ideal, whether you have a Ford Powerstroke, GM Duramax or Ram Cummins! There are several steps you can take to mitigate potential issues this winter with your diesel. We’ve compiled a list of great options and steps you can take for winter diesel preparation!

Battery Health is Impacted by Cold Weather

We’ve all been there—your truck’s battery was running great during the summer, fast forward to the frosty months, and suddenly your truck refuses to start. Cold weather severely weakens your battery’s power. Combine this with an aging battery, and you have a recipe for a truck that won’t start. With just a few preparations, you can ensure your truck’s battery will always be ready to reliably start your truck, even on the coldest days of the year.

The first step in ensuring your battery can make it through the winter reliably is checking the age of your battery. A battery that’s four or five years old may be near the end of its life. Replacing it now can ensure you don’t have to jump it on the side of the road later.
Another great way to keep your battery in tip-top shape through the cold months is a battery tender. This works by maintaining your battery’s charge when your truck is not in use.

Fuel Heater/Filters Help Prevent Gelled Fuel

Cold weather is not kind to your diesel’s fuel system. The extreme cold can wreak havoc and make it impossible to start your engine. Cold temperatures put your diesel fuel at risk of gelling, which not only makes it impossible to start your engine but also is a time-consuming process to de-gel your fuel.

One great way to mitigate this conundrum is BD Diesel’s Flow-Max 12v 320w Fuel Heater Kit. This kit helps prevent cold weather gelling in your fuel system by utilizing a self-regulating 320-watt heater to keep your fuel freely flowing, ensuring you aren’t left stranded with gelled fuel!

Replacing your fuel filter is also a great preparation for the cold months. Having a brand-new fuel filter going into the winter lessens the risk of it freezing over due to an old, dirty, clogged filter.

Engine Block Heater & Glow Plugs Enable Easy Cold Starts

Diesel trucks are known for being difficult to start in cold weather due to colder oil that thickens. An engine block heater works to heat the thick oil, returning its fluidity and thus making it much easier for your truck to start up in the cold.

Glow plugs assist your diesel while it starts up, especially in the wintertime, so old and worn-out glow plugs can be the source of rough starts or failures to start. Ensuring your existing glow plugs are functioning properly and replacing them as needed is a beneficial step to take while preparing for the winter season. We offer glow plugs such as Merchant G's Glow Plug for the 06-15 GM 6.6L Duramax.

Another step you can take to increase your diesel’s winter performance is switching to synthetic engine oil. Synthetic oil is significantly less impacted by cold temperatures compared to conventional oil, so it flows well even in cold temperatures.

New Tires Provide Confidence While Hitting Wet and Snowy Roads

While not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when preparing your diesel to brave the cold weather, tires prove to be incredible insurance for the winter weather. Your aging tires may provide enough performance and grip for those dry summer months; however, snowy and wet roads are not as kind to tires lacking tread.

No one wants to be slipping and sliding around all winter in their truck, which is why now is the perfect time to give your truck a fresh set of rubber. Alligator Performance offers a great selection of tires ranging from 35” to 37”. Many of our tires are 3-peak mountain snowflake rated, which is awarded only to tires that are tested and proven to perform under extreme winter driving conditions! One such 3-peak tire we supply is the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, a time-tested tire that provides excellent traction in virtually any kind of terrain, especially when driving down a cold and wet winter road.

Conclusion

While we didn’t cover every single option you have for keeping your diesel running reliably throughout this winter, we are confident that with just a few of these upgrades and tips under your belt, you’ll have a significantly better time braving the cold with your trusty diesel! Check out Alligator Performance’s full catalog of parts and accessories to comprehensively upgrade and update just about every aspect of your tough truck.