With the first snowfall in the forecast for Okotoks, motorists should be making sure they're prepared to help make the cooler months a smooth ride.

Getting oil changed and block heaters checked should be on the checklist.

This is according to Bryce Heron, owner of Fountain Tire Okotoks, who also says mid September is the prime time to switch tires out.

"You want to have your tires on before the road conditions are poor and to avoid the line ups," he explains. "We all know that time of year comes around and you've got two, to sometimes three, week lineups to get into a tire shop but at this time of year you can get in, one day notice, in and out real quick, and then you're set for whatever comes our way on the roads."

A winter tire change should take a shop about 60- 90 minutes.

Heron says there's a couple simple items that can be swapped out to help improve visibility.

"Certainly we want to get that summer bug wash fluid out of the washer fluid reservoir, get new wiper blades on there, just make sure that there's not going to be any issues. The last thing we want on a cold day where we've got line ups on the highway is for your vehicle not to start or run properly, we just want to de-stress the whole situation."

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