BACK TO SCHOOL AUTOMOTIVE BEST BUYS FALL 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010 — THE MEDICINE HAT NEWS
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Getting Ready for Winter on the Road Proper Tire Care is First Line of Defense
Getting Ready for Winter on the Road Proper Tire Care is First Line of Defense
(MS) -- For most people, their car is their lifeblood. It gets them to work, to school, to their lives. And in these tough times, many are keeping their cars longer than ever before. It might be tempting to neglect regular maintenance tasks in the name of saving money, but in the long run, that could end up cost- ing you even more. And proper maintenance is crucial now, with winter just around the corner.
When it comes to car mainte- nance, tire care is the fi rst line of defense. But according to the Rubber Manufacturers Associa- tion (RMA), an alarming number of consumers don’t pay attention to their tires, and the results can be costly -- and dangerous. Un- derinfl ated tires pose a defi nite safety risk:
• The National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration (NHTSA) acknowledges that underin- fl ated tires contribute to many accidents throughout the year
• 50 percent of vehicles have at least one underinfl ated tire
• And only 9 percent of vehicles have four properly infl ated tires!
But it doesn’t have to be this way; proper tire care is simple. Continental Tire recommends getting in the habit of taking fi ve
minutes every month to check your tires, including the spare.
“Your tires are the only part of your vehicle that actually touch the road when you drive,” says Joerg Burfi en, director of R & D, Continental Tire. “It only takes a couple of minutes of mainte- nance each month to keep your tires working at their best, and the resulting safety benefi ts far outweigh the time it takes.”
The RMA’s “PART” campaign gives consumers an easy way to remember the basics of monthly tire maintenance:
Pressure: According to the RMA, underinfl ation is a tire’s no. 1 enemy. It results in unnecessary tire stress, irregular wear, loss of control, and accidents. A tire can lose up to half of its air pressure and not appear to be fl at!
And the air pressure listed on the side of your tire is NOT the cor- rect air pressure for your vehicle. That number is the maximum air pressure for the tire. The cor- rect tire pressure can be found in the car’s owner manual, on the gas tank lid, on the driver’s side door edge, and on the door post.
Alignment: A bad jolt from hit- ting a curb or pothole can throw your front end out of alignment and damage your tires. Misalign- ment of wheels in the front or
rear can cause uneven and rapid treadwear. Rotation: Regularly rotating your vehicle’s tires will help achieve more uniform wear. Unless your vehicle owner’s manual has a specifi c recommendation, the guideline for tire rotation is ap- proximately every 6,000-8,000 miles.
Tread: To prevent hydroplaning and skidding, your tires must have proper tread depth. The minimum tread depth is 2/32 of an inch (1.6 mm).
The easiest way to check your tread depth is the penny test. Take a penny and place it in the tread of your tire. If part of The Queen's head is covered by the tread, your tires have enough tread. If you can see The Queen's entire head, you should buy a new tire.
In regions with harsh winters, Continental recommends that drivers switch to winter tires when the temperature dips be- low 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold- er weather brings on a whole new set of driving challenges --slush, ice and hard-packed snow -- and once the tempera- ture drops below that 45-degree mark, so does an all-season tire’s ability to grip the road.
Many cars in the U.S. have all- season tires, but they just aren’t
METRO PHOTO - Keeping tires properly infl ated is the fi rst line of defense in safeguarding a vehicle from accidents on the road this winter.
built to hold the road in the same way that winter tires do. Winter tires provide safety and control in cold weather as well as snow and ice, because they are specifi cally engineered to deliver a 25 to 50 percent increase in traction over all-season radials. That’s enough added traction and braking power to avoid a severe weather-related accident, Burfi en said.
New for this winter season is Continental’s ExtremeWinter- Contact, engineered with an advanced tread compound and structured siping to dramatically improve ice and snow traction. These elements also deliver
noticeable improvements in wet performance, excellent fuel ef- fi ciency, extended wear and ride comfort, and considerable im- provements in dry performance.
Take care of your tires during winter and they will take care of you. Remember your win- ter tires are not designed just for snow. They are designed to increase traction in cold winter conditions. Make the switch to winter tires when the tempera- ture hits 45 degrees.
For more information, visit
www.continentaltire.com; for media information, visit www.
ctnamedia.com.
Cutting the Costs of Getting Behind the Wheel
(MS) -- Whether you own a brand new Ferrari or a beaten up old Datsun, right now the fi rst thing on many people’s minds with respect to cars is the cost associated with keeping them going. While much of those discussions surrounds the price of fuel, owning and operating a vehicle is becoming more and more expensive, and that’s thanks to more than just the prices at the pump.
According to the 2008 “Your Driving Costs” report from the Automobile Club of Southern California, the cost of driving a vehicle in the United States is now 54.1 cents per mile. That’s a nearly 2 cents per mile increase from 2007. The report includes maintenance, fuel costs, full- coverage insurance, taxes, and a host of other factors associated with owning and operating a vehicle.
While there’s little a driver can do about escalating fuel costs or taxes and registration fees, there are ways to trim some of what you’re spending on your car each year. One of the most notable is to tinker with your insurance policy, which can lead to a wealth of savings if done the right way.
• Do your homework. Not all insurance companies are the same, and oftentimes the difference in prices can be eye- opening. Many times an indi- vidual state’s insurance depart- ment will provide comparisons of prices the major insurers within that state charge their customers. A list of these state insurance regulators can be found at
www.consumeraction. gov/insurance/shtml. If you’ve been with your current pro- vider for an extended period of time, you might want to shop around, as there’s a strong chance you’ll fi nd a better rate elsewhere. If you do, you can always take any quotes to your current provider and renegoti- ate your rates, or simply sign on with the competitor who gives the best rate.
METRO - Reducing coverage on older cars, such as classic cars you might keep solely for hobby’s sake, is one way to reduce monthly insurance costs.
• Increase your deductible. This can be especially benefi cial to drivers who drive defensively
or don’t drive much at all. The deductible is what you owe before the insurance com- pany starts paying. In the case of an accident, for example, a $500 deductible means you’ll be responsible for the initial $500 of damages, while the in- surance company will pick up the rest of the tab. If you drive defensively or don’t drive frequently, your chances of an accident, while still possible, are a lot slimmer. Therefore, you can save a substantial amount of money simply by increasing your deductible to $1,000 or even higher if you so choose. Of course, you should have ample savings to afford the higher deductible in case you do get into an accident.
• Reduce coverage for older cars. If you’ve paid off a car you’d been fi nancing or if you have an older car with full coverage, the coverage you have might not be cost effective. For older automobiles, dropping colli- sion and/or comprehensive damages might be a safe bet. A general rule of thumb is that a car that’s worth less than 10 times your premium is not worth fully insuring. Older cars that you’ve long since paid off probably fall into that category, and reducing coverage can
Cutting the Costs of Getting Behind the Wheel
save you hundreds of dollars depending on where you live.
• Combine coverages. Hom- eowners can save substantial amounts of money if they com- bine their homeowners insur- ance and auto insurance. But you need not be a homeowner to take advantage of the dis- count many insurers provide to customers who combine cover- ages. For example, if you own a boat, motorcycle, ATV equip- ment, etc., have those items covered by the same company that covers your car. More often than not, these multi-policy discounts will save you money. However, do your research be- fore combining any coverages.
• Maintain solid credit. Though some insurance companies have eliminated a prospective customer’s credit rating from the process of determining their rate, many still look at an individual’s credit rating when determining a quote. To be on the safe side, pay bills on time, only obtain credit you actu- ally need and keep balances on existing accounts as low as possible. This is a good practice in general, regardless of how it will impact your auto insur- ance costs.
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