(NewsUSA) – With winter upon us, tire safety in cold weather is something every car owner should be familiar with. Most drivers concentrate on tire safety in hot weather to avoid blowouts, but the same precautions should be exercised in the winter. One of the most effective ways to be safe on the road is to use a winter tire specially designed for cold weather.
Common all-season tires contain a tread compound that gradually hardens when temperatures dip below 45 degrees, resulting in a decrease in traction. These tires also tend to collect winter road debris, like snow and ice, which can impact a vehicle’s performance on wintry roads.
Mark Ballard, spokesman for Discount Tire Company, America’s largest independent tire and wheel retailer, advises motorists to replace all four tires with winter tires if they can expect to encounter snow and ice during the winter months. “It’s best to use winter tires, especially if you live in an area with extreme weather conditions where temperatures are below 45 degrees on a consistent basis,” he explains. “Relying on an all-season tire to do the work of a winter tire can be dangerous to you and other motorists.”
In recent years, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (www.rma.org) developed new standards for winter traction, which led to technological advancements in the manufacture of winter tires. For example, a newer tread compound featuring a higher sillica content retains tire flexibility even in freezing temperatures, allowing the tread to maintain its grip with the highway.
Also, tread block design has been greatly improved with the addition of thousands of “sipes,” small cuts in the tread block that provide extra biting edges for more traction.
“Every aspect of today’s winter tire has been engineered to provide better traction and greater ability to quickly expel water, slush and snow, provide a quieter ride and allow for longer tread life,” says Ballard.
Winter tires tend to be slightly more expensive than all-season ones. But like all tires, winter tires perform optimally when properly inflated. Remember that a significant drop in temperature can lower air pressure. Typically, a 10-degree drop will cause tires to lose a pound of pressure.
To learn more about winter tire safety, visit www.tires.com.
Don’t Tread Lightly On Winter Tire Safety
How to Successfully Start an IRA
 NewsUSA) – Maybe your company offers a 401(k) plan. But even if it doesn’t, you need to get an IRA now. Because IRAs use compound interest and are not taxed by the IRS, contributing even a few thousand dollars a year can create a sizable nest egg.
And yet, according to the IRS, only 10 percent of the people eligible to create and contribute to IRAs actually do so. If you think you can’t afford an IRA, you’re wrong. Consider that Social Security typically pays $13,000 a year — unless you can live on that miniscule income, you’ll need to find an additional way to pay for retirement. How do you know if you’re eligible for an IRA? “Anyone who earns a taxable income or files a joint return with a spouse who earns an income can contribute to an IRA,” explains David Bach, the author of nine national bestsellers, including “Start Late,” “Finish Rich” and “The Automatic Millionaire.” Bach recently shared his insights about IRAs with the readers of SUCCESS Magazine, where he offered the following advice: - Start Early and Save Until Retirement. Thanks to the miracle of compound interest, those who start saving early end up with the largest nest eggs. “If you were to start at age 55, you’d contribute a total of $50,000 in the 10 years before you retire, at which point your account would be worth $72,433,” says Bach. “By contrast, if you started at 25, you’d contribute $200,000 over the next 40 years, and by the time you retired, your account would be worth $1.3 million.” - Invest Wisely. You can invest the proceeds from your IRA any way that you want, but some moves are wiser than others. Bach recommends “target date” or life cycle funds, which are specially designed for retirement savings. The fund automatically makes sure that you have investments appropriate for your age, acting more aggressively in your younger years and becoming more conservative as you near retirement. - Know When to Start Withdrawing. Legally, you can begin withdrawing funds from your IRA when you’re 59 and a half, but if you’re in a high tax bracket, you should put off withdrawals for as long as possible. SUCCESS magazine offers a balanced approach to successful living by covering topics on business, wealth, well-being and philanthropy. Visit www.SUCCESS.com and search the August issue to read the rest of Bach’s advice. |
