European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 02, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 a the stars and stripes wednesday october 2, 1991money matters Goodyear offers tire that reduces hydroplaning risk Akron Ohio up a Goodyear tire amp rubber co. Introduced a new line of Auto tires monday including one intended to reduce the risk of hydroplaning the phenomenon that occurs on wet roads when tires lose Contact with the Roadway and instead ride on a thin film of water. The new Aqua tred All weather tire unveiled by Goodyear chairman Stan Gualt at a news conference in new York has a Groove nearly an Inch wide across its Center. Goodyear said the Aqua tred s wide Groove which it Calls a a circumferential Aqua Channel a enables it to pump out larger amounts of water from beneath the tire than previously possible. And that improves the tires grip on the Road reducing the risk of hydroplaning the company said. A Consumers in our surveys list wet driving traction As one of the major benefits they want in tires second Only to How Many Miles the tires will last a Gault said. The company said National Highway safety statistics show that nearly one fourth of More than 6 million accidents reported to police each year occur on wet Road surfaces. It said its engineers showed Many of those arc due to hydroplaning. The Aqua tred has a unique look. With the deep Central Groove it looks like two thin tires folded together and a serrated a High tech Gray sidewall adds to the unusual appearance. A it carries a 60,000-mile tread life guarantee a the highest offered by Goodyear. Gault also introduced three other new tires including the i victa gee the initials standing for greater fuel efficiency. Goodyear says the i victa gee announced earlier this summer will improve Gas mileage by 4 percent. The most popular sizes of both the Aqua tred and i victa gee car tires will retail for less than $90, the company said. Rounding out Goodyear a new product offerings Are two higher priced tires the Eagle is a Ultra High performance tire a original equipment on the 1992 Corvette a and a wrangler Gas asymmetric Light truck tire. Specific Selling prices were not immediately available. Prices for the Eagle is a Start at around $237 while the wrangler is a starts at $130. Selling the ability of Goodyear tires a like the new Aqua tred and i victa gee a to do things other tires cannot is a Cornerstone of the marketing strategy formulated by Gault who came to Goodyear in june after a Brief retirement from Rubbermaid where he built Stan Gault Goodyear tire and rubber co. Chairman poses with the firms new tire that is designed to combat driving dangers on wet roads. A reputation for being on target with new products. While the new tire line was in the works before Gault arrived at Goodyear company sources said speeding up development and introduction a especially the squat red so were among his top priorities. Goodyear will take the Aqua tred and its three other new tire products on the Road in october with an 18-City, major Market . Media tour the company described As its most ambitious product introduction  Home buying ability improves Washington a the typical american family s ability to buy an existing Home improved throughout the nation in August but not enough to buy a median priced Home in the Northeast or West a real estate Trade group said monday. Despite the improvement existing Home sales slowed during the month because of consumer uncertainty Over the Economy said Harley e. Rout la president of the National association of realtors. The realtors said both mortgage interest rates and the median Price of an existing Home fell in August. The median Price Means half of the Homes Cost More and half Cost less. A we re confident that Home sales will pick up As we near the end of the year with Low interest rates and Low inflation Levels continuing to Holster the Economy a Rouda said. The realtors said its housing affordability Index Rose to 112.5 in August up from 109.7 in july and 107.4 a year earlier. The August Reading meant that a family earning the National median income of $36,533 had 112.5 percent of the income needed to qualify for conventional financing covering 80 percent of a Home with the median Price of $101,800. A a a decline in the median Home Price and the mortgage interest rate in August caused a Good increase in the Index last month and has opened up the housing Market to plentiful buying opportunities a Rouda contended. The realtors said the mortgage rate used in the Index fell to 9.36 percent in August from 9.41 percent in july. It was the lowest rate since september 1988, when it was 9.30 percent. The rate is a composite of fixed rate and adjustable rate mortgages As reported by the Federal housing finance Board. The realtors said the median Price of a used Home in August fell $1,800, while the median income Rose $119. The income needed to qualify for a loan covering 80 percent of the typical Home declined $719 and the monthly mortgage payment fell $15, to $676. Still the typical family in the Northeast earning $43,355 had Only 93.5 percent of the purchasing Power needed to buy a median priced Home costing $144,400. That was up from 91.0 in july. And in the West the Index reached just 84.7, up from 79.5. The median Price of a Home there was $144,700 and the median income $39,539. The typical family in the Midwest had the most purchasing Power. The Index showed it had a median income of $37,705 a 148.7 percent of that needed to buy a median priced Home costing $78,900. The typical family in the South also had More than enough to Purchase a median priced Home there costing $91,100. The median income of $33,144 was 113.8 percent of that needed to  May be entitled to frequent flier Miles new York a Here a a consoling thought for airline travellers to take to the grave your unused frequent flier Miles sometimes can live on. But in death As in life some restrictions apply it the red tape varies among carriers. In some cases when you die your Miles go with you making them worthless. But most airlines have ways to Transfer the Miles a which qualify passengers for free tickets or first class upgrades a from the dead to the living. Frequent a publication for frequent fliers based in Colorado Springs colo., has calculated that there Are More than 27 million frequent fliers and that they racked up More than 600 billion unused Miles As of last year. A about 25 to 30 percent of All Miles go unclaimed. Part of that is because of death a frequent publisher Randy Petersen said. But it does no to always have to be that Way. Northwest airlines lets you bequeath the Miles to close relatives if it s spelled out in the will. A if you want to will your frequent flier Miles to someone in your immediate family we done to publicize that but Well accept it a Northwest spokeswoman Amy Spreeman said. A the request has to be made by the person who is dying a Spreeman said. A it can to be made by a person who Calls up and says a my brother Jim died and i want his  a several probate lawyers said they had never seen a will that mentioned frequent flier Miles. A a we be had that with football tickets but not frequent flier Miles a said Morton l. Portnoy a new York lawyer. Frequent flier Miles have also been considered assets in divorce cases. At America West airlines and United airlines the Miles expire when the flier does. A it is under discussion to possibly to change that but right now if a passenger Dies the mileage would be lost a America West spokesman Mike Mitchell said. American airlines the nations largest Carrier is flexible about passing on Miles to close relatives said spokesman Marty Heires. A for instance if a wife or husband survives and wants the Miles we will work with them to see that it happens a Heires said. At us air its relatively easy for a surviving spouse to pick up Miles but harder for other relatives. A basically or. So and so or mrs. So and so can request the mileage be put in your account Nusair spokeswoman Nancy Vaughan said. A but beyond that say there a no surviving spouse they re Quot quire a letter from a Legal authority say the will a executor where they want them to go. Quot it could be an inequitable split say one son gets a whole Bunch one does no to she said. Delta air lines said it will Transfer frequent flier Miles to whoever is named beneficiary by the executor of a will. Midway and Continental require a death certificate before Miles Are passed on