Uniroyal | Uniroyal Tire & Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson Offer Best-Kept Money Savings Secrets

Save Hundreds On Your Summer Vacation

Uniroyal Tire & Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson Offer Best-Kept Money Savings Secrets

GREENVILLE, S.C. – (July 1, 2006) – Summertime is here. Kids are out of school. And gas prices remain at historically high levels as families plan their summer vacations. To help consumers combat high prices and stretch their budget, Uniroyal Tire has teamed up with Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson to provide gas savings tips and some “best-kept secrets” for vacation travel.

Before you even think about loading your boogie boards and checking directions to “Wally World,” Uniroyal recommends a checklist for your vehicle. First, check the inflation pressure of your tires properly. Research conducted by Uniroyal tells us that most Americans are driving around on under-inflated tires. You need to check your tire inflation pressure once a month and adjust accordingly. The proper inflation pressure can be found in the owner’s manual or on the placard usually on the doorjamb. The pressure indicated on the tire sidewall is the maximum pressure allowed, not what is recommended for your vehicle.

“Making sure tires are properly inflated is one of the easiest and most important maintenance procedures drivers can do,” says Uniroyal® Brand Director Kaz Holley. “Properly inflated tires not only contribute to greater fuel efficiency, but also last longer and perform better.”

Also on the Uniroyal checklist: make sure your vehicle is properly aligned, has a clean air filter and that its recommended maintenance schedule has been followed. Uniroyal has calculated that these three factors -- along with proper air pressure, shopping around for gas on the Internet, and using cruise control when proper – could add up to $900 in annual gas savings on a popular sedan driven an average number of miles. For more gas savings tips, log onto www.uniroyal.com. The Uniroyal site even has a “savings calculator” to show people how much they could save daily by following the recommended maintenance tips.

With your vehicle in good running condition, it’s time to go to the Web for Nelson’s best-kept secrets for vacation travel. For example, if you are going to a popular destination like Southern California, you can save as much as $500 on theme park fees by using CityPass. Add another $65 a night in lodging expenses by purchasing an entertainment book and registering it online.

Ready for a nice family meal? Save another $25 per meal by printing out coupons from www.restaurant.com. For a seven-day vacation for a family of four, following these tips could add up to more than $1,000 in savings. Nelson provides specific details on how to maximize your vacation savings on her Web site at www.couponmom.com.

“Families have no control over gas prices, but there are some simple things they can do ahead of time to save significant dollars on their vacation,” Nelson says. “Uniroyal Tire has a long history of providing value to American consumers, so I am thrilled to be working with them to help families get the most value out of their summer vacations.”

Here are some of the top money saving tips on www.uniroyal.com and www.couponmom.com for planning your summer vacation:

Consider purchasing multiple attraction passes such as CityPass for your destination city. For example, a family of four can save nearly $500 in Southern California using a CityPass purchased through www.costco.com. You get day passes to SeaWorld Adventure Park, Universal Studios Hollywood, and the San Diego Zoo – plus a three-day pass to Disneyland – all for $140 for children ages three to nine and $175 for older kids and adults. CityPass is available for many of the top destination cities.
Purchase a coupon entertainment book. For example, entertainment books are available right now on sites such as www.entertainment.com for half price ($12). Once you purchase the book, register it online at www.entertainment.com to access hotel coupons nationwide. If you don’t mind locking into a hotel prior to your trip, you can also get a prepaid bargain rate through the Website. Additionally, you can get a $10 per night rebate for your stay by printing out a form on the Web site. For example, a downtown Chicago hotel offers a prepaid bargain rate of $134 through the Web site – lowest direct rate is $189. By adding the $10 per night rebate, you can save an impressive $65 per night! Go to www.couponmom.com for more details.
Visit restaurant broker sites such as www.restaurant.com to get coupons, view menus and print out directions to your restaurant (go to www.couponmom.com for links). At the Web site for example, you can print $25 gift certificates from your computer. Normally you will pay $10 for each certificate and thus save $15 on your meal. However, you can use 1,000 United Airlines miles to obtain a $25 certificate without the $10 fee.
Sign up with the city’s visitor’s bureau Web site to receive their weekly email newsletter with coupons or hotel discounts.
Visit your attraction’s Web site for discounts or discount days.
Find out about free attractions and museums from sites such as www.citysearch.com and www.frommers.com. Some museums with admission fees may offer a free admission day – check these sites or call the museums you plan to visit to see if they have a free day.
Get buy-one get-one-free coupons for restaurants in all price ranges (fast food to tablecloth) through coupon entertainment books. As with hotels, registering your book online allows you to print restaurant coupons for your particular destination. Once registered, you can also buy discounted gift cards from national chains like Olive Garden and Red Lobster (which you can combine with other coupons).
Go to local and national restaurant Web sites and sign up for email newsletters for discounts or free meals, appetizers and desserts (i.e., Houlihans, Fridays, Macaroni Grill).

“These steps require a little work on the front end, but saving this kind of money can make your vacation that much more relaxing and fun,” Nelson says.

Value expert Stephanie Nelson specializes in helping consumers become savvier about finding everyday bargains and value. Nelson knows all the tricks of the trade when it comes to maximizing value and slashing spending in many areas, including automotive, travel, clothing, restaurants, groceries, gifts, theme parks, gardening and entertainment. Nelson is a regular on-air contributor to ABC News’ Good Morning America, a bi-weekly columnist for ABCNews.com and a spokesperson for Uniroyal Tire.

Uniroyal Tire is one of the world's leading tire brands for passenger and commercial cars, pick-ups, light trucks, mini vans and sport utility vehicles. Dating back to 1892, Uniroyal Tire has developed a reputation for providing high-quality, affordable tires including its Tiger Paw® and Laredo® tire series. Uniroyal® tires offer just the right combination of dependability, traction and grip in almost every weather condition, and come with one of the industry's leading warranties. Visit Uniroyal Tire online at: www.uniroyal.com.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Trade Commission, N.C. Department of Commerce, Car Care Council, www.gasbuddy.com www.gaspricewatch.com, www.entertainment.com, www.restaurant.com, www.costco.com, www.citysearch.com and www.frommers.com. Estimates based on 2006 Toyota Camry with 18.5 gallon gas tank and gas mileage 24 city/33 highway. Savings based on average cost of unleaded gasoline $2.90 per gallon (4/24/06) and 15,000 miles driven annually.

Contact:
Lisa Ball
336-812-2068
lball@trone.com

Uniroyal PR
Lynne Slovick
864-458-6365