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With all the tires you encounter every day, it is easy to forget their humble beginning and just how far they have come since the early days of automotive development. Follow along as we recap the incredible evolution that has taken us from simple rubber rings to the products we see today.
The tire had rather humble beginnings. In the late 1800's the invention of the automobile necessitated something for them to roll on. Until then, wheels were rolling around on hard wooden rims or metal bands. In 1888 Carl Benz, one of the famous fathers of Mercedes Benz, invented a new type of tire to match his new type of conveyance, the automobile. It was a metal framed tire, covered with rubber and filled with air. This was the birth of the pneumatic or air filled tire and it revolutionized the world.
Carl Benz' tire had air but it didn't have any tread. It wasn't until 1905 that tread was added to the tire's surface to help it handle the wet, muddy road surfaces typical of the time and to protect the underlying carcass from getting damaged and blowing out.
Until 1923 tires were thin and tall, like today's bicycle tires, until the balloon type tire was developed. This would be the eventual ancestor of all modern car, plane, truck and agricultural tires.
A huge turning point in the history of tires came in 1931 when famous innovator Du Pont patented and industrialized synthetic rubber. No longer would the tire industry be exclusively beholden to environment wrecking natural rubber and the durability problems it presents. All modern tires use a blend of natural and synthetic rubber first pioneered by Du Pont.
Another giant step forward for the tire industry came with the development of tubeless radial tires in the late 1940s. Until this time, tires were fortified for strength with fabric bands that did not do much to stiffen the tire or increase durability. Tubeless radial tires sealed directly to the wheel and used steel radial bands to significantly strengthen and stiffen the tire. The tires on your car are tubeless steel belted radials, the standard of the modern tire industry.
The development of the tubeless radial tire gave tires the durability and strength for the entire industry to move into innovative hyper-drive. Soon after tubeless radial manufacturing technology became the norm, the industry created such modern tire staples as snow tires, run flats, all-season radials, off-road tires and even tires that can seal themselves when punctured.
The tires we all depend on today owe their incredible traction, durability, and reliability to a long line of innovators who never accepted the status-quo, always looking for the next great way to improve their products. That innovation remains a healthy part of one of the world's oldest and largest industries, where automation and innovation allows a single plant to make a tire from raw materials and have it ready to ship at the dizzying pace of up to a tire every 28-seconds.
All of this fast-paced manufacturing requires a comprehensive network of retail and wholesale businesses to get the tires to you, the consumer. Nearly every city and town has trusted tire dealers that can help properly apply all that technology to your vehicle.
All told, the history of the tire is a story of incredible innovation, millions of jobs and a country that runs on rubber. The next time you hop in your vehicle of choice, be it a car, truck, SUV, motorcycle or even a plane, take a moment to appreciate the men and women, the great inventors and innovators and all the workers, from the factory to the local tire store who made it possible for you to roll on to your next destination in comfort.
*Tire installment package required for online only. Goodyear Credit Card offers are subject to credit approval. Get up to $100 back by mail-in or online rebate on a qualifying purchase of a set of 4 select Goodyear tires with any form of payment method; plus get an added rebate of up to $100 more when the purchase is made on the Goodyear Credit Card from 4/1/2024 to 6/30/2024.
Get a $100 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase or $200 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase on the Goodyear Credit Card of: Assurance ComfortDrive®, Eagle Exhilarate® and Wrangler DuraTrac® RT.
Get a $75 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase or $150 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase on the Goodyear Credit Card of: Assurance WeatherReady®, Eagle® Sport All-Season Family (includes ROF and SCT), Wrangler® All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar® and Wrangler Steadfast HT®.
Get a $50 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase or $100 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase on the Goodyear Credit Card of: Assurance MaxLife®.
Get a $25 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase or $50 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase or $50 Visa Prepaid Card with purchase on the Goodyear Credit Card of: Assurance® All-Season.
Limit one (1) mail-in or online rebate per qualifying purchase, per visit. Limit one (1) rebate form per tire purchase, per envelope. Limit four (4) rebates per individual consumer, per promotion period. Tire rebates are on a set of four select tires. If your vehicle requires six tires, rebates are available on a prorated basis for the two additional tires. The prorated rebate amount, per additional tire, is 25% of the rebate amount listed above. The minimum purchase is a set of four tires, and the maximum purchase is six tires per invoice. Complete purchase must be made on the Goodyear Credit Card to receive maximum rebate offer. Offers available only at authorized participating U.S. Goodyear retailers and websites. Offer valid only for U.S. residents who are individual consumers with mailing addresses in the U.S. and U.S. territories. Offers valid for consumer accounts in good standing. Not valid on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other Goodyear tire rebate offers. Base portion of rebate offered by Goodyear, and bonus portion of rebate offered by Citibank, N.A. The Goodyear Credit Card is issued by Citibank, N.A.
Completed rebate forms must be postmarked or submitted online no later than 7/31/2024. Invoice must have eligible tire name and proof of purchase on Goodyear Credit Card (when applicable) clearly indicated. Online purchases must include copy of the online purchase invoice and the installation invoice from authorized Goodyear retailer. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for Visa Prepaid Card/Virtual Card delivery. Goodyear reserves the right to substitute a check of equal value in lieu of a Visa Prepaid Card at its discretion. For additional questions, or to check the status of your rebate, you may visit www.Goodyear.com/rebates or call the Goodyear Rebate Customer Service at 1-888-683-8724 Monday to Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET and 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. Fraudulent submissions will not be honored and may be prosecuted. Sponsor is not responsible for noncomplying rebate submissions or for lost, late, illegible, postage-due or undeliverable mail. Noncomplying rebate submissions will not be honored, acknowledged or returned. Void where taxed, restricted or prohibited by law. All decisions made by Goodyear (or its authorized representatives) relating to the validity of any submissions are final and binding. This promotion is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Retain copies of the materials you submit. Additional terms and conditions apply. Ask participating retailer for complete details and rebate form.
Rebate paid in the form of a Goodyear Visa Prepaid Card or Virtual Card. Prepaid Card/Virtual Card is issued by Pathward, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. No cash access or recurring payments. Prepaid Card can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Virtual Card can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted online or for phone/mail orders. Prepaid Card/Virtual Card valid for up to 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid thru date. Prepaid Card terms and conditions apply. Pathward does not endorse or sponsor the Goodyear Credit Card offer.
DuPont™ and Kevlar® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company used under license by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and affiliates. ©2024 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. All rights reserved
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