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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.
The GOODYEAR FALL PROMOTION EVENT is a manufacturer’s online rebate. This is a consumer tire rebate event for select Goodyear tires. To qualify for this event, you must purchase your eligible tires between September 9, 2024 and the expiry date of December 31, 2024. One (1) rebate form per sales receipt/invoice. Limit one (1) online rebate per qualifying purchase, per visit. Limit four (4) rebates per individual consumer, per promotion period. Federal and provincial taxes are calculated on the selling price before the rebate. Minimum purchase of a set of four (4) tires is required to receive the full rebate amount. Rebates are also available per tire on a prorated basis with a minimum purchase of four (4) tires and a maximum purchase of six (6) tires per sales receipt/invoice. The consumer must submit the rebate form online along with a copy of the sales receipt/ invoice on or before January 31, 2025. Offer is only open to residents of Canada and is only valid for tire purchases from a participating Canadian retailer that operates a retail location in Canada. This rebate offer cannot be combined with any other Goodyear rebate offer. This is a consumer rebate that also applies to business-to-business purchases, excluding tires sold to national accounts, government accounts, P&R accounts, secondary supply points, other retailers or any other delivery for the account of Goodyear. All sales receipts/invoices submitted must include detailed product and customer sold-to information to be eligible for rebates. The participating retailer is solely responsible for determining the selling price of the tires without direction from Goodyear. Visit goodyear.ca or see a participating retailer for more details.
Aditional terms and conditions: Goodyear reserves the right to substitute a cheque of equal value in lieu of a Goodyear Prepaid Mastercard® or Virtual Account at its discretion. Fraudulent submissions will not be honoured and may be prosecuted. Goodyear is not responsible for non-complying rebate submissions. Non-complying rebate submissions will not be honoured, 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, provincial, and local laws and regulations. Retain copies of the materials you submit.
Tire rebate will be issued in the form of one (1) Goodyear Mastercard Prepaid Card or Virtual Account. Card/Virtual Account is issued by Peoples Trust Company under licence from Mastercard International. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. No cash access or recurring payments. Card can be used where Mastercard is accepted. Virtual Account can be used online or for phone/mail orders where Mastercard is accepted. Card/Virtual Account valid for up to six (6) months; unused funds will be forfeited after the valid thru date. Card terms and conditions apply.
2Service rebate: Offer valid with a minimum qualifying service addition. Minimum purchase of $150 required to get $50 rebate on qualifying service, including tire installation, parts and labour. Qualifying service purchase must be made with the purchase of a set of four (4) qualifying Goodyear tires from September 9, 2024 to the expiry date of December 31, 2024 and only at participating Canadian Goodyear Tire & Service Network retailers. Offer is only open to residents of Canada with mailing addresses in Canada. Tire purchase, shop supplies, disposal fees and taxes are excluded from this offer. Cannot be combined with other Goodyear service offers.
Kevlar® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
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