A Brief History of Tires

When you’re trudging through the snow on your durable tires in Albany, New York, has it ever crossed your mind how these tires came to be? It hasn’t? Well, I’ll be happy to tell you that the history of the tire is both lengthy and fascinating.

The story actually began in 1844, when Charles Goodyear invented the vulcanized rubber that would ultimately be used for tires. What happened after that, though? Read on to find out…

1888

The first tire was actually used on a bike, and it mostly consisted of rubber hoses. Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop decided to do some experimenting in 1888, attaching hoses to a wooden wheel and proceeding to cover the contact patches with canvas. Following a successful test-ride on a tricycle, Dunlop proceeded to attach rubber pieces to the canvas and tested the new tires on a bike.

Dunlop found even more success with this improved design, paving the way for future tire makers.

1891-1948

In 1891, C.K. Welch invented the bead wire tire, and 13 years later, Firestone and Goodyear Tire Company constructed the first straight-sided wire bead tires. By 1908, this was the standard practice for producing tires.

The discovery of the radial ply method didn’t see such quick success. Despite being invented in 1913, the tire-making strategy wasn’t adopted by companies until 1948. This was due to the high price of the stronger silk thread, which was intended to be used in tire code fabric. The theory of synthetic reactions in 1928 eliminated this issue. Rayon code fabric was soon used as a heat-resistance alternative to the cotton code fabric.

1948-present

From there, it was a series of one-upmanship. Nylon code fabric competed with rayon for nearly ten years, with the nylon eventually eliminating the rayon from the market. A polyester code fabric came along in 1962, and steel codes soon took the lead in the 1980s.

Dupont, meanwhile, wasn’t finished with his inventions. In 1972, he invented a polyamide fiber, Kevlar, which was five-times stronger than the steel. While the product was pricey at first, it soon gained more mainstream prominence over time.

So you didn’t realize that the history of tires was so dense, right? I’m sure others don’t realize it either… besides the folks at the DePaula dealership in Albany, New York. They seem to know everything, so if you have any questions or inquiries, don’t hesitate to pay them a visit!