How Your Auto Tires Evolved from Wooden Wheels

A Combination of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering 

Comfort, Performance, Efficiency, Reliability and Safety

Most people don’t put a lot of thought into how things are made, but it’s fascinating to get a glimpse into the world of creativity. Most products seen on the shelves have evolved over many years, especially auto tires.

A guy by the name of Benz created the first gasoline car in 1888, but the first wheel dates back to about 3,500 BC. Obviously, there are a few years in between, but when cars were first manufactured, they had wooden wheels. Leather was added to make the rides softer and then the leather was eventually replaced by rubber. Originally, the rubber was solid and was only capable of slow speeds. 

Synthetic rubber was industrialized in 1931, which increased the production of tires significantly. In 1947, tubeless tires were introduced to help with the rising oil prices. They decreased the vehicle weight substantially, were more fuel efficient, as a result, and lasted much longer than their predecessors. 

The 1950s introduced the modern radial tire. For those who may not know, radial tires have steel cables woven into them to increase their strength and durability. And lastly, you have your run flat tire introduced in 1979. When a flat tire occurs, you can typically drive about another 50 miles before you begin to have more things to worry about.

If it doesn’t amaze you to think about how far the wheel has come in such a short amount of historical time, think about this. There can be as many as 200 raw materials in a modern tire. They all go through extreme testing to ensure the highest quality and safety. New tires can go as many as 80,000 miles, withstand extreme road temperatures and are capable of ridiculous speeds compared to that first car in 1888.

Now that you know all about the evolution of auto tires, make sure to stop by your local Point S Tire & Auto Service for your next set of tires!

Resources

ustires.org/howatireismade

burtbrothers.com/blog/history-of-tires

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