Would you like to know when automobile tires first came out? Read our tire history and discover when it was invented!

When horse drawn carriages appeared, the ride was bumpy and rough because of the solid nature of the tires. This changed in the early 19th century when in 1840’s, Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber. He produced a process of curing rubber, using sulphur. At that time, leather was used to seal steam cylinders but was inadequate at higher temperatures. With the vulcanized rubber invention, rubber was used instead which could be applied at higher temperature. With this rubber vulcanizing invention, tire history is assured!

According to the tire history, it was not until later that a practical application of the vulcanized rubber was used to the actual tires production. In 1888, John Dunlop invented a tire made of leather inner tubes and treads. This invention paved the use of rubber, which was first made popular in bicycle tires. This application was later adapted for the automobile industry. Dunlop Rubber Company started actual tire production for bicycles after 1888 when John Dunlop and Harvey Du Cross started the tire company. By late 1890s and beyond, both Goodyear and Goodrich Tire companies were mass-producing rubber tires for the automobile industry in Akron, Ohio.

Rubber raw materials originally came from the forest of South America. Most plants for processing and manufacture of vulcanized were started in Akron Ohio in the late 19th century, which to this day lead as the rubber capital of the world. We owe our tire history to the city of Akron, Ohio for being the pioneering city of rubber tires.