The rubber pneumatic tyres seen on millions of cars across the world are the result of multiple inventors working across several decades. And those inventors have names that should be recognisable to anyone who’s ever bought tyres for their car: Michelin, Goodyear, Dunlop.
Of these, none had so great an impact on the invention of the tyre than John Dunlop and Charles Goodyear.
Charles Goodyear and the invention of
vulcanised rubber
None of it would have been possible without Charles Goodyear, who in 1844 (more than 50 years before the first rubber tires would appear on cars) patented a process known as vulcanisation.
This process involved heating and removing the sulfur from rubber, thus making the rubber waterproof and winter-proof and allowing it to retain its elasticity. While Goodyear’s claim to have invented vulcanisation was challenged, he prevailed in court and is today remembered as the sole inventor of vulcanised rubber.
And that became hugely important once people realised it would be perfect for making tyres.
John Dunlop and the pneumatic tyre
Robert William Thomson (1822 — 1873) invented the actual first vulcanised rubber pneumatic tyre. Thomson patented his pneumatic tire in 1845, and his invention worked well, but it was too costly to catch on.
That changed with John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921), a Scottish veterinarian and the recognised inventor of the first practical pneumatic (inflatable) tyre. His patent, granted in 1888, wasn’t for automobile tyres, however: it was intended for use on bicycles.
Later developments
In 1895, André Michelin and his brother Edouard, who had previously patented a removable bike tyre, were the first to use pneumatic tyres on an automobile.
In 1911, Philip Strauss invented the first successful tyre, which was a combination tyre and air filled inner tube. Strauss’ company the Hardman Tire & Rubber Company marketed the tyres.
In 1903, P.W. Litchfield of the Goodyear Tire Company patented the first tubeless tyre, however, it was never commercially exploited until the 1954 Packard.
In 1904, mountable rims were introduced that allowed drivers to fix their own flats. In 1908, Frank Seiberling invented grooved tyres with improved road traction.
In 1910, B.F. Goodrich Company invented longer life tyres by adding carbon to the rubber. Goodrich also invented the first synthetic rubber tyre in 1937 made of a patented substance called Chemigum.
