Did you know that, in the 1960s, Goodyear made illuminated tires? Goodyear’s translucent tire could be produced in any color to match a car's exterior. The tires were made of Neothane, a synthetic polyurethane rubber that combined the hardness of plastic with the resilience of rubber. To create these unique tires, the Neothane was poured into molds and baked at 250°F, a temperature much lower than required to make standard tires. Eliminating the more complicated layering construction of traditional tires, Neothane tires were tubeless, cordless, and translucent. Goodyear could add dye to create a rainbow of different tire colors, and 18 lights were mounted on the rims inside each tire to create a glow that was particularly brilliant at night. While Goodyear reasoned that the glowing tires would provide an additional layer of safety, because they were more visible in fog and poor weather, they often had the opposite effect. Since they looked like something straight out of science fiction, other drivers would dangerously hit their brakes or turn their heads to get a better look. Goodyear held tight to the idea that its Neothane tires would one day become as common as their black rubber counterparts, but that didn’t happen. After 10 years of work, engineers threw in the towel. Keith Buckley, senior engineer at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., said in a brief phone interview that the tires were doomed for several reasons. For one, while the low melting point made them easy to manufacture, the same low melting point also made them susceptible to melting while braking. And while the idea of changing tires to match your mood (or your wife’s outfit) seemed like an amazing idea at the time, each tire weighed about 150 pounds, meaning there was no such thing as a “quick change.” “Cost was the big thing, but they weren’t practical either,” Buckley said. “The Neothane didn’t have the grip of standard tires, which made them more dangerous in rainy conditions. And it wouldn’t take long before they were covered in road grime, which negated the illumination- and that was their big drawing card.”
I have never heard of this. Tom, are you sure this is real? Or is this like a jackalope, susquatch, or yeti?
It is real. I even saw this story on a cable TV show, Hazardous History. The illuminated tires, however, did not make it to production for the general public.
