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BFGoodrich is an American
tire A tire (North American English) or tyre (Commonwealth English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineeri ...
brand. Originally part of the industrial conglomerate
Goodrich Corporation The Goodrich Corporation, formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, was an American manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Benjamin Goodrich, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Go ...
, it was acquired in 1990 (along with Uniroyal, then The Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company) by the French tire maker
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
. BFGoodrich was the first American tire manufacturer to make radial tires. It made tires for the then new Winton car from
Winton Motor Carriage Company The Winton Motor Carriage Company was a pioneer United States automobile manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Winton was one of the first United States, American companies to sell a motor car. In 1912, Winton became one of the first Ameri ...
. BFGoodrich tires have been fitted to several noteworthy historical vehicles: * In 1903 the first car to cross the United States was fitted with BFGoodrich tires. * In 1927 Charles Lindbergh's airplane, the "
Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the Charles Lindbergh#New York–Paris flight ...
," which made the first successful solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic, was fitted with BFGoodrich tires. * The
Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' (OV-102) was a Space Shuttle orbiter manufactured by Rockwell International and operated by NASA. Named after the Columbia Rediviva, first American ship to circumnavigate the globe, and the Columbia (personification) ...
's landing gear was fitted with BFGoodrich tires. BFGoodrich has been involved in several Baja California Competitions and enjoyed success with 28 overall victories at the
Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula, with a course of up to about 850 or more miles. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from ...
and 13 times winner of the Paris–Dakar Rally.


History

Founded by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich in 1870, the B.F. Goodrich Company, later known as BFGoodrich, was among the first rubber tire manufacturers to be located west of the Appalachian mountain range. In the previous year, Goodrich had purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company. Based in
Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
, the BFGoodrich Company began as a manufacturer of rubberized hoses, which were sold mostly as firehoses. The company also produced rubberized belts, similar to those used on modern vehicles as serpentine belts (
fan belt A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating Drive shaft, shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to Transmission (mechanics), transmit power efficiently or to track relative ...
). As the company grew, it began to manufacture pneumatic bicycle tires, eventually leading to the production of pneumatic automobile tires in 1896, making BFGoodrich the first company in the United States to manufacture this type of tire. BFGoodrich was not the only tire manufacturer in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Among its competitors were Goodyear, Firestone,
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and
Uniroyal Uniroyal, formerly known as the United States Rubber Company, is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber-related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition, explosives, chemical weapons and op ...
. Due to extensive research and scientific methods, such as tire wear evaluation and longevity testing, BFGoodrich was at the leading edge of the industry.
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
, then owned by
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
, chose BFGoodrich tires to be fitted in the new Model A Ford in 1903. That same year, the Model A, equipped with the tires, became the first car to cross the United States from east to west. This event made BFGoodrich a household name. The Goodrich Corporation, formerly called B.F. Goodrich Company, stopped making tires in 1988 and sold the business and the B.F. Goodrich name to
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
. Although Michelin purchased the rights and many of the factories of B.F. Goodrich within the United States, the Goodrich factories continued tire production under the parent company, Michelin. As of 2023 there are only two (2) of the B.F. Goodrich factories in operations producing tires, while still working under the original B.F. Goodrich name. These last two factory locations are
Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...
and Woodburn, Indiana.


Innovation

Aside from being the first company in the United States to manufacture pneumatic automobile tires, BFGoodrich is also credited for introducing the rubber-wound golf ball, the first pressurized space suit and the use of synthetic rubber. Although significant, these innovations are not as well known as the company’s contributions to the tire industry. In 1947, BFGoodrich developed the first tubeless tire in the United States. The tubeless tire eliminate the need for an inner tube, which improves performance and safety, as well as enhanced comfort for the car's occupants. BFGoodrich produced the first radial tires in the United States in 1965. This innovation made tires even safer as radial tires have longer tread life and permit better absorption of road bumps. The company patented an early sort of
run-flat tire A run-flat tire is a pneumatic vehicle tire designed to resist the effects of deflation when punctured, allowing the vehicle to continue to be driven at reduced speeds for limited distances. First developed by tire manufacturer Michelin in the 1930 ...
two years later, in 1967. This technology enables the vehicle to continue to be driven in emergencies by avoiding that the tire becomes flat instantly. BF Goodrich also developed the PF flyer shoe in 1933.


Aeronautics

In 1909, BFGoodrich tires were fitted on a Curtiss airplane, thus marking BFGoodrich's entry in the aviation tire market. In this particular event, the plane, fitted with BFGoodrich tires, set a speed record of 75 kilometers per hour in Reims at the first international air race. BFGoodrich tires were also fitted to
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
’s plane, ''
Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the Charles Lindbergh#New York–Paris flight ...
'', when he completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight. In 1934, BFGoodrich produced a prototype for a pressure suit to be worn by airplane pilot
Wiley Post Wiley Hardeman Post (November 22, 1898 – August 15, 1935) was an American aviator during the Aviation between the World Wars, interwar period and the first aviator, pilot to fly solo around the world. Known for his work in high-altitude flyi ...
at high altitudes. This first prototype was made mostly of rubber, with the exception being the metal helmet and waist strap. The prototype suit was pressurized in an initial test, but it did not hold pressure as it was expected to. With improvements to the concept, a second prototype was made, using the same helmet, which successfully maintained pressurization. The second suit was successful, at least in holding pressure. The suit had shrunk around Post's body and was removed by cutting the suit apart. One year later, in 1935, another prototype was produced and is said to be the first practical pressure suit in the United States. Piloting his plane, the “ Winnie Mae”, Post was able to fly to an altitude of approximately 50,000 feet, where he discovered the jet stream, paving the way for modern flight procedures. From this point forward, the suit created by BFGoodrich served as pattern for modern pressurized space suits. In 1946, B. F. Goodrich purchased the airplane, wheel, and brake division of Hayes Industries.


Racing Heritage

BFGoodrich is also known for their performance and racing developments and achievements. Its roots in racing can be traced as far back as 1914, when BFGoodrich tires were used by the winning car of the
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...
. This was just the beginning of victories in several competitions including the
Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula, with a course of up to about 850 or more miles. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from ...
,
Paris-Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally () or simply "The Dakar" (), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than conventi ...
, World Rally Championships and many other prestigious racing competitions. BFGoodrich has been active on the competitive
off-road Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...
scene in the USA since 1973, but it was only two decades later that the American brand got its first taste of the world’s longest and toughest cross-country rally – the Dakar. BFGoodrich, Official Sponsor and exclusive tire partner of the Rallye du Dakar since 2002’s edition, proposes to all competitors access to premium tires and to its racing service present on all the Rallye’s duration.


Offroad

BFGoodrich developed and markets its flagship All-Terrain T/A and Mud-Terrain T/A tires. Due to its unique tread design and known raised white letters on the tire sidewall, the tire consolidated a loyal customer base, especially among off-roading enthusiasts, its main application is pickup trucks and body-on-frame SUVs. In the more recent years, UTV winnings are becoming more synonymous with BFG and their custom specifications are greatly appreciated on race day, Class 1, Class 10, and Unlimited Spec Desert cars have also utilized BFGoodrich tires and have found a winning formula for over 30 races in a row.


References


External links

* {{Automotive industry in the United States Michelin brands Tires Automotive companies established in 1870 American companies established in 1870 1870 establishments in Ohio 1990 mergers and acquisitions Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Tire manufacturers of the United States