Even though cars were the size of boats, airbags didn’t exist, and modern safety features like automatic emergency braking and even anti-lock brakes were far away, automakers and OEMs in the 1950s and 1960s still tried hard to make cars safer. Goodyear was one of these parties, with the company wanting to improve safety by combining enhanced visibility with style. Enter Neothane, a new translucent rubber material that could be dyed in different colors.
The idea was big. Goodyear first showed off the new tires on the Golden Sahara II, an early concept car for autonomous driving. The car was a collaboration between the tire maker, Jim Street, and George Barris, the latter of whom is probably best-known for designing one of the Batmobiles and dozens of other cars for TV and movies. In the 1950s and 1960s, Goodyear claimed it was one of the biggest innovations in custom car styling, complete with badly aged claims about how one could swap the tires out to match whatever their spouse was wearing.
The translucent tires worked with lights embedded in the wheels that could light up in different colors. This, in theory, would make cars more visible at night and give a little extra visual flair. The tires certainly looked the part, but in practice, they were far from a viable option for future car customization due to safety and practicality issues.
Not all that glows is good
Unfortunately for Goodyear, the tires themselves were a disaster. Due to Neothane’s relatively low melting point, the tires were prone to melting under braking. Given that a large majority of cars from the era used drum brakes without anti-lock systems, anything that diminished braking ability should be seen as an abject failure. The tires were also incredibly heavy, weighing around 150 pounds, and didn’t grip well in wet weather.
On top of that, the tires had visual drawbacks, too: What happens when you combine a glowing tire with a dirty road surface? You end up with a dingy-looking tire that doesn’t glow like it’s supposed to. Fortunately, Goodyear didn’t end up selling any Neothane tires and canned the project entirely.
Tires in colors other than black have never reached mainstream usage. Sure, you can buy tires that emit colored smoke when drifting or doing a burnout, but specialty tires like that are very expensive compared to your average Goodyear and not really intended for daily use.
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