The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company will develop urethane automobile tires under a joint agreement with Amerityre Corp.
Goodyear says the ultimate objective of the exclusive agreement is replacing rubber automobile tires. "The urethane tire has been the Holy Grail of the tire industry for
decades, so we are approaching this project with a good deal of prudence," says Joe Gingo, Goodyear's senior vice president for technology and global products planning. "If it can be done, we want to be first to do it!"
Gingo says early testing of Amerityre's urethane compound is promising. "Manufacturing a urethane tire could potentially offer significant product advantages and tremendously
efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes requiring less capital investment than for traditional rubber tires. That's why Goodyear is interested in continuing to pursue this technology."
According to Goodyear, tiremakers worked extensively from the 1950s through the 1970s trying to develop urethane passenger car tires. Goodyear even made red colored urethane tires with lights inside.
The company adds, however, that conventional rubber tires were superior to the urethane concept tires in wet and dry traction and cut resistance comparisons.
