Ever heard of these? They were an invention that failed to take off in 1961. Its odd but also really cool looking.
“These illuminated tires were developed by Goodyear in 1961. They’re made from a single piece of synthetic rubber and are brightly lit by bulbs mounted inside the wheel rim. The Goodyear Tire Company intend to produce the tyres in a variety of colours. So they came up with this so that women could adjust their stockings at night? Anyway, I guess something like this would be any car-tuners dream. According to LIFE magazine this is one of the 30 dumbest inventions.”
Namely, a light bright enough to make a 1/8" thick piece of black rubber glow like the sun would be hot enough to melt the steel rim. Also, how would you power such a light? Not off a 12v system, nowhere near enough power. You would need some kind of contact system that wouldnt be fouled by dirt and water but would allow rotation and suspension travel, you would have serious balance issues with the wheels with all that junk in there, not to mention incandescent bulbs would never hold up to that type of vibration. Plus you'd have to find a way to... ya know what Im just going to stop there lol.
They weren't made of rubber, they were made of urethane, a polymer that can be made translucent very easily. Oh, one of the reasons tires are black is because of carbon. Urethane tires would last 100k miles easily, but traction was piss-poor. Not an issue with 1950's technology so much, but definitely an issue now. The other big problem would be static buildup on the vehicle, a problem that the carbon in modern tires is meant to deal with.
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09:57 AM
Flamberge Member
Posts: 4268 From: Terra Sancta, TX Registered: Oct 2001
They weren't made of rubber, they were made of urethane, a polymer that can be made translucent very easily. Oh, one of the reasons tires are black is because of carbon. Urethane tires would last 100k miles easily, but traction was piss-poor. Not an issue with 1950's technology so much, but definitely an issue now. The other big problem would be static buildup on the vehicle, a problem that the carbon in modern tires is meant to deal with.
Urethane or not, the lighting on and under the tires is a negative of the real picture. Fake.
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10:45 AM
DeLorean00 Member
Posts: 4251 From: Sacramento, CA / Reno, NV Registered: Aug 2005
Interesting idea... (would look cool on a Black or white Fiero done up Tron style !) They seem to be waaay too evenly lit to be real (and no light glow (bleeding) from the wheelwell where the bulbs were supposed to be) They look like they are being lit from the inside of the wheel...
[This message has been edited by FieroRumor (edited 05-20-2011).]
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10:51 AM
Scottzilla79 Member
Posts: 2573 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Oct 2009
I'm no expert, but do you guys see the little wire from the top of the wheel well to the hub? It could be an enhanced picture, but the concept might have been real.
looks like jst high contrast / overexposure to make anything lit WAY brighter. like them background lights. the background lights are so overwhelming, it looks like people are welding in them rooms. the building sign is completely glared over, so the letters just look like blobs of light. yes, I think them tires are "lit" - but the light is likely mighty mighty faint, and the over exposure/high contrast is making it look fake.
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11:12 AM
PFF
System Bot
Marvin McInnis Member
Posts: 11599 From: ~ Kansas City, USA Registered: Apr 2002
The other big problem would be static buildup on the vehicle, a problem that the carbon in modern tires is meant to deal with.
I was surprised to learn recently that the addition of carbon black increases the strength and abrasion resistance of rubber by about 60%. I had always thought it was just for uniform color and electrical conductivity.
Originally posted by FieroRumor: ...(and no light glow (bleeding) from the wheelwell where the bulbs were supposed to be) They look like they are being lit from the inside of the wheel...
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from the first post and are brightly lit by bulbs mounted inside the wheel rim.
“After reading our post on dumb inventions from the last century, many commenters declared that lighted tires were actually a great idea and wondered why they haven't caught on (especially among rappers). So we did some more research. We assume that the illuminated tire of the 1960s didn't catch on because someone at Goodyear realized that inflatable tubes and lots of glass are not a good recipe for road safety. As LEDs and fiber optics have become more common, we thought someone might have taken another crack at it. Alas, we couldn't find a modern day illuminated tire.
...Luckily, we weren't disappointed. Behold the Dub Custom PimpStar, which is a set of programmable LEDs that attach to a car's wheels and can display pictures and messages. Some example images on the PimpStar's site include an American flag, a dollar sign, the Air Jordan logo, or a naked lady mud flap silhouette. A 22-inch tire and wheel set starts at $12,050.”
"Leuchtkäfer says that the NLST solves the problem by using a blend of synthetic transparent rubber and luminescent neoprene, instead of light bulbs. The luminescence is activated by static electricity, so the tires glow as long as the vehicle is moving. However, should the driver not want the tires to glow for any reason, a grounding device, activated from a stalk on the steering column, cancels out the static charge. And, for nighttime parking in unlit lots and narrow alleys, a small, static storage battery located in the engine compartment, supplies the static charge to keep the tires lit for up to 12 hours."
That is sweet. I wonder if it is legal?
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02:17 PM
84fiero123 Member
Posts: 29950 From: farmington, maine usa Registered: Oct 2004
Originally posted by randye: You did note the DATE of that article at the bottom of the page, right??
Yes I saw the date, I posted it because it references the article the OP started this about the 60’s Goodyear tires that were lighted. So they were real in the 60’s. others have said they were not. You for example.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
The tires ARE real. I have seen them on display in one of the Star Cars museums in Gatlinburg. years ago. The lights are INSIDE the tires. Not in the wheel wells. They were mounted to the inside of the rims.
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02:39 PM
87antuzzi Member
Posts: 11151 From: Surrounded by corn. Registered: Feb 2009
First, if they were real, how would they be powered ? How would you connect power to a rotating wheel ? Self powered internally, where would you put the battery and switch ? Have to dismount them to change battery ? Wouldnt batteries throw off wheel balance a ton ? Would they be legal by state vehicle lighting laws ? About the closest Ive ever seen done was when BFG came out with the tires that had different colors of rubber in the tread. Ive seen them at burnout shows at the Nationals where they poured out various colors of tire smoke with them. A popular thing in the 60s was to mount trailer lights in the wheel wells behind mag wheels to light them up at nite. Last thing were those like above that were just self powered valve stem caps.
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02:56 PM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43225 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
Do they mention the light up tires? I don’t have audio where I am.
Other rumors:
“A sleek white convertible cruised the streets after dusk. Its four tires glowed a fiery red, blinking and winking at gawkers. The lighting effect was as startling as it was beautiful.
In the early 1960s, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. conducted colorful experiments on ''the tire of tomorrow,'' “Apparently they were a show car invention as there are wires running from the fenders to a contact in the middle of the hub cap, so they would not be lit up when driving.”
Vintage images:
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03:32 PM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43225 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
It's called a "swash plate", (not the helicopter kind), and they're very commonly used to transfer electric power to a rotating device, and yes, they have been used on wheels.
Look at most horn contact mechanisms in steering wheels. The disc with the brass contact surface is a "swash plate".
The concept has been around for a very long time.
[This message has been edited by randye (edited 05-20-2011).]
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03:35 PM
2.5 Member
Posts: 43225 From: Southern MN Registered: May 2007
From some guys postcard of the Golden Sahara II: "the tires are gold color Neothane glass and illuminate at night. Developed by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co."
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Originally posted by rogergarrison:
Id say English. Its half the size of a TBird. Something like an Austin or English Ford. Its def european.
Ill bet Fetish can tell us.
As for the car in the pic: "It's not a Ford Capri, it's a Ford Consul Classic 315 sedan. The bottom half of the 2 door body is the same as the Capri, the roof is different, a hardtop coupe." Which would yes I believe be European Roger .
Cool stuff!
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 05-20-2011).]
You can see the device in the pic coming from the top ot the wheel well to the rim.
I got to say it looks plenty real in the pic, not that it may not be enhanced a little for advertisement purposes but then there are some who won't believe anything.
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