On May 11, 1947, the B.F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio,
announced it had developed a tubeless tire, a technological
innovation that would make automobiles safer and more
efficient.
The culmination of more than three years of engineering,
Goodrich’s tubeless tire effectively eliminated the inner
tube, trapping the pressurized air within the tire walls
themselves. By reinforcing those walls, the company
claimed, they were able to combine the puncture-sealing
features of inner tubes with an improved ease of riding,
high resistance to bruising and superior retention of air
pressure.
While Goodrich awaited approval from the U.S. Patent
Office, the tubeless tires underwent high-speed road
testing, were put in service on a fleet of taxis and were
used by Ohio state police cars and a number of privately
owned passenger cars.
