Cooper Tires Cooper traces its roots back to Akron, Ohio when in 1914 two brother-in-laws purchased the M&M Company, a company which made tire patches and repair kits. The owners then purchased the Giant Tire & Rubber Company to make “rebuilt” tires and moved the business to Findlay, Ohio, in 1917. Another investor, I.J. Cooper, established... Read More

Dunlop Tires In 1888, while watching his son ride a tricycle, John Boyd Dunlop noticed his son’s discomfort whenever he rode over cobbled ground with solid rubber wheels. John Dunlop knew that the solid rubber tires were to blame, so he wrapped the wheels in thin rubber sheets, glued them together, inflated them with a football pump for a cushioning effect, a... Read More

Goodyear Tires The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. With just thirteen employees, Goodyear began producing bicycle and carriage tires in November 1898. Goodyear earned the title of the world’s largest tire company in 1916 and adopted the slogan, “More people ride on Goodyear tires than on any other kind.” ... Read More

Hankook Tires Hankook Tire was established in 1941 in Seoul, Korea. Hankook began production in 1942, originally producing 110,000 tires a year. Today, they produce over 50 million tires a year. Hankook made Korean business history in 1962 when they began exporting car tires for the first time. In 1974, Hankook developed their first Korean radial passenger tire.... Read More

Kelly Tires The Kelly-Springfield Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1894 by Edwin Kelly. Soon after, Kelly took his partner’s, Arthur Grant, design from blueprint to production and the first successful carriage tire was launched. Many people tried to imitate Grant’s patent, but Grant’s was the most successful, using wires to hold the tire... Read More