I had a first hand account of what Firestone tires were doing 20 years ago. Going 75mph down the interstate and one of my front tires decided to disassemble it self. I'll never forget that.
@@thornmountain8129 Chevy recommended messing with the front and rear tire pressure in the 1960s rear engined Corvair to help rectify the unbalanced handling of the first generation car. Most people wouldn’t bother having different tire pressures between the front & rear tires. The second generation Corvair rectified the rear suspension issues but by then it was too late for the Corvair as it was labelled “unsafe at any speed”.
One thing that makes Goodyear's blimp even more noteworthy is that there are only 25 blimps worldwide and only like 8 of them are actually used actively in marketing.
Interestingly, unlike their previous blimps, the latest Goodyear “blimps” are actually semi-rigid airships designed and manufactured by the Zeppelin company in Germany.
@@Akanisen049 To be honest, there were never many blimps. And I don’t think there were ever any passenger blimps in the way some airships were. Probably the only time in history when there were a fair number of blimps in use was during WW2, when the US Army used many of them to hunt for and drop depth charges on German submarines.
@@Akanisen049 More incredible than the blimps are the rigid airships which Goodyear built, the USS Akron and USS Macon. The Goodyear Airdock - which was built specifically to construct these two sister ships (one at a time, as one nearly filled the massive building) - still stands today in Akron. A typical Goodyear blimp is not much larger than a rear tail fin on those two giants.
Firestone's disassembling tires should be a 'Scandals' episode within itself, not only did it ruin their corporate relationships, forced new legislation, but stained their name with blood for a generation and a half of mechanics.
Firestone back in the 1970's honestly thought that they could build Radial Tires on the cheap. Meaning unlike Goodyear designing equipment from the ground up, could produce Radials on machines made to produce Bias-Ply Tires. THAT was there downfall......
This was totally Ford's fault. Firestone TOLD Ford, "Do NOT run those tires at that low of pressure". Ford said, "We'll do what we want". Firestone told them, "The tires are NOT designed to be run at that low of pressure". Ford did it ANYWAY. And guess what? The tires failed EXACTLY like Firestone told them they would IF they didn't follow Firestone's recommendation. This was at the time when the SUV market was new and Ford was having trouble getting a softer ride out of their poorly designed vehicle. To solve this problem FORD decided ON THEIR OWN to lower the tire pressures to get a smoother ride, despite being told NOT too. It's ALL in the court case.
@@NorthernChev I was on Firestone's side at the time. But, after 20 years of driving on many underinflated tires (out of laziness and irresponsibility) and never having thrown any tread, I'm thinking it was Firestone's fault.
@@MicahThomason But IS it Firestones fault when they went out of their way NUMEROUS times and told Ford DO NOT DO THIS? ...and Ford did it anyway? Multiple meetings, multiple reports written, multiple warnings distributed to all levels at Ford. But they STILL did it anyway. /facepalm.
@@NorthernChev Bravo for being absolutely factually spot on. I'm a 3rd generation tire and auto operator who spent many years branded as Firestone dealers. Ford manufactured those Explorers with 26psi door stickers. They could barely get those piles of junk to pass any rollover testing, so they had to stiffen up the suspension to keep them upright, and relied on the cushion of incredibly underinflated 235/75/15s to regain any sense of ride quality. As you said, this was directly against the tire's development and Ford was warned. The only reason Ford slimeballed themselves out of that mess is because of their wider public reach than even Firestone has. Big shame, as Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were very publicly known as close friends in the early days, only for the future generations to destroy what could have remained one of the most wealthy manufacturing alliances in the world.
I think an interesting fact about the Goodyear company is that it is rather important to Arizona's history, weirdly enough. The first CEO of Goodyear, Paul W. Litchfield, came out to Arizona to establish cotton farms for the tires after the USDA suggested growing them around the Phoenix area. These farms were located in the areas that are today Litchfield Park and Goodyear, Arizona. The two cities have very little to do with the company nowadays besides their names, but there are still cotton fields scattered around that I suspect are remnants from the Goodyear company.
From what I know, right now Michelin makes the best tires in basically every class of passenger car tires besides track tires. They're expensive, but in objective testing they're almost always on top.
@@andyshuai8024 yes, contis are very good as well while being cheaper than the other two. The DWS06 has been my default recommendation for all season tires for almost a decade. Almost as good as the Pilot AS, but quite a bit cheaper (unless you have a Costco membership).
In the early 80's the Firestone 721 had a major recall and it can to haunt the when thr 2000 recall came out. But it not mentioned but ford played a part in the reasons for the recall.
@@fordrac1ng81 yea to make it ride smoother ford has the air pressure spec at 28 psi (that's less pressure that a Honda accord) and where never held accountable for there part.
As someone born and raised in Akron, I clicked on this one SO fast! So cool to see you talk about such a huge part of my hometown! I actually know the first female CFO of the company that worked to bring the company back to Akron!!
In the 80s while at Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, Members of the school's newspaper were invited to fly in the Goodyear blimp during Speed Weeks. The blimp captain was an ERAU grad and I got to write a story about him, and fly the blimp for about 30 minutes (with him recording it in my log book). I also wrote up a Pilot Report for the paper. Incredible experience!
I worked for Goodyear for 4 years doing commercial tires. It’s crazy how many tires get sold and retreaded every day. Goodyear honestly is really good quality
Former Goodyear employee here too. Still rock Goodyear tires. The company makes top tier tires and cheaper options. If you go for their better tires you're getting some of the best on the market from any brand
I was with my dad as a boy of 11 in 1966 when we pulled into a Goodyear store. I thought he was going to buy a tire when he returned with their annual Christmas album for that season. Warm memories with not a care in the world. That, as we all know, disappears the older we get. lol (I still have that album almost 60 years later).
My first set of 4 tires I ever purchased were directly from Firestone. I’ve since taken my business to Costco because of their amazing warranty, and purchase BF Goodrich tires for my sedan.
Perhaps a correction: The borrowed initial amount was $3500 as reported on their website, not $35,000. There difference is massive, especially for an amount of $35,000 in the late 1800's. But I truly learn from and respect your work! Hope Company Man has a Goodyear ahead :D
You are completely right, thanks for pointing it out. I have $3,500 written in my notes and script but must have said it wrong when I was voicing it and never noticed in editing. Not much I can do about it now but I'm going to have to be more careful in the future. Boy do I feel foolish.
@@companyman114 yeah that option is apparently only available to _some_ specific channels. Although, making a correction comment detailing all or any of the corrections with the timestamps and then self-pinning it could help mitigate any chance of unintentional misinformation further! But besides that, your viewers certainly feel smarter and more aware after watching your content so that can be reason enough not to feel foolish for this! :D
Fun fact: LEGO is actually the largest tire manufacturer in the world. Also, I've always used Firestone or Bridgestone tires on my vehicles, minus my auto crossing days when I used Khumo R Compounds.
I've never been to a Firestone or bought a Firestone product in my life because my father told me their tires would kill you. Thought it was an exaggeration but still listened. Crazy to hear at one time it was true.
I live in Akron. Despite the mostly shuttered factories, rubber is still a huge part of the city. When the factories were growing in the 20s and 30s entire neighborhoods were built to give the influx of workers and their families places to live. To this day Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park are still the names used for these areas of town. Many of Akron’s African American residents had parents or grandparents who moved here from the Deep South for work. Many of the houses were painted with a non-stick exterior paint so the constant stream of ash and cinders didn’t stick to it. The old folks talk about the factory smell that permeated Akron as “the smell of money!” There were so many tires produced here during most of the 20th Century that Akron was considered a strategic bombing target up through the Cold War along with neighboring Cleveland, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh (for their steel production). Goodyear still makes racing tires in Akron and has a large test track. Firestone has offices and a well-maintained, full size baseball diamond that is used for games. Bridgestone has a newer office building here as well that I believe is used for R+D. Many of the factory buildings sit empty but the old B.F. Goodrich factory complex has been (mostly) repurposed and renovated: there are two microbreweries, offices, an office space collective for small businesses, and new loft apartments. One of Goodyear’s office buildings was also turned into apartments. There is a AAA baseball team named the Rubber Ducks. Many local businesses have rubber industry related names or themes. There aren’t many tires made here but it’s impossible to forget that.
This video is special to me because I've lived in Akron, OH my whole life! I can even give you a few more facts about both companies. * Akron named an elementary school after Frank Seiberling and a high school after Harvey Firestone. * Seiberling donated land to the Summit County Metroparks to create the Seiberling Nature Realm. * Seiberling's home, the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens stands today as a National Historic Landmark. * Goodyear's World Headquarters were located along East Market St since the late 1890s. In 2013 they would move to a state-of-the-art World Headquarters nearby with the promise to stay in Akron for decades to come! The old headquarters still stand and are now a combination of office and apartment space. * The most recognizable facet of Goodyear's old Headquarters was the large lighted sign installed in 1930. In 1940 it was updated to the more recognizable diamond shape. In 1963 it began to flash with it's most famous pattern "GO...GO...GOODYEAR". The 70s Energy Crisis made it go dark in 1975 and it reamined dark until 1991 when the aforementioned hostile takeover was thwarted. A 2007 update added the company's slogan at the time "On the Wings of Goodyear". The sign went dark again in 2013 when Goodyear vacated the old headquarters. In 2023 a crowdfund effort restored and reilluminated the sign. * Harvey Firestone also built the Firestone Country Club in South Akron, the former longtime home of the PGA's Bridgestone Invitational and current home of the PGA's Senior's Tour. * Firestone's former World Headquarters in Akron remain and are currently the US Headquarters of Bridgestone. * Firestone built a softball stadium at the site of its world headquarters in 1925. The city of Akron has directly owned it since 1988. It was the home stadium of the Akron Racers softball team from 1999 to 2018. * Both companies built adjacent residential neighborhoods in Akron close to their former headquarters to give their employees an easy place to live close to work. They are known as the Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park neighborhoods. * Not everybody can take a ride on the Goodyear Blimp. You must be "someone special" like a business executive, politician, or a member of the Media. * Goodyear's blimps are housed in nearby Alliance, Ohio at a facility called the Wingfoot Lake Airdock.
That is a good list. One minor correction, the blimp airdock is located in Mogadore, not Alliance. I kayak at Wingfoot Lake, and have often watched the blimp take off and land!
Very good comparison as always. Having had to warranty several Firestone 500 tires in the 70’s, and my Firestone Wilderness SUV tires in 1998, I have sworn them off. Bridgestone has probably remedied that propensity. Oddly, Goodyear never really attracted me. These days I’m mostly a Michelin man.
Like yourself but much more recently I had a warranty experience in 2021 with firestone and they offered me $37 for 4 tires that wore out in 1/3 of their stated warranty time with proof of rotation and inflation. Unfortunately that has sworn me off Firestone and as a result Bridgestone and their subsidiaries. Like you I tend towards Michelin or Continental these days for passenger tires.
The first set of tires I've got for my very first car (a 1977 VW Volkswagen Beetle) was a set of Firestones, that was in 1989 and I was 18 years old. Since then and now being 52, in the last 35 years most of my car's tires were either Firestones, Good Years and another brand that i really like is BF Goodrich. I the last 2 years I also got 2 set of Falken tires and really like them.
It's been a long-standing joke at off-road/overland conventions that BF Goodrich does not have a booth while Goodyear and FIrestone do. BFG knows that 90%+ of the people in attendance already have BFG KO2 or KO3 on their trucks so there is nothing for them to promote or sell. BFG just let's the other tire companies fight for the scraps.
I never thought about horse-pulled vehicles adopting rubber tyres, but it makes perfect sense! I guess from that photo they weren’t dissimilar from bicycle wheels.
I’m surprised you didn’t bring up the fact that Firestone owned Liberia for their rubber plantations. It’d make an interesting story on the history on literal corporate governance
I grew up in the 60s - 70s in Speedway, Indiana with our front door less than 2 blocks from Gate #1 at the Motor Speedway. Dad and I and a lot of others stood outside the fence around Gasoline Alley and watched Goodyear and Firestone's shops spin balance the tires & wheels. I still remember how thrilled I was when a mechanic gave me one of the wheel weights. The story of Goodyear vs Firestone is a must read for any race fan.
Man; (company “man”) , you could make the history of paint drying additives interesting and engaging to watch! Heck you probably already have a video I missed on that topic- But anyway just, I was in the ER for 8 hours tonight, it’s 2:30am and I am making a quick egg white and spinach snack…and your video was very comforting to watch and learn a lot on too Thank you for all your continued videos, editing , research, and friendly approach to your audience. Very professional .been a fan for a couple long years now at the least?… Peace from Philadelphia!!!
Oh, wow. Thank you for the kind words Jordan. Such a reassuring comment to read. Happy to have you as part of the channel for so long and hope all went well over at the ER.
When I want a new tire, I preferred the Michelin Hydroedge. Besides their wet pavement performance, they had the lowest rolling resistance and a 90,000 mile warranty. When I put them on my old Cavalier, they were amazing! What I’d love to hear about next is an expansion of Bridgestone, and their brief stint manufacturing motorcycles in the 70s.
I use Bridgestone / Firestone on everything I drive and here is why, lately because their recent uptick in performance with the new US based manufacturing facility. I autocross with a heavily modified challenger, using both Firehawk Indy 500’s for wet weather, and Bridgestone RE71S’s as my main set. Both have exceptional grip and are going on their second season of racing while most need to be replaced after 1 season. My semi truck using Bridgestone still has 9/32 of tread remaining after a staggering 151,000 miles of use, the longest I’ve ever had tires last on any truck so far in my career. My daily cars using Firestone All Season on my car that puts around 5 miles a day And Firehawk AS V2’s on my wife’s car as she commutes. Specifically as it rains a lot more now during the winter and the new ASV2 uses the tread pattern from their Indycar wet weather tire. Her reaction to the new tires in the rain was having the same grip as if it was dry with her previous Bridgestone Turanza’s that came with the car, which is a 380AA tread wear touring tire. Her having that level of confidence is awesome. Competition is everything good for the consumers end. That’s why the US did what it did to Goodyear and Firestone in the past. Firestone has a tire for every need I have and out performs itself in cost and performance. I say this with recent issues with Goodyear. My parents have had issues with just how expensive they are and the amount of road noise lately. May be time for them to change and react to Bridgestone’s recent overhaul.
Same here. One time I tried a Bridgestone and was blown away by it's phenomenal performance on the street. Since then I now exclusively run Blizzaks in the winter and a purpose-specific Potenza in the summer on ALL my vehicles.
When I look for new tires (question at the end of the video) the first thing I look for is the current model of Bridgestone Potenza tires. Hands down the best tire I have ever had. Had them on my tuned Civic, my tunes BMW 335i, and now have them on my Audi. Easily make it to the mileage warranty and beyond, spectacular performance, and comfortable ride, while not costing an arm and a leg. If you have any need for performance tires, easily the best one you can go to for any car.
I remember as a kid Firestone tires and Ford being at odds, funny thing is that Martha Firestone owns(ed) the Detroit Lions and is the widow of William Clay Ford.
A few things that would have been worth mentioning: After all the consolidation, rather than leave Akron like all their competition, Goodyear choose to stay in Akron; building their new HQ in 2013 across the freeway from the original HQ. Goodyear continues to make all those race tires right next door to their HQ in one of their oldest factories. Goodyear purchased Cooper Tire a couple of years ago (yet another Ohio based rubber company!) which means they now own the Mickey Thompson brand, which was one of their biggest competitors in drag racing.
When I was a kid I watched a lot of NASCAR and they had Goodyear tires, so naturally when I grew up I wanted Goodyears. It didn't happen, but I've never bought Firestone. Their auto mechanic shops have a terrible reputation for aggressively upselling, and potentially making mechanical issues on cars worse. At least in my area. For that reason alone, I won't bother with the tires.
Yeah, that's definitely a local thing for you, apparently. I worked as a manager at THE largest Firestone repair shop in Michigan for years and we had one of the best reputations in the NATION. Won many MANY awards for service. Also had one of the nations recognized TOP FIVE mechanics working for me, too, so that helped.
The biggest problem I have had with Firestone is the price at their shops. A set of tires today was $900 through Costco, or $1,350 for the same tires through their shop.
Hi, Akron native. Wanted to share some extra info that I know from being a local. The reason the tire industry set up here was primarily because Akron had space to build and was already connected through the Ohio Erie canal to lake Erie and thus Detroit, which also built Cleveland up as a port for the auto industry. After all the issues and consolidating in the 80s, the industry essentially left Akron; though it's still very much a part of the cultural zeitgeist here. Are sports teams and radio stations all play into the rubber city heritage. The economics situation is typical of the rust bowl, through diversification in the last decade has shown signs of improvement. Akron definitely falls into that clique of "big city amenities with a small town feel". A lot of the rubber history is still here and being used. The air dock where they keep the blimps has its own microclimate, the Seiberling mansion is now a popular botanical gardens, the old factory's have been converted into local breweries, local news, and even apartments. The factory signs for Firestone and Goodyear are visible from the highway and the blimps still fly overhead regularly. Last. While the tire industry has declined here, Akron is now a world leader in polymer science and developing the technology FOR the tire industry. Both companies also still organize charity events locally and fund public works from time to time. Love your videos!
It's great to see more automotive content on your channel! The tires I use go like this though: Every day use: Continental DWS Performance/track: Falken Azenis 615k A/T: Yokohama Geolander
Started driving in 75. Took race car driving lessons in the 80’s. I have run several tire brands on my cars and the Goodyear Assurance all weather tires are the best passenger car tires ive used.
Great video. It should be pointed out that the majority of Goodyear's wins in F1 happened in the early years of the sport. Their record will likely be passed by Italian tire maker Pirelli who has been the official tire maker for F1 since 2011 & that agreement lasts until 2027 with an option to renew for another decade beyond that.
While it is likely that Pirelli will pass Goodyear in the number of wins, the number of wins that Goodyear has more wins in years with competition between tire makers while Pirelli has been racking their number up with longer seasons and as a sole supplier.
I prefer Michelin and Pirelli. I've never bought a set of Goodyear/Bridgestone/Firestone tires unless they were already on the car when I bought it. Even bought a set of Yokohama tires for my Civic awhile back and loved them.
I’m kind of like you. But I had only one set of Yokohama tires. They were on sales and the tire store didn’t have a set of Michelins in my size. Had them for only one week. It rained. The stopping distance was terrible. The tire store took them back and got the Michelins for me. What a difference. No more cheap tires.
@@Lobonova This was totally Ford's fault. Firestone TOLD Ford, "Do NOT run those tires at that low of pressure". Ford said, "We'll do what we want". Firestone told them, "The tires are NOT designed to be run at that low of pressure". Ford did it ANYWAY. And guess what? The tires failed EXACTLY like Firestone told them they would IF they didn't follow Firestone's recommendation. This was at the time when the SUV market was new and Ford was having trouble getting a softer ride out of their poorly designed vehicle. To solve this problem FORD decided ON THEIR OWN to lower the tire pressures to get a smoother ride, despite being told NOT too. It's ALL in the court case. EDUCATE yourself before commenting.
Great video as always, interesting to see the reference to Ford committing to one supplier for the Model T,, Peugeot used to use one supplier but the supplier had a strike, causing major problems, Since then they use three different suppliers
I am from the Akron area. Recently Goodyear acquired Cooper tire as well. I buy pretty much only Goodyear or Cooper at this point. Other companies make a good tire, but only Goodyear is left as American owned and operated. The tires have also been very good to me on many different brands, types, and models of vehicles over the years. Bridgestone has been good to Firestone though, lots of R&D still happens for them in Akron.
Currently running Hankook Dyna Pro AT2 Xtreme's, probably the best all-terrain tire I've ever encountered for snowy/icey conditions. Up north where I live, you usually only see two sets of tires in the winter months though... Bridestone Blizzaks and Hankook Winter iPike's
Michelin tires cost more, but you get what you pay for. I've had Goodyear tires and Firestone tires, and each had problems. Michelin tires have always been worry-free for me. Michelin FTW!
Great video. Speaking of crazy stunts early on to promote tires, one also as to look at the Michelin Guide, that awards restaurants those coveted, to this day, Michelin Stars. That guide was started by the tire company to basically point out good destinations, that of course you needed your bicicle or *voiture* to get to, and Michelin was there to sell you tires for that vehicle. The Michelin man also started out life as a stack of bicycle tires, so it's kind of fitting I guess they bought BFG that also started in bicycles? That segways into who is my top pick for tires, as it's usually the French manufacturer who is at the top of the list for when I buy tires, if it's not them, it's the Italian (now Chinese owned!) brand Pirelli. The effects of the Chinese companies looking for who to buy out to give more confidence to the western markets is also something that has had/will have an effect on the market, with the French manufacturer just mentioned (as well as Continental) squarely in the sights of them. It will be interesting to see how this moves in the future, but I'm sure you'll get more videos out of tires, Mr. Company Man. You could also make a video out of the "win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" motto as tires are one of the few aspects where this is still mostly the case, tire compound innovation being insane in the last 20 years where now you have very good all season tires that have more performance than top "summer sports car only" tires from a few decades back, and that you can put on your everyday minivan. The effects of increasing regulations from EPA and other agencies around the world are also starting to focus on the effects of all this synthetic rubber particulates that are discarded by tires, and it will be interesting to see what happens in that regard as well. Whatever your choice is, if you've made it this far in my comment, please buy the best tire you can for your car. All your car's tech and features are anchored to the road by 4 roughly post-card sized bits of rubber, don't cheap out on them!
From PA, went to college at UAkron, saw the blimp all the time. I live here now, go to the Stan Hyett house in December, it’s fun to see vids about this!
I grew up in the Akron area in the 80s and 90s. Every house I lived in is within the map shown at 1:15 and I even lived in Goodyear heights for a few years as a kid. We used to see the Goodyear blimp flying around at times and even watched it launch and land at the Akron airport at times. The gigantic blimp hanger is still there. There is a lake called Wingfoot lake, there is Goodyear heights, Firestone park, a park with a big hill called Goodyear Heights Metro Park that we used to go sled riding at. There was a football stadium near the Akron airport called the Rubber bowl, but it is abandoned now. The influence of these companies, especially Goodyear is strong in the Akron area. Goodyear was always higher in my mind than Firestone and I think they still are, but I have no brand loyalty, I buy the tires that are the best deal with the best mileage warranty.
I do a lot of shopping when I’m buying my tires. I have purchased Pirelli, Michelin, BF Goodrich, Continental, Bridgestone, General, and a few different Chinese brands (if you count ATV tires). I like that there is a healthy competition between the various companies. I am always looking for certain features when I buy tires, and I don’t think I have ever bought the same tires twice in a row except for on my motorcycle and those were Michelin.
I'm a Goodyear guy, most of the tires I've bought for my vehicles have been Goodyears. But I've bought Firestones and Generals as well and was pleased with them
After decades of different brands over about 1 million miles behind the wheel and behind the handlebars, Pirelli and Yokohama are the only brands I purchase anymore.
Part of the issue was ford went against the recommendation of Firestone to set the stock psi of the for explorer to 25 to make the ride softer. In a time without tpms this lead to tires being run low on air causing them to over heat and fail.
Akron and racing, Indycar, NASCAR, Formula 1. You know your stuff! And I think you should make more racing related videos! You did an awesome job including racing in your Hooters company video. Keep up the new fresh racing related content! 🤠😎🏁
I'd love to see some videos that involve famous racing teams and the business activities outside of said teams. Penske (car dealers, truck rental, ownership of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Hendrick (car dealers), Kaulig (LeafFilter), as well as the racing specific works of a couple of Australian auto parts stores, REPCO (Formula One engines) and Bob Jane T-Marts (Calder Park Raceway, among other motorsports related ventures over the years).
I've had bad experiences with Firestone and Pirelli and great experiences with Bridgestone, BF Goodrich and Michelin. Never tried Goodyear but I've heard good things from friends and family.
I loved my Michelin Primier tires, (unfortunately they since discontinued). They are pricey but worth every penny. But if I was on a budget, Cooper tires are decent, and Tigerpaw.
I live in North Canton about 20 mins from Akron and every year they would fly the blimp during spring/summer times in the Akron/Canton area. It’s so cool
Just an observation... You mentioned other tire manufacturers expanded but seemed to allude that Goodyear did not? Goodyear owns Dunlop and Kelley Tire, and I think has some sort of agreement with Sumitomo... I used to work for Goodyear several years ago so I can't remember the details anymore, but it might have been worth mentioning. Other than that, I loved all your details and the missus and I watch all your videos. I've been a subscriber since you only had a few videos online, amazing to see how far it's come!! Keep it up Mike!
I’ve had two sets of Firestone tires, one in the 1970s and one in the 2000s. I had numerous flats, and one blowout, with each set. I will never buy another Firestone tire, and would recommend against anyone else buying them. The best tires I’ve ever had have been Michelins, Yokohamas, and Coopers.
Been in the tire industry for about 6 years now. Our favorite tire is the General Altimax RT45. Can’t get better tread wear rating and performance for the price. Best of the cheap cheap tires is Mastercraft. They wear fairly quick but you get what you pay for and they’re definitely better than the others in the same price range.
I loved the old ad, “The Best Tires in the World Have Goodyear written all over them”. Personally, I’m a BFGoodrich fan because of the vehicles I have and their products are wonderful. Next in line for me is Goodyear.
Also in Akron Firestone built there own mini neighborhood called Firestone Park where they sold there homes to their employees and same with Goodyear they called it Goodyear Heights
Also note that B F Goodrich was heavily involved in aerospace having developed an inflatable aircraft wing / anti icing boots for standard wings and inflatable emergency escape slides. . General tire had Aerojet that made solid fuel rocket engines. There is a test facility in Florida, look for vids.
As a big rig mechanic the most common tire I see is Bridgestone, that truly says something to me of who’s driving the us in semi truck tire application
Super interesting video! I am a huge fan of Michelin from past experiences, however, I have chosen Yokohama for 2 of my current cars. Not sure what company owns Yokohama but these tires have been amazing! Tire Rack is where I do my tire research.
I used to use Toyo tires and changed to Firestone around 5 years ago. They have lasted more than any tire before. We changed all the tires of our vehicle recently again to Firestone.
Being from the Akron/Canton area - I can say these companies both have a significant legacy here. That being said, I buy Cooper Tires - also headquartered in OH but Western OH.
I live in a pretty wet climate with long winters, my first thought for tires is "how will these handle ice and snow". Goodyear is typically what I end up with
Their newest winter tire is fantastic. I switched over after many years on a couple different sets of Michelin X Ice 3s. My Goodyear Winter Command Ultras are the best they've put out. If you had Ultra Grips in the past you'll be happier with these.
Firestone sponsored a music programme on the radio back in 1929. Classical music was played , with advertising for Firestone products. The Goodyear Blimp has flown over Kansas City many times.
Thanks for bringing up racing! one missing detail though is Firestone's championship winning partnership with the original Monster truck, Bigfoot. Goodyear used to support monster truck tires as well as early as the late 80's through Golden State Promotions and later Hall Bros racing. The official monster truck team of Ram Trucks. Anyway, Lionel history when?
Native Akronite here. I have relatives who worked for both companies in Akron. First the founder of Goodyear's name is pronounced SI-ber-ling, the "e" is silent. Don't discount Goodrich either. Goodrich's Boot and Shoe division invented the zipper in the late 1800s. It was invented to make wearing boots easier. About that time, the recently founded Buchtel College (1870, founded by the Universalist Church and named for Akron farm implement manufacturer John R. Buchtel who donated the money to start it), was looking for a nickname for their sports teams and chose the "Zippers". Well, then they started being put on men's pants and that just wasn't going to work in early 20th Century America, so they shortened the name to "Zips", which is still the nickname of the now state University of Akron. Akron also has the only female mascot in Division I (Zippy the Kangaroo has a pouch!), as well as the only marsupial mascot - "Fear the Roo!" I have several memories around the rubber companies growing up in Akron. Akron smelled like two things when I was growing up, rubber and sulfur from making tires, and oats cooking from the Quaker Oats plant that was downtown. Many of my friends and classmates had parents who worked for one of the rubber shops. Two major neighborhoods in Akron were built by and named for the companies - Firestone Park and Goodyear Heights to sell to their employees for housing. Both companies have MetroParks named for them. Of course there is the World-famous Firestone Country Club in South Akron, and Akron is the home of what was the largest airship hanger in the World, built in 1929 for the construction of the rigid airships "Akron" and "Macon" for the U. S. Navy (both crashed spectacularly, with great loss of life, but didn't do it on camera, so those incidents are little remembered, unlike the Hindenburg). Whenever Goodyear built a new blimp and retired one, all the N. American blimps came to Akron to fly over the city en mass, sometimes as many as four of them at once - quite a sight. Goodyear Aircraft built around 4,000 Navy Corsair fighters as a subcontractor during WWII in the Akron Airdock. The Seiberling family estate, Stan Hywet is one of the best known mega-mansion museums in the country, and Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in the carriage house of the estate. F. A.'s grandson, John F. Seiberling was Congressman from Akron for over 15 years, served on the House Judiciary Committee and voted to impeach Richard Nixon in 1974. He also was a great environmentalist and was the father of the Alaska Lands Bill that created millions of acres of parkland in Alaska, and was the major force behind the establishment of what became the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only National Park in Ohio, between Akron and Cleveland.
When I was a kid in the 60s, both Goodyear and Firestone operated stores that sold much more than tires. They had household appliances, bicycles and other merchandise.
they can do what they want but Michelin is the tire I've had the best luck with over the years.. It's all I buy at this point except on my classic car, which Michelin does not offer the right size for.
Same. I've alternated between Michelin and Pirelli whenever I get new tires and never had any issues. When I bought my vehicles new they came from the factory with either Bridgestone or Firestone tires and they were absolute garbage.
@@TXnine7nine I have thankfully never gotten Firestone but Bridgestone came on one of my cars and I replaced them long before they wore out. Those things were drangerously slippy in any rain at all, whether light (which can be more slick) or heavy. I had a set of Pirellis on a low-mileage off-lease buy age out, but never had any problems before one of them randomly sprung a leak at the age of eight. I did replace them with Michelin. I had an inappropriate set of Nokians come on a car once that just weren't a good fit for my climate, so I can't judge them. They also got replaced with Michelin. I had Goodyear Eagle RS-A on my old police crown vic but that's the only tire built for that model that doesn't fall apart premuaturely. Something about the police package. Every fleet guy I talked to said the same - they all tried something else and they all ended up back on Goodyear. Apart from that, haven't had a Goodyear since.
My dad and I went to America's Tires and they did recommend us to get Yokohama tires for my brother's 2018 Camry SE and it looks pretty good. Definitely wanna get Continental tires for my 2019 Corolla Hatchback and Firestone tires for my 02 Tacoma XtraCab (they are still making 15 inch tires for these small trucks).
Tires are tires to me for the most part but my family and I use Firestone for their complete auto care. My last set of tires were actually from Costco.
Decades ago, I purchased new Firestone tires for my truck. Within 1 month, all had blown out due to defective side walls. Firestone refused to replace them. I have never purchased Firestone tires since. I also discouraged all to never go with them ever again.
As a Ford guy, I always liked Firestone. Then I started buying Corvettes, fitted with Goodyears. I bought a set of replacement Michelins for one of my Corvettes. Absolutely, Michelins are the best for comfort, wear, and high performance handling, wear, and braking. Michelins are #1.
I remember the Firestone / Ford Explorer scandal of 20 years ago where Explorers were tipping over or whatever. I was in high school and our principal had an Explorer and we used to tease her about it.
Ive had 4 new tires in the past year. All goodyear, decent tires but when I needed an emergency flat fix the tire store only had a bridgestone tire. That one tire feels better than all my goodyear tires in past. Im not an expert but I found this interesting
@lukemassey5765 the front right tire always leaked air. I always was refilling it at gas stations usually once every 1 or 2 weeks. Ive had the bridgestone tire for a month now and still havent had a leak. Again no expert and maybe it was the i went to had good service, but from dealing with leaks for a year into no leaks.. its interesting
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
I had a first hand account of what Firestone tires were doing 20 years ago. Going 75mph down the interstate and one of my front tires decided to disassemble it self. I'll never forget that.
Funny, that happened to me but more recently
Yeah, Ford started that mess by recommending a lower tire pressure to their Ford Explorers for better ride quality. We see how that worked out.
@@thornmountain8129
Chevy recommended messing with the front and rear tire pressure in the 1960s rear engined Corvair to help rectify the unbalanced handling of the first generation car. Most people wouldn’t bother having different tire pressures between the front & rear tires. The second generation Corvair rectified the rear suspension issues but by then it was too late for the Corvair as it was labelled “unsafe at any speed”.
In addition to the Firestone 500 radial tire safety issues. I had some replaced under the recall with 721s, they were a much improved tire.
You didnt maintain your tire correctly
One thing that makes Goodyear's blimp even more noteworthy is that there are only 25 blimps worldwide and only like 8 of them are actually used actively in marketing.
Interestingly, unlike their previous blimps, the latest Goodyear “blimps” are actually semi-rigid airships designed and manufactured by the Zeppelin company in Germany.
Which makes it more special when I see the Goodyear blimp fly over my city (East Torrance/Harbor Gateway) often 😢
I understand the reasons there aren't many blimps left anymore, but like it makes me so sad cause I'll never get to ride on one 😭
@@Akanisen049 To be honest, there were never many blimps. And I don’t think there were ever any passenger blimps in the way some airships were. Probably the only time in history when there were a fair number of blimps in use was during WW2, when the US Army used many of them to hunt for and drop depth charges on German submarines.
@@Akanisen049 More incredible than the blimps are the rigid airships which Goodyear built, the USS Akron and USS Macon. The Goodyear Airdock - which was built specifically to construct these two sister ships (one at a time, as one nearly filled the massive building) - still stands today in Akron. A typical Goodyear blimp is not much larger than a rear tail fin on those two giants.
Firestone's disassembling tires should be a 'Scandals' episode within itself, not only did it ruin their corporate relationships, forced new legislation, but stained their name with blood for a generation and a half of mechanics.
Firestone back in the 1970's honestly thought that they could build Radial Tires on the cheap. Meaning unlike Goodyear designing equipment from the ground up, could produce Radials on machines made to produce Bias-Ply Tires. THAT was there downfall......
This was totally Ford's fault. Firestone TOLD Ford, "Do NOT run those tires at that low of pressure". Ford said, "We'll do what we want". Firestone told them, "The tires are NOT designed to be run at that low of pressure". Ford did it ANYWAY. And guess what? The tires failed EXACTLY like Firestone told them they would IF they didn't follow Firestone's recommendation. This was at the time when the SUV market was new and Ford was having trouble getting a softer ride out of their poorly designed vehicle. To solve this problem FORD decided ON THEIR OWN to lower the tire pressures to get a smoother ride, despite being told NOT too. It's ALL in the court case.
@@NorthernChev I was on Firestone's side at the time. But, after 20 years of driving on many underinflated tires (out of laziness and irresponsibility) and never having thrown any tread, I'm thinking it was Firestone's fault.
@@MicahThomason But IS it Firestones fault when they went out of their way NUMEROUS times and told Ford DO NOT DO THIS? ...and Ford did it anyway? Multiple meetings, multiple reports written, multiple warnings distributed to all levels at Ford. But they STILL did it anyway. /facepalm.
@@NorthernChev Bravo for being absolutely factually spot on. I'm a 3rd generation tire and auto operator who spent many years branded as Firestone dealers. Ford manufactured those Explorers with 26psi door stickers. They could barely get those piles of junk to pass any rollover testing, so they had to stiffen up the suspension to keep them upright, and relied on the cushion of incredibly underinflated 235/75/15s to regain any sense of ride quality. As you said, this was directly against the tire's development and Ford was warned. The only reason Ford slimeballed themselves out of that mess is because of their wider public reach than even Firestone has. Big shame, as Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were very publicly known as close friends in the early days, only for the future generations to destroy what could have remained one of the most wealthy manufacturing alliances in the world.
I think an interesting fact about the Goodyear company is that it is rather important to Arizona's history, weirdly enough. The first CEO of Goodyear, Paul W. Litchfield, came out to Arizona to establish cotton farms for the tires after the USDA suggested growing them around the Phoenix area. These farms were located in the areas that are today Litchfield Park and Goodyear, Arizona. The two cities have very little to do with the company nowadays besides their names, but there are still cotton fields scattered around that I suspect are remnants from the Goodyear company.
Sounds like fate lol. I'm gonna add this to my list of random facts
Still lots of cotton grown here. Which is a bit unfortunate considering it uses a lot of water. That and it really messed with my moms allergies.
That was before 25 billion people decided to move here.
Palo Verde Plant used to be the only thing out there past Litchfield which was known for cults.
Buckeye, Az was also a rubber plantation for Firestone.
A tire company saw many profits in 1898. It was a Goodyear.
That year was a fiery year for them
ba-da-dum-tisssss
Why did the bicycle fall over?
*Knee slapping
...Because it was two tired! Muhahaha!
From what I know, right now Michelin makes the best tires in basically every class of passenger car tires besides track tires. They're expensive, but in objective testing they're almost always on top.
Michelin & Pirelli
@@somerandomfella& continental
Most definitely continentals...and cheaper than both the above
That is true. Spend the extra money for Michelin 'cause they're the cat's pajamas.
@@andyshuai8024 yes, contis are very good as well while being cheaper than the other two. The DWS06 has been my default recommendation for all season tires for almost a decade. Almost as good as the Pilot AS, but quite a bit cheaper (unless you have a Costco membership).
Those Firestone blowouts and recall in 2000 will be an infamous memory forever.
In the early 80's the Firestone 721 had a major recall and it can to haunt the when thr 2000 recall came out. But it not mentioned but ford played a part in the reasons for the recall.
@@darrellburnside9368- there was also a major recall in the late ‘70’s for the Firestone 500 as well.
I lived through one of their tires dissembling it self going 75 down the interstate sometime in 2004.
It's literally how explorers got the nickname exploders. We still call them that 20+ years later
@@fordrac1ng81 yea to make it ride smoother ford has the air pressure spec at 28 psi (that's less pressure that a Honda accord) and where never held accountable for there part.
As someone born and raised in Akron, I clicked on this one SO fast! So cool to see you talk about such a huge part of my hometown! I actually know the first female CFO of the company that worked to bring the company back to Akron!!
Glad to see my hometown getting some recognition
Rubber city represent 🤙🏻
330
A video on Goodwill would be interesting
I could never tire of watching a video on this topic!
In the 80s while at Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, Members of the school's newspaper were invited to fly in the Goodyear blimp during Speed Weeks. The blimp captain was an ERAU grad and I got to write a story about him, and fly the blimp for about 30 minutes (with him recording it in my log book). I also wrote up a Pilot Report for the paper. Incredible experience!
I worked for Goodyear for 4 years doing commercial tires. It’s crazy how many tires get sold and retreaded every day. Goodyear honestly is really good quality
I worked for GoodYear for 3 hours manufacturing their tires on the Lawton Oklahoma facility. It was terrible.
I have goodyear on my ford everest… and 2/4 tires already showing sidewall failure.
Former Goodyear employee here too. Still rock Goodyear tires. The company makes top tier tires and cheaper options. If you go for their better tires you're getting some of the best on the market from any brand
@@Rod.Machado is it a small bulge on the side or did it completely fail? Some tires show the belt packing from when the tire was made
I was with my dad as a boy of 11 in 1966 when we pulled into a Goodyear store. I thought he was going to buy a tire when he returned with their annual Christmas album for that season. Warm memories with not a care in the world. That, as we all know, disappears the older we get. lol (I still have that album almost 60 years later).
My first set of 4 tires I ever purchased were directly from Firestone. I’ve since taken my business to Costco because of their amazing warranty, and purchase BF Goodrich tires for my sedan.
Perhaps a correction: The borrowed initial amount was $3500 as reported on their website, not $35,000. There difference is massive, especially for an amount of $35,000 in the late 1800's. But I truly learn from and respect your work! Hope Company Man has a Goodyear ahead :D
You are completely right, thanks for pointing it out. I have $3,500 written in my notes and script but must have said it wrong when I was voicing it and never noticed in editing. Not much I can do about it now but I'm going to have to be more careful in the future. Boy do I feel foolish.
I was like wait I need to fact check that😂😂😂😂. Thanks it didn't sound right
I would add a correction if I could but as far as I know, I can't really alter the video much once it's published.
@@companyman114 yeah that option is apparently only available to _some_ specific channels. Although, making a correction comment detailing all or any of the corrections with the timestamps and then self-pinning it could help mitigate any chance of unintentional misinformation further! But besides that, your viewers certainly feel smarter and more aware after watching your content so that can be reason enough not to feel foolish for this! :D
@@companyman114just delete the video, fix the mistake, and upload the fixed version. Not that hard
Fun fact: LEGO is actually the largest tire manufacturer in the world. Also, I've always used Firestone or Bridgestone tires on my vehicles, minus my auto crossing days when I used Khumo R Compounds.
I've never been to a Firestone or bought a Firestone product in my life because my father told me their tires would kill you. Thought it was an exaggeration but still listened. Crazy to hear at one time it was true.
I live in Akron. Despite the mostly shuttered factories, rubber is still a huge part of the city.
When the factories were growing in the 20s and 30s entire neighborhoods were built to give the influx of workers and their families places to live. To this day Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park are still the names used for these areas of town. Many of Akron’s African American residents had parents or grandparents who moved here from the Deep South for work.
Many of the houses were painted with a non-stick exterior paint so the constant stream of ash and cinders didn’t stick to it. The old folks talk about the factory smell that permeated Akron as “the smell of money!”
There were so many tires produced here during most of the 20th Century that Akron was considered a strategic bombing target up through the Cold War along with neighboring Cleveland, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh (for their steel production).
Goodyear still makes racing tires in Akron and has a large test track. Firestone has offices and a well-maintained, full size baseball diamond that is used for games. Bridgestone has a newer office building here as well that I believe is used for R+D.
Many of the factory buildings sit empty but the old B.F. Goodrich factory complex has been (mostly) repurposed and renovated: there are two microbreweries, offices, an office space collective for small businesses, and new loft apartments. One of Goodyear’s office buildings was also turned into apartments.
There is a AAA baseball team named the Rubber Ducks. Many local businesses have rubber industry related names or themes. There aren’t many tires made here but it’s impossible to forget that.
I'm not tired of this
This video is special to me because I've lived in Akron, OH my whole life! I can even give you a few more facts about both companies.
* Akron named an elementary school after Frank Seiberling and a high school after Harvey Firestone.
* Seiberling donated land to the Summit County Metroparks to create the Seiberling Nature Realm.
* Seiberling's home, the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens stands today as a National Historic Landmark.
* Goodyear's World Headquarters were located along East Market St since the late 1890s. In 2013 they would move to a state-of-the-art World Headquarters nearby with the promise to stay in Akron for decades to come! The old headquarters still stand and are now a combination of office and apartment space.
* The most recognizable facet of Goodyear's old Headquarters was the large lighted sign installed in 1930. In 1940 it was updated to the more recognizable diamond shape. In 1963 it began to flash with it's most famous pattern "GO...GO...GOODYEAR". The 70s Energy Crisis made it go dark in 1975 and it reamined dark until 1991 when the aforementioned hostile takeover was thwarted. A 2007 update added the company's slogan at the time "On the Wings of Goodyear". The sign went dark again in 2013 when Goodyear vacated the old headquarters. In 2023 a crowdfund effort restored and reilluminated the sign.
* Harvey Firestone also built the Firestone Country Club in South Akron, the former longtime home of the PGA's Bridgestone Invitational and current home of the PGA's Senior's Tour.
* Firestone's former World Headquarters in Akron remain and are currently the US Headquarters of Bridgestone.
* Firestone built a softball stadium at the site of its world headquarters in 1925. The city of Akron has directly owned it since 1988. It was the home stadium of the Akron Racers softball team from 1999 to 2018.
* Both companies built adjacent residential neighborhoods in Akron close to their former headquarters to give their employees an easy place to live close to work. They are known as the Goodyear Heights and Firestone Park neighborhoods.
* Not everybody can take a ride on the Goodyear Blimp. You must be "someone special" like a business executive, politician, or a member of the Media.
* Goodyear's blimps are housed in nearby Alliance, Ohio at a facility called the Wingfoot Lake Airdock.
Great list of facts. Thanks!!!
That is a good list. One minor correction, the blimp airdock is located in Mogadore, not Alliance. I kayak at Wingfoot Lake, and have often watched the blimp take off and land!
Count me in! I currently reside on the northwest side of the city.
Akron native and highland square resident! Love the hometown love! 🤙🏻 Great facts!
🥱
I remember seeing the Good Year blimp when I was a kid. It was exciting to see.
Very good comparison as always. Having had to warranty several Firestone 500 tires in the 70’s, and my Firestone Wilderness SUV tires in 1998, I have sworn them off. Bridgestone has probably remedied that propensity. Oddly, Goodyear never really attracted me. These days I’m mostly a Michelin man.
Like yourself but much more recently I had a warranty experience in 2021 with firestone and they offered me $37 for 4 tires that wore out in 1/3 of their stated warranty time with proof of rotation and inflation. Unfortunately that has sworn me off Firestone and as a result Bridgestone and their subsidiaries. Like you I tend towards Michelin or Continental these days for passenger tires.
The first set of tires I've got for my very first car (a 1977 VW Volkswagen Beetle) was a set of Firestones, that was in 1989 and I was 18 years old.
Since then and now being 52, in the last 35 years most of my car's tires were either Firestones, Good Years and another brand that i really like is BF Goodrich. I the last 2 years I also got 2 set of Falken tires and really like them.
It's been a long-standing joke at off-road/overland conventions that BF Goodrich does not have a booth while Goodyear and FIrestone do. BFG knows that 90%+ of the people in attendance already have BFG KO2 or KO3 on their trucks so there is nothing for them to promote or sell. BFG just let's the other tire companies fight for the scraps.
I love my KO2s. Going to try out the K03s when it's time.
...and yes, I'm running them on my Tacoma Overlander rig.
I honestly haven't seen a set of ko2s in years. I use to run them on a few daily drivers. Memories.
Goodyear Duratracs are far superior to the KO2/KO3.
I never thought about horse-pulled vehicles adopting rubber tyres, but it makes perfect sense! I guess from that photo they weren’t dissimilar from bicycle wheels.
I’m surprised you didn’t bring up the fact that Firestone owned Liberia for their rubber plantations. It’d make an interesting story on the history on literal corporate governance
I grew up in the 60s - 70s in Speedway, Indiana with our front door less than 2 blocks from Gate #1 at the Motor Speedway. Dad and I and a lot of others stood outside the fence around Gasoline Alley and watched Goodyear and Firestone's shops spin balance the tires & wheels. I still remember how thrilled I was when a mechanic gave me one of the wheel weights. The story of Goodyear vs Firestone is a must read for any race fan.
Man; (company “man”) , you could make the history of paint drying additives interesting and engaging to watch!
Heck you probably already have a video I missed on that topic-
But anyway just, I was in the ER for 8 hours tonight, it’s 2:30am and I am making a quick egg white and spinach snack…and your video was very comforting to watch and learn a lot on too
Thank you for all your continued videos, editing , research, and friendly approach to your audience. Very professional .been a fan for a couple long years now at the least?…
Peace from Philadelphia!!!
Oh, wow. Thank you for the kind words Jordan. Such a reassuring comment to read. Happy to have you as part of the channel for so long and hope all went well over at the ER.
When I want a new tire, I preferred the Michelin Hydroedge. Besides their wet pavement performance, they had the lowest rolling resistance and a 90,000 mile warranty. When I put them on my old Cavalier, they were amazing!
What I’d love to hear about next is an expansion of Bridgestone, and their brief stint manufacturing motorcycles in the 70s.
Didn’t know BF Goodrich was named after Benjamin Franklin! Big name to live up to!
I had a feeling the BF stood for something. Turns out it's Benjamin Franklin.
Not thee Benjamin Franklin LMFAO his name was Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. Middle name Franklin last name Goodrich
Bf 8s owned by michelin...now they're value brand
I use Bridgestone / Firestone on everything I drive and here is why,
lately because their recent uptick in performance with the new US based manufacturing facility.
I autocross with a heavily modified challenger, using both Firehawk Indy 500’s for wet weather, and Bridgestone RE71S’s as my main set. Both have exceptional grip and are going on their second season of racing while most need to be replaced after 1 season.
My semi truck using Bridgestone still has 9/32 of tread remaining after a staggering 151,000 miles of use, the longest I’ve ever had tires last on any truck so far in my career.
My daily cars using Firestone All Season on my car that puts around 5 miles a day
And Firehawk AS V2’s on my wife’s car as she commutes. Specifically as it rains a lot more now during the winter and the new ASV2 uses the tread pattern from their Indycar wet weather tire. Her reaction to the new tires in the rain was having the same grip as if it was dry with her previous Bridgestone Turanza’s that came with the car, which is a 380AA tread wear touring tire.
Her having that level of confidence is awesome.
Competition is everything good for the consumers end. That’s why the US did what it did to Goodyear and Firestone in the past. Firestone has a tire for every need I have and out performs itself in cost and performance.
I say this with recent issues with Goodyear. My parents have had issues with just how expensive they are and the amount of road noise lately. May be time for them to change and react to Bridgestone’s recent overhaul.
Same here. One time I tried a Bridgestone and was blown away by it's phenomenal performance on the street. Since then I now exclusively run Blizzaks in the winter and a purpose-specific Potenza in the summer on ALL my vehicles.
How many miles has your wife got on the Firehawk AS V2? I can’t find a review of those tires anywhere.
When I look for new tires (question at the end of the video) the first thing I look for is the current model of Bridgestone Potenza tires. Hands down the best tire I have ever had. Had them on my tuned Civic, my tunes BMW 335i, and now have them on my Audi. Easily make it to the mileage warranty and beyond, spectacular performance, and comfortable ride, while not costing an arm and a leg. If you have any need for performance tires, easily the best one you can go to for any car.
I remember as a kid Firestone tires and Ford being at odds, funny thing is that Martha Firestone owns(ed) the Detroit Lions and is the widow of William Clay Ford.
A few things that would have been worth mentioning:
After all the consolidation, rather than leave Akron like all their competition, Goodyear choose to stay in Akron; building their new HQ in 2013 across the freeway from the original HQ.
Goodyear continues to make all those race tires right next door to their HQ in one of their oldest factories.
Goodyear purchased Cooper Tire a couple of years ago (yet another Ohio based rubber company!) which means they now own the Mickey Thompson brand, which was one of their biggest competitors in drag racing.
When I was a kid I watched a lot of NASCAR and they had Goodyear tires, so naturally when I grew up I wanted Goodyears. It didn't happen, but I've never bought Firestone. Their auto mechanic shops have a terrible reputation for aggressively upselling, and potentially making mechanical issues on cars worse. At least in my area. For that reason alone, I won't bother with the tires.
Yeah, that's definitely a local thing for you, apparently. I worked as a manager at THE largest Firestone repair shop in Michigan for years and we had one of the best reputations in the NATION. Won many MANY awards for service. Also had one of the nations recognized TOP FIVE mechanics working for me, too, so that helped.
The biggest problem I have had with Firestone is the price at their shops. A set of tires today was $900 through Costco, or $1,350 for the same tires through their shop.
Ray Harroun achieved his first win with his firestone tires which is the events of 100 years of racing as the official tire of the IndyCar series
Hi, Akron native. Wanted to share some extra info that I know from being a local.
The reason the tire industry set up here was primarily because Akron had space to build and was already connected through the Ohio Erie canal to lake Erie and thus Detroit, which also built Cleveland up as a port for the auto industry.
After all the issues and consolidating in the 80s, the industry essentially left Akron; though it's still very much a part of the cultural zeitgeist here. Are sports teams and radio stations all play into the rubber city heritage.
The economics situation is typical of the rust bowl, through diversification in the last decade has shown signs of improvement. Akron definitely falls into that clique of "big city amenities with a small town feel".
A lot of the rubber history is still here and being used. The air dock where they keep the blimps has its own microclimate, the Seiberling mansion is now a popular botanical gardens, the old factory's have been converted into local breweries, local news, and even apartments. The factory signs for Firestone and Goodyear are visible from the highway and the blimps still fly overhead regularly.
Last. While the tire industry has declined here, Akron is now a world leader in polymer science and developing the technology FOR the tire industry. Both companies also still organize charity events locally and fund public works from time to time.
Love your videos!
Former Goodyear employee here. Went to Akron a couple times a year for work, always loved the people ✌️
It's great to see more automotive content on your channel!
The tires I use go like this though:
Every day use: Continental DWS
Performance/track: Falken Azenis 615k
A/T: Yokohama Geolander
Started driving in 75.
Took race car driving lessons in the 80’s.
I have run several tire brands on my cars and the Goodyear Assurance all weather tires are the best passenger car tires ive used.
Great video. It should be pointed out that the majority of Goodyear's wins in F1 happened in the early years of the sport. Their record will likely be passed by Italian tire maker Pirelli who has been the official tire maker for F1 since 2011 & that agreement lasts until 2027 with an option to renew for another decade beyond that.
Pirelli is Chinese owned now unfortunately😢
While it is likely that Pirelli will pass Goodyear in the number of wins, the number of wins that Goodyear has more wins in years with competition between tire makers while Pirelli has been racking their number up with longer seasons and as a sole supplier.
I always forget to like your content but I watch every one the day it comes out. Thank you for these company man videos.
That's more than enough for me Jay. Thank you so much for being here each week.
I prefer Michelin and Pirelli. I've never bought a set of Goodyear/Bridgestone/Firestone tires unless they were already on the car when I bought it. Even bought a set of Yokohama tires for my Civic awhile back and loved them.
I’m kind of like you. But I had only one set of Yokohama tires. They were on sales and the tire store didn’t have a set of Michelins in my size. Had them for only one week. It rained. The stopping distance was terrible. The tire store took them back and got the Michelins for me. What a difference. No more cheap tires.
GoodYear has some of the best All-Terrain tires. Firestone had, at one time, one of the longest lasting tires.
Long lasting lol. Yea thats why they fall apart and come off cars while driving.
@@Lobonova This was totally Ford's fault. Firestone TOLD Ford, "Do NOT run those tires at that low of pressure". Ford said, "We'll do what we want". Firestone told them, "The tires are NOT designed to be run at that low of pressure". Ford did it ANYWAY. And guess what? The tires failed EXACTLY like Firestone told them they would IF they didn't follow Firestone's recommendation. This was at the time when the SUV market was new and Ford was having trouble getting a softer ride out of their poorly designed vehicle. To solve this problem FORD decided ON THEIR OWN to lower the tire pressures to get a smoother ride, despite being told NOT too. It's ALL in the court case. EDUCATE yourself before commenting.
@@NorthernChevThat doesn't surprise me that Ford was behind all that. Ford is complete shit, I'd rather drive a rickshaw than a Ford 😂
@@100percentSNAFU300,000+ km on my f150. Currently looking to replace it for another, but it still runs just fine
Great video as always, interesting to see the reference to Ford committing to one supplier for the Model T,, Peugeot used to use one supplier but the supplier had a strike, causing major problems, Since then they use three different suppliers
I am from the Akron area. Recently Goodyear acquired Cooper tire as well. I buy pretty much only Goodyear or Cooper at this point. Other companies make a good tire, but only Goodyear is left as American owned and operated. The tires have also been very good to me on many different brands, types, and models of vehicles over the years. Bridgestone has been good to Firestone though, lots of R&D still happens for them in Akron.
Currently running Hankook Dyna Pro AT2 Xtreme's, probably the best all-terrain tire I've ever encountered for snowy/icey conditions. Up north where I live, you usually only see two sets of tires in the winter months though... Bridestone Blizzaks and Hankook Winter iPike's
Michelin tires cost more, but you get what you pay for. I've had Goodyear tires and Firestone tires, and each had problems. Michelin tires have always been worry-free for me. Michelin FTW!
woah I was actually looking for tires yesterday. Defo gonna watch this.
WHOA
Great video. Speaking of crazy stunts early on to promote tires, one also as to look at the Michelin Guide, that awards restaurants those coveted, to this day, Michelin Stars. That guide was started by the tire company to basically point out good destinations, that of course you needed your bicicle or *voiture* to get to, and Michelin was there to sell you tires for that vehicle. The Michelin man also started out life as a stack of bicycle tires, so it's kind of fitting I guess they bought BFG that also started in bicycles?
That segways into who is my top pick for tires, as it's usually the French manufacturer who is at the top of the list for when I buy tires, if it's not them, it's the Italian (now Chinese owned!) brand Pirelli. The effects of the Chinese companies looking for who to buy out to give more confidence to the western markets is also something that has had/will have an effect on the market, with the French manufacturer just mentioned (as well as Continental) squarely in the sights of them. It will be interesting to see how this moves in the future, but I'm sure you'll get more videos out of tires, Mr. Company Man. You could also make a video out of the "win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" motto as tires are one of the few aspects where this is still mostly the case, tire compound innovation being insane in the last 20 years where now you have very good all season tires that have more performance than top "summer sports car only" tires from a few decades back, and that you can put on your everyday minivan.
The effects of increasing regulations from EPA and other agencies around the world are also starting to focus on the effects of all this synthetic rubber particulates that are discarded by tires, and it will be interesting to see what happens in that regard as well.
Whatever your choice is, if you've made it this far in my comment, please buy the best tire you can for your car. All your car's tech and features are anchored to the road by 4 roughly post-card sized bits of rubber, don't cheap out on them!
From PA, went to college at UAkron, saw the blimp all the time. I live here now, go to the Stan Hyett house in December, it’s fun to see vids about this!
I grew up in the Akron area in the 80s and 90s. Every house I lived in is within the map shown at 1:15 and I even lived in Goodyear heights for a few years as a kid. We used to see the Goodyear blimp flying around at times and even watched it launch and land at the Akron airport at times. The gigantic blimp hanger is still there. There is a lake called Wingfoot lake, there is Goodyear heights, Firestone park, a park with a big hill called Goodyear Heights Metro Park that we used to go sled riding at. There was a football stadium near the Akron airport called the Rubber bowl, but it is abandoned now. The influence of these companies, especially Goodyear is strong in the Akron area. Goodyear was always higher in my mind than Firestone and I think they still are, but I have no brand loyalty, I buy the tires that are the best deal with the best mileage warranty.
I do a lot of shopping when I’m buying my tires. I have purchased Pirelli, Michelin, BF Goodrich, Continental, Bridgestone, General, and a few different Chinese brands (if you count ATV tires). I like that there is a healthy competition between the various companies. I am always looking for certain features when I buy tires, and I don’t think I have ever bought the same tires twice in a row except for on my motorcycle and those were Michelin.
I'm a Goodyear guy, most of the tires I've bought for my vehicles have been Goodyears. But I've bought Firestones and Generals as well and was pleased with them
After decades of different brands over about 1 million miles behind the wheel and behind the handlebars, Pirelli and Yokohama are the only brands I purchase anymore.
Michelin sadly no longer lasts their full mileage rating.
Yokohama and Pirelli ftw!
Part of the issue was ford went against the recommendation of Firestone to set the stock psi of the for explorer to 25 to make the ride softer. In a time without tpms this lead to tires being run low on air causing them to over heat and fail.
This issue lead to the industry requiring tpms in all vehicles starting in 2007
Akron and racing, Indycar, NASCAR, Formula 1. You know your stuff! And I think you should make more racing related videos! You did an awesome job including racing in your Hooters company video. Keep up the new fresh racing related content! 🤠😎🏁
I'd love to see some videos that involve famous racing teams and the business activities outside of said teams. Penske (car dealers, truck rental, ownership of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), Hendrick (car dealers), Kaulig (LeafFilter), as well as the racing specific works of a couple of Australian auto parts stores, REPCO (Formula One engines) and Bob Jane T-Marts (Calder Park Raceway, among other motorsports related ventures over the years).
I've had bad experiences with Firestone and Pirelli and great experiences with Bridgestone, BF Goodrich and Michelin. Never tried Goodyear but I've heard good things from friends and family.
Michelin is probably best tire company
Was Bridgestone is the best
I loved my Michelin Primier tires, (unfortunately they since discontinued).
They are pricey but worth every penny.
But if I was on a budget, Cooper tires are decent, and Tigerpaw.
Pirelli ain’t what they used to be
@@Sorodz2 I loved their Potenza series
I live in North Canton about 20 mins from Akron and every year they would fly the blimp during spring/summer times in the Akron/Canton area. It’s so cool
It’s awesome to hear my hometown talked about in this video. 😄
Just an observation... You mentioned other tire manufacturers expanded but seemed to allude that Goodyear did not? Goodyear owns Dunlop and Kelley Tire, and I think has some sort of agreement with Sumitomo... I used to work for Goodyear several years ago so I can't remember the details anymore, but it might have been worth mentioning. Other than that, I loved all your details and the missus and I watch all your videos. I've been a subscriber since you only had a few videos online, amazing to see how far it's come!! Keep it up Mike!
buying tires in a few days this is actually great timing for the video
I’ve had two sets of Firestone tires, one in the 1970s and one in the 2000s. I had numerous flats, and one blowout, with each set. I will never buy another Firestone tire, and would recommend against anyone else buying them. The best tires I’ve ever had have been Michelins, Yokohamas, and Coopers.
Been in the tire industry for about 6 years now. Our favorite tire is the General Altimax RT45. Can’t get better tread wear rating and performance for the price. Best of the cheap cheap tires is Mastercraft. They wear fairly quick but you get what you pay for and they’re definitely better than the others in the same price range.
I don't want a tire made by the guys that make my cheap socket wrenches😅
I loved the old ad, “The Best Tires in the World Have Goodyear written all over them”. Personally, I’m a BFGoodrich fan because of the vehicles I have and their products are wonderful. Next in line for me is Goodyear.
Akron native and citizen here. Pronounced: Frank "Si ber Ling". Love a video about my home town.
That Ford, Firestone recall in early 2000 could be its own video.
I just put some Firestone tires on my car yesterday. Haven't seen the video yet. Hopefully I won't regret my decision.
...they'll be just fine.
Also in Akron Firestone built there own mini neighborhood called Firestone Park where they sold there homes to their employees and same with Goodyear they called it Goodyear Heights
Also note that B F Goodrich was heavily involved in aerospace having developed an inflatable aircraft wing / anti icing boots for standard wings and inflatable emergency escape slides. . General tire had Aerojet that made solid fuel rocket engines. There is a test facility in Florida, look for vids.
As a big rig mechanic the most common tire I see is Bridgestone, that truly says something to me of who’s driving the us in semi truck tire application
Did you know: Goodyear was an Easter egg in the Pixar Cars franchise as Lightyear (referring to Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise)
Super interesting video! I am a huge fan of Michelin from past experiences, however, I have chosen Yokohama for 2 of my current cars. Not sure what company owns Yokohama but these tires have been amazing! Tire Rack is where I do my tire research.
I used to use Toyo tires and changed to Firestone around 5 years ago. They have lasted more than any tire before. We changed all the tires of our vehicle recently again to Firestone.
Yeah but that's like saying the new Coldplay rocks harder than ever 😅
All I can say is a Goodyear has never failed me
Being from the Akron/Canton area - I can say these companies both have a significant legacy here. That being said, I buy Cooper Tires - also headquartered in OH but Western OH.
Loved the video. BF Goodrich for me when I need tires.
I’m wearing GoodYear shoes as I watch this. Thanks company man!
I live in a pretty wet climate with long winters, my first thought for tires is "how will these handle ice and snow". Goodyear is typically what I end up with
Their newest winter tire is fantastic. I switched over after many years on a couple different sets of Michelin X Ice 3s. My Goodyear Winter Command Ultras are the best they've put out. If you had Ultra Grips in the past you'll be happier with these.
@@YouMotorcycle I'll keep an eye out in 2025 when it's time to replace the current ones! Thanks for the recommendation.
Firestone sponsored a music programme on the radio back in 1929. Classical music was played , with advertising for Firestone products. The Goodyear Blimp has flown over Kansas City many times.
Thanks for bringing up racing! one missing detail though is Firestone's championship winning partnership with the original Monster truck, Bigfoot. Goodyear used to support monster truck tires as well as early as the late 80's through Golden State Promotions and later Hall Bros racing. The official monster truck team of Ram Trucks. Anyway, Lionel history when?
Native Akronite here. I have relatives who worked for both companies in Akron. First the founder of Goodyear's name is pronounced SI-ber-ling, the "e" is silent. Don't discount Goodrich either. Goodrich's Boot and Shoe division invented the zipper in the late 1800s. It was invented to make wearing boots easier. About that time, the recently founded Buchtel College (1870, founded by the Universalist Church and named for Akron farm implement manufacturer John R. Buchtel who donated the money to start it), was looking for a nickname for their sports teams and chose the "Zippers". Well, then they started being put on men's pants and that just wasn't going to work in early 20th Century America, so they shortened the name to "Zips", which is still the nickname of the now state University of Akron. Akron also has the only female mascot in Division I (Zippy the Kangaroo has a pouch!), as well as the only marsupial mascot - "Fear the Roo!"
I have several memories around the rubber companies growing up in Akron. Akron smelled like two things when I was growing up, rubber and sulfur from making tires, and oats cooking from the Quaker Oats plant that was downtown. Many of my friends and classmates had parents who worked for one of the rubber shops. Two major neighborhoods in Akron were built by and named for the companies - Firestone Park and Goodyear Heights to sell to their employees for housing. Both companies have MetroParks named for them. Of course there is the World-famous Firestone Country Club in South Akron, and Akron is the home of what was the largest airship hanger in the World, built in 1929 for the construction of the rigid airships "Akron" and "Macon" for the U. S. Navy (both crashed spectacularly, with great loss of life, but didn't do it on camera, so those incidents are little remembered, unlike the Hindenburg). Whenever Goodyear built a new blimp and retired one, all the N. American blimps came to Akron to fly over the city en mass, sometimes as many as four of them at once - quite a sight. Goodyear Aircraft built around 4,000 Navy Corsair fighters as a subcontractor during WWII in the Akron Airdock. The Seiberling family estate, Stan Hywet is one of the best known mega-mansion museums in the country, and Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in the carriage house of the estate. F. A.'s grandson, John F. Seiberling was Congressman from Akron for over 15 years, served on the House Judiciary Committee and voted to impeach Richard Nixon in 1974. He also was a great environmentalist and was the father of the Alaska Lands Bill that created millions of acres of parkland in Alaska, and was the major force behind the establishment of what became the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only National Park in Ohio, between Akron and Cleveland.
I used to run Continentals. My latest car has Pirellis and I'm happy with them too.
When I was a kid in the 60s, both Goodyear and Firestone operated stores that sold much more than tires. They had household appliances, bicycles and other merchandise.
Both Goodyear and Firestone offered Christmas LPs every year which had various pop artists - usually easy listening.
they can do what they want but Michelin is the tire I've had the best luck with over the years.. It's all I buy at this point except on my classic car, which Michelin does not offer the right size for.
Same. I've alternated between Michelin and Pirelli whenever I get new tires and never had any issues. When I bought my vehicles new they came from the factory with either Bridgestone or Firestone tires and they were absolute garbage.
@@TXnine7nine I have thankfully never gotten Firestone but Bridgestone came on one of my cars and I replaced them long before they wore out. Those things were drangerously slippy in any rain at all, whether light (which can be more slick) or heavy. I had a set of Pirellis on a low-mileage off-lease buy age out, but never had any problems before one of them randomly sprung a leak at the age of eight. I did replace them with Michelin.
I had an inappropriate set of Nokians come on a car once that just weren't a good fit for my climate, so I can't judge them. They also got replaced with Michelin.
I had Goodyear Eagle RS-A on my old police crown vic but that's the only tire built for that model that doesn't fall apart premuaturely. Something about the police package. Every fleet guy I talked to said the same - they all tried something else and they all ended up back on Goodyear. Apart from that, haven't had a Goodyear since.
Love your videos man!
This is going to be an interesting comparison.
In the battle of Goodyear vs. Firestone I choose Yokohama
My dad and I went to America's Tires and they did recommend us to get Yokohama tires for my brother's 2018 Camry SE and it looks pretty good. Definitely wanna get Continental tires for my 2019 Corolla Hatchback and Firestone tires for my 02 Tacoma XtraCab (they are still making 15 inch tires for these small trucks).
BF Goodrich from Costco is perfect for me 👍🏼
I’m About to buy rain tires for my car. This video is perfect right now.
Tires are tires to me for the most part but my family and I use Firestone for their complete auto care. My last set of tires were actually from Costco.
Thank you
The tire industry is one we often forget about. Bridgestone’s annual net income is in the hundreds of billions for reference. Absolutely bonkers.
Michelin has been my go-to tire brand for over 3 decades.
Decades ago, I purchased new Firestone tires for my truck. Within 1 month, all had blown out due to defective side walls. Firestone refused to replace them. I have never purchased Firestone tires since. I also discouraged all to never go with them ever again.
As a Ford guy, I always liked Firestone. Then I started buying Corvettes, fitted with Goodyears. I bought a set of replacement Michelins for one of my Corvettes. Absolutely, Michelins are the best for comfort, wear, and high performance handling, wear, and braking. Michelins are #1.
Clearly you've never tried a Bridgestone on your 'Vette, then.
Great video!
Shout out from Akron.
Love being from the Rubber City. Still a massive Presence as GoodYear still has its world HQ here and all racing tires for both are made downtown.
Got 4 goodyears on right now
I remember the Firestone / Ford Explorer scandal of 20 years ago where Explorers were tipping over or whatever. I was in high school and our principal had an Explorer and we used to tease her about it.
Ive had 4 new tires in the past year. All goodyear, decent tires but when I needed an emergency flat fix the tire store only had a bridgestone tire. That one tire feels better than all my goodyear tires in past. Im not an expert but I found this interesting
How would you be able to tell
@lukemassey5765 the front right tire always leaked air. I always was refilling it at gas stations usually once every 1 or 2 weeks. Ive had the bridgestone tire for a month now and still havent had a leak. Again no expert and maybe it was the i went to had good service, but from dealing with leaks for a year into no leaks.. its interesting
@@IHJelloBridgestone Michelle continental....can't go wrong
@@IHJello ohh I thought you you meant that it’s feels better while driving