When Goodyear built the fastest tyre in the world

Continuing its 125-year anniversary celebration, Goodyear is looking back on being the developer of the “fastest tyre in the world” – a statement it says holds true in multiple capacities.

On 23rd October, 1970, a benchmark was set in the field of automotive technology when the rocket car Blue Flame, equipped with Goodyear tyres, broke the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) land speed record, reaching 622.407 mp/h (around 1001.667 km/h) over a flying mile, and 630.388 mp/h (around 1014.511 km/h) over a flying kilometre.

These milestones were achieved on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA which provided the ideal conditions for testing the limits of vehicular speed and performance. Additionally, the feat of achieving record-breaking runs was accomplished in the challenging circumstances of three inches of snow, further highlighting its impressive nature.

Goodyear designed 8:00-25 tyres for the vehicle, with an outside diameter of 34.8 inches and a smooth tread surface to help prevent heat buildup, filled with nitrogen gas at 350 psi.

Blue Flame’s design and engineering, including its advanced rocket propulsion system, were said to be instrumental in surpassing the previous record, and the achievement served as a catalyst for continued innovation in the field.

“There is no question that the vehicle’s remarkable achievement in breaking the record depended on its high-performance Goodyear tyres, without which such a feat would have been impossible,” the American tyre manufacturing said.

“These tyres are a remarkable demonstration of human innovation and engineering expertise, as they enabled the vehicle to reach an unprecedented level of speed and performance,” it added.

Goodyear’s achievement was not an isolated example, however, as the company had previously demonstrated a proclivity for setting records. In 1963, Goodyear was the first to develop a tyre that was capable of exceeding 400 mp/h (c. 643 km/h), when Craig Breedlove drove his first ‘Spirit of America’ to success.

In recent years, Goodyear also equipped the British-made JCB DieselMax car, which set a 328 mp/h (c. 527 km/h) land speed record for diesel-powered vehicles in 2006, and Volvo Trucks’ ‘The Iron Knight’ which broke two world speed records for trucks in 2016.

The truck achieved an average speed of 105 mp/h (c. 169 km/h) in a time of 21.29 seconds over 1,000 metres from a standing start. The Iron Knight also beat the record for the 500-metre distance, reaching 81.6 mp/h (c. 131.32 km/h) in 13.71 seconds from a standing start.

Goodyear says its tyres now represent 125 years of “innovation, driven by technological advancement, and a passion for delivering the highest quality, perfectly tailored tyres”.