General Tire celebrates 100 years

Tradition-rich U.S. tyrebrand General Tire is celebrating its centenary. The company traces its origins to Akron, Ohio, where William F. O’Neill and his partner Winfred E. Fouse had the idea of producing superior quality tyres

At the time, there were more than 300 companies making tyres in the USA. But unlike their competitors, from the outset the two partners put their faith in high quality and focused at first on the truck market. Here they pioneered an oversized pneumatic tyre called the General Jumbo.

Back in those days, trucks ran on solid rubber tyres and the pneumatic tyre was an innovation that soon caught on. A nationwide team of loyal, competent and independent dealers helped ensure that the brand rapidly proved a success.

General Tire innovations also made inroads into the automobile market. In the mid-1920s, for example, the company released General Balloon Jumbo tyres for cars. These required much lower air pressure and provided a far more comfortable ride than conventional tyres. General Tire rapidly expanded its range, which soon included the high-mileage, puncture-proof Dual Balloon.

As the 1930s dawned, General Tire was the largest truck tyre manufacturer in the USA, with a range that included a full line of pneumatic tyres.

At the same time, the company added an international page to its ledger, incorporating a wholly-owned subsidiary in Mexico. In the mid-1930s General Tire concluded an original equipment agreement with International Harvester, one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery. By the end of the decade, every major U.S. truck builder had General Tire on its approved original equipment list.

In the 1940s, General Tire generated further innovations in tire manufacturing and stepped up its expansion with the opening of a state-of-the-art tire plant in Waco, Texas.