I spotted this ad with some unusual tires. Anyone ever seen these?
“VINTAGE MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT page measuring approximately10 x 13 inches in very good condition, two separate pages of boys & girls fashions, kids ride in “Willys Jeep with Goodyear’s experimental Neothane tires” the text says.”
Never seen ones on a Jeep. Tire companies experimented with Neothane tires up to the late 80’s. The Army tested different designes and determined they were not worth the money as they did not wear evenly and did not hold up to battlefield conditions. The Air Force even tried out a few on different cargo planes and had poor results. At the time the rubber industry prices has tire manufactures looking for alternative materials. Neothane just did not hold up to automotive use and abuse (thankfully)
Very interesting … thanks for the info Jim.
“Neothane” is the same stuff that wheels for rollerskates and skateboards are made of, Neothane was a tradename for PolyUrethane, its very tuff stuff, but it does not stand up well to high temperatures that occur when braking and cornering with heavier and faster vehicles. Today it is very common on slow, light industrial vehicles like handcarts and light forklifts