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Form vs. Function: Performance Most Important in Tires Fresno CA

Starting in the mid-1980s it was generally thought by tire compounders that a line of tires needed by most tire buyers should consist of a polymer system, the backbone for all rubber compounds. Much of that thinking is still in place today.

Triple A Automotive
(559) 321-7103
906 Barstow
Clovis, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 221-1438
4140 N Blackstone Avenue
Fresno, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 237-9383
2530 N Weber Avenue
Fresno, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 277-8030
4119 W Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA
Extreme Off Road & Repair
(559) 323-8222
1320 Brookhaven Drive
Clovis, CA
Belmont Tire & Automotive
(559) 485-8970
1449 E Belmont Avenue
Fresno, CA
D & R Automotive of Fresno Inc
(559) 266-6060
901 M Street
Fresno, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 431-9203
6760 N Blackstone Avenue
Fresno, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 252-3771
4830 E Kings Canyon Road
Fresno, CA
Goodguys Tire Center
(559) 297-0063
1425 Herndon Avenue
Clovis, CA
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Form vs. Function: Performance Most Important in Tires

During a long career in the tire biz, I’ve seen a few tires that simply didn’t look right. Once upon a time, a tire company rolled out a cantilevered sidewall that looked as strange to me as it must have appeared to would-be tire buyers. It didn’t sell.

Neither did a one-ply bias tire billed as being better than a two-ply bias tire. That was back in the pre-radial 1960s and consumers didn’t buy that line either. It reminds me of the geodesic home, which was once touted as the end-all. Build one of those now and see how fast it sells. Americans are fond of tradition and things we can readily understand and we probably won’t sacrifice that belief now or ever.

Probably the biggest design fumble in all of automotive history rests with the introduction of the Edsel. While other cars of that era had horizontal grilles, the Edsel’s was vertical, causing many jokes and downright consumer dismissal. They thought the name sounded too much like a weasel, they hated the grille and decided the car was ugly when compared to other vehicles of the day.

Thank goodness today’s tires, once considered a commodity, have jumped into the forefront of vehicle/tire/wheel design. The tire has become part and parcel to a new world of stylish, functional tread designs without placing form before function.

For racing tires, tread design is a secondary priority. The first priority is to develop a compound that offers sufficient wear for just a fe...

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