Key Takeaways

  • Goodyear Tire is publicly owned, and not owned by a single company.
  • Goodyear Tire started out making bicycle tires, but shifted towards automobile tires.
  • Goodyear created the first tubeless automobile tire.
  • Goodyear has a tire plant in many states throughout the US.
  • Goodyear’s marketing campaigns are some of the best throughout history.

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Goodyear Tire is a tire company that has been around since 1898 and a part of American culture ever since. But who owns Goodyear Tires?

Goodyear Tire is a publicly traded company owned by shareholders. No one person or entity owns Goodyear Tire. The Goodyear team is led by a board of directors and management team who steer the company based on voting power to make decisions about how best to make great quality tires.

I’m a mechanic with five years experience diagnosing and repairing vehicles. I received my Associate’s Degree in Automotive Repair and have been working in the industry ever since. I have received advanced engine diagnostic training, and still receive the latest training on new technologies. I continue to diagnose and repair vehicles with the newest tools and technology.

Table of Contents

History Of Goodyear Tire

Goodyear Tire was started in Akron, Ohio in 1898. Goodyear Tire, started by a man named Frank Seiberling, named the company after Charles Goodyear.

Charles Goodyear was the man who invented the process for vulcanizing rubber.

In the early years of Goodyear Tire, the company was mainly focused on bicycle tires and carriage tires.

Carriage tires used to

Goodyear bicycle tires were very popular back then and Goodyear bicycle tires are very popular to this day.

Goodyear bicycle tires are used in professional bicycle racing, and Goodyear still strives to make innovative changes in modern day bicycle tires.

But as the automobile industry grew, the rubber company shifted its focus towards making automobile tires and radial tires.

Goodyear eventually introduced the world's first pneumatic tire which was lighter and smoother than a typical rubber tire.

Goodyear was granted a patent for the first tubeless automobile tire.

A tubeless automobile tire allowed tires to be directly inflated rather than having to inflate the inner tube.

Throughout the 20th century, Goodyear established global expansion opening locations and plants in South America, Europe, and Asia.

During World War II, Goodyear made aircraft tires for military planes.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, Goodyear was able to stay competitive by investing in research and development, offering specialty tires, and retreading services.

Today, Goodyear  tires is one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world, with a wide range of quality products like automobile radial tires for cars, trucks, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, and off-road vehicles.

Goodyear Tire Rubber Company Ownership

Goodyear Tire is not owned by one person or entity.

The company is publicly traded and therefore owned by shareholders.

There are a couple of important people driving the decisions behind Goodyear Tire.

The CEO of Goodyear Tire is Richard J. Kramer, who was appointed in 2010 and has been president and CEO of Goodyear ever since.

Another important person in the Goodyear Tire corporate makeup is Chris Delaney, who is the President of Europe, Middle East and Africa.

These two, along with a whole leadership team are responsible for making decisions that allow Goodyear to provide the best quality automobile tires that the Goodyear name is synonymous with.

While Goodyear doesn’t have any tire store or store front, they do have plants that manufacture tires all across the globe.

The plants manufacture tires for the local markets so they can quickly respond to changing market conditions.

This allows Goodyear to manufacture tires and sell them directly to the market rather than waste time globe hopping.

Are Goodyear Tires Good?

Goodyear Tire Rubber Company has been making great tires ever since the late 1800’s, but can you put Goodyear Tires on your vehicle or automobile?

Goodyear Tire Rubber company does provide a dependable and reliable ride, but their tires aren’t as high quality as you’d like to see for the price range.

For their truck and off road tires, the price point matches the quality, but for standard car tires such as that like a Chevy Impala or any four or two door vehicle, Goodyear Rubber isn’t really worth the money in my opinion.

The rubber is soft and the mileage you get from the treadlife and treadblocks isn’t worth what you pay for.

When you purchase Goodyear, you're paying more for the name than you are the quality.

Goodyear Tire does have some good tires for different types of automobiles such as motorcycles and golf carts.

But for standard vehicle tires, I’d go with a different type of tire.

Is Goodyear Tires American Owned?

Goodyear Tires is not American owned.

Although Goodyear has many plants located in the United States of America, this does not mean they are technically a US owned American Company.

The company is lead by a board of directors and management team, who seem to be mostly American, but the company is publicly traded, therefore not American owned.

Goodyear has a tire plant located in many different states throughout the United States.

The company has a tire plant in about 10 different locations throughout the United States.

Each plant represents a different type of operation. While a good portion of the Goodyear Tire plants are located in the United States, Goodyear still operates globally in well over 60 countries.

The Goodyear tire company operates in the following countries.

  • Mexico
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Germany
  • Poland
  • Turkey
  • South Africa
  • China
  • India

So while the United States has lots of Goodyear Tire plants in each state, the Goodyear company as a whole operates globally and doesn’t just depend on American labor in order to pump out the vast amount of tires the company does.

Goodyear Racing Tires

Goodyear is a leading sponsor and provider for various motorsports events.

Goodyear racing tires are known for their high performance and reliability.

Goodyear is used by many of the top driving teams across the motorsports arena.

The company offers different racing tires meant for different types of racing such as oval racing, drag racing, and offroad racing.

Some examples of Goodyear racing tires are the Eagle F1 tire, The Wrangler Duratrac, and the Goodyear Eagle Dragway.

Each tire is built specifically for a different type of motorsports event. Goodyear Tire rubber company doesn’t just make commercial automobile tire, they also are a master of making racing tires as well.

Are Goodyear and Cooper Tires The Same?

Currently, Goodyear Tires and Cooper Tires are the same entity.

Goodyear purchased Cooper Tires for a sum of $2.8 billion dollars in cash and shares.

This means that Cooper’s product line will become part of Goodyear Tire Rubber Company.

This product integration meant lots of product expansion for Goodyear. Goodyear chose to keep the Cooper Tire name in turn allowing Goodyear rubber company to capitalize on Cooper Tire’s brand name.

The name that Goodyear purchased is already synonymous with great tires, so the purchase was a great purchase for the purpose of expansion and product line synergy.

Goodyear rubber company not only offers tires but they also offer lots of other different products such as air springs, hoses, power transmission products, and industrial products.

Goodyear rubber company has a reach that goes into 60 different countries and that allows it to respond quickly to local market changes such as varying prices.

Goodyear Marketing

Goodyear marketing is one of the strongest marketing campaigns established by a rubber company.

The marketing campaigns involve advertising, sponsorships, digital marketing, retail promotions, and product innovations.

The Goodyear rubber company has a strong social media presence to help reach its ecommerce customers.

Goodyear rubber company partners with retail stores in order to promote its products and offer special discounts and promotions.

Goodyear rubber company invests heavily into research that leads to product innovation.

Through innovation, Goodyear rubber company is able to reach new customers and maintain old customers.

The rubber company is one of the most recognizable brands through their well established marketing teams.

Who Owns Goodyear Tires?

About The Author

Christopher Sparks

Christopher Sparks

Christopher Sparks has been servicing vehicles since 2012. After completing the automotive studies program at Camden County College, he was awarded an Associates's Degree in Applied Science. His first job was a lube-tech at Jiffy Lube, and is currently an independent B-Technician servicing vehicles for the United States Postal Service. Christopher is ASE certified and loves rebuilding engines.

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