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Driving vintage automobiles came with significant challenges. Early vehicles often suffered breakdowns, while roads remained rough until the Federal Highway Act of 1921 improved paved networks across America. Scottish inventor John Dunlop received a patent for the first pneumatic tire in 1888, which helped launch the Dunlop Rubber Company alongside W.H. Du Cros for automobile tire manufacturing.

Those early designs were bias-ply tires that handled decently on smooth surfaces but struggled over rough patches. They also performed poorly in wet conditions, featured fragile sidewalls susceptible to punctures, and typically lasted only about 12,000 miles. These shortcomings inspired French tiremaker Michelin to pursue a fresh approach known as the fly trap, based on its sidewall built with radially placed steel wires.

Michelin submitted a patent in 1946 for this radial tire idea, yet others had explored the concept much sooner. In 1913, Gray and Sloper from the British firm Palmer Cord Tyres developed a radial tire layout. Arthur Savage and his Savage Tire Company in San Diego advanced even further ahead of Michelin by filing a patent for a radial automobile tire in 1915. Reports indicate the Savage factory once employed up to 2,000 staff at its peak, providing an edge in both creativity and manufacturing scale. Michelin gained recognition for radial tires largely because Savage exited the tire industry shortly after his patent.

Arthur Savage pursued a wide range of projects throughout his life

Prior to refining tire designs and production techniques, Jamaican-born British inventor and entrepreneur Arthur Savage spent time in the Australian Outback, succeeded in cattle ranching, created torpedoes, and developed a rifle, all before age 35. In 1894, Savage founded the Savage Repeating Arms Company in Utica, New York, and manufactured notable rifles such as the Model 1899, now viewed as one of the finest hunting firearms available.

Savage also supplied Thompson submachine guns and additional firearms to the British forces in World War II. By 1905, he stepped away from Savage Arms, relocated to California for orange farming, and soon moved to San Diego, where he patented the radial tire in 1915 (granted in 1916). Library of Congress records note that the Savage Tire Company ranked among the first and biggest operations in San Diego. There, Savage manufactured the initial puncture-resistant pneumatic tire for automobiles, along with inner tubes.

Perhaps tiring of tire production, Savage sold his company in 1919 to explore new ventures. He joined his son in a firearms business that did not succeed, then attempted oil drilling before turning to tiles, bricks, and ceramics. He developed terminal cancer by 1938 and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 81. The Savage Tire Company facility later became a brewery by 1934.

Radial tires shaped the future, with Michelin leading the way

Years after Arthur Savage passed away, Michelin advanced radial tire technology and refined its original Michelin X design into a production model that delivered greater strength, improved comfort, superior wet traction, and better fuel efficiency, underscoring the clear advantages over bias-ply tires. To demonstrate the benefits for faster, smoother, and more efficient vehicles, Lancia introduced the striking Aurelia B20 in 1951 as the first production car equipped with standard Michelin radial tires from the factory.

Michelin collaborated with Lancia to win the 2.0-liter class at the 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing 12th overall. The company also patented radial truck tires in 1952 and industrial tires in 1959. Michelin remains a leader in tires for cars, trucks, and SUVs, and now owns brands including BFGoodrich, Corsa, and Achilles.

American tire manufacturers responded slowly to radial tire adoption. More than 98 percent of U.S. tires produced in the 1970s were bias-ply or belted bias-ply types, compared to 97 percent radial in France and 80 percent in Italy. Automakers hesitated to redesign suspension systems for radial tires.