BF Goodrich is a high-quality American tire manufacturer founded in 1870 by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. He was a surgeon by profession, but in 1869, he partnered with Charles Goodyear and JP Morris to buy the Hudson River Rubber Company. The New York-based company wasn’t successful, and the following year, it was relocated to Akron, Ohio, and renamed B.F. Goodrich Corporation.
BG Goodrich played a significant role in the development of the American tire industry. In its early days, the company manufactured rubber hoses, fire hoses, drive belts for different machines, and other rubber products.
A few years later, the company began manufacturing pneumatic bicycle tires, and like its French counterpart Michelin, BF Goodrich didn’t take long to take the next step: making pneumatic tires for automobiles, becoming the first American company to do so in 1896, only five years after Michelin and two years before Goodyear.
The company didn’t take long to gain a reputation for its high-quality tires and continued to innovate, introducing new technologies and materials to produce better and better models.
By early 1900, BF Goodrich had strong and fierce competitors like Goodyear, Firestone, Uniroyal, and General. However, they stood strong and kept earning notoriety and establishing milestones in the tire industry.
Brief BF Goodrich Timeline
- 1870: The company was established in Akron, Ohio.
- 1896: They launched the first automotive tire, becoming the first American company to manufacture this product.
- 1903: Henry Ford fitted the new Model A with BF Goodrich tires.
- 1903: Ford crossed the USA from East to West to prove the Ford A’s reliability and endurance. The Ford A was the first vehicle to traverse the entire United States from East to West, demonstrating its reliability and endurance while being equipped with BF Goodrich tires, putting the brand’s name in the eye of consumers nationwide.
- 1909: BF Goodrich entered the aviation tire market, fitting a Curtiss airplane that set a speed record of 75 km/h at the first international air race in Reims.
- 1927: The famous Charles Lindbergh’s airplane, the “Spirit of St. Louis,” used BF Goodrich tires. It was the first time a person completed a solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
1946: BF Goodrich acquired Hayes Industries’ airplane, wheel, and brake division. - 1947: The brand released the first tubeless tires, invented by one of their development engineers Frank Herzegh in 1946.
- 1954: BF Goodrich released one of the first tires entirely made of synthetic rubber.
- 1965: The brand launched the first radial tires designed and made in the USA; they were called the Lifesaver.
- 1967: The brand patented the first run-flat tire and concept.
- 1972: While other tire manufacturers were still developing “bias-ply” tires, BF Goodrich introduced radial-ply touring tires.
- 1976: BF Goodrich introduced the world’s first all-terrain tires.
- 1977: The space shuttle Columbia rolled on BFGoodrich tires as it was being constructed.
- 1988: BF Goodrich was sold to the French company Michelin.
- 1990: The transfer of technology and assets to Michelin was completed.
- 1999: The Scorcher T/A became the first tire with colored lettering.
- 2002: The brand released the world’s first 24-inch tires for AWD vehicles.
- 2016: BF Goodrich commemorated the 40th anniversary of SCORE BAJA Racing and the Radial All-Terrain tire.
BF Goodrich and Motorsports
Motorsports is a great testing field for tire manufacturers and a big display window to show their products to potential consumers. Like almost every tire manufacturer, BF Goodrich has a strong presence in the racing world.
Their first big racing venture was in 1914, when the winning car of the Indianapolis 500 used BF Goodrich tires. Since then, they have won several races in different categories, such as the Baja 1000, Paris-Dakar Rally, WRC, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Top Fuel, and others.
One of the brand’s most successful racing ventures was its involvement with the Ford GT40 program in the 1960s. The tires they specially engineered to withstand the demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans were key for the program’s success.
BF Goodrich’s tires have also been deeply involved with drag racing. In the 1960s, the company introduced the “Drag Slick” tire, which became a popular choice among drag racers due to its superior traction and durability. Over the years, BF Goodrich continued innovating and improving its drag racing tires, supplying drag racing cars of different categories like Top Fuel and Pro Stock. Besides, BF Goodrich has sponsored the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) for decades.
The company’s involvement in drag racing helped to forge a strong reputation among high-performance vehicle enthusiasts and made it the favorite brand for many tuners and muscle car owners around the world.
BF Goodrich and Off-Road
BF Goodrich is one of the best off-road tire manufacturers and, since 2002, has been the exclusive tire sponsor of the Dakar Rally. BF Goodrich tires were used by over 30 and 13 winners of the Baja 1000 and the Paris-Dakar rally, respectively.
As the inventor of the first dedicated off-road tires, the brand is well-known and praised by off-road vehicle owners. Their tires provide excellent grip in the most challenging terrains, such as mud, rocks, and sand. Their All-Terrain T/A K02 tires are one of the favorite tires among off-road enthusiasts due to their durability and traction.
Other Notorious Inventions
The constant pursuit of perfection and pushing boundaries led the brand to many innovations outside the automotive scene. They developed from golf balls to space suits, being credited as the inventors of the first pressurized flying and space suits.
BF Goodrich Tires’ Reliability
Over the years, BF Goodrich tires have proven reliable. They offer a wide range of products at a fair price and accessible price. The brand, owned by the Michelin group, has several R&D facilities dedicated to developing new tire technologies and materials.
BF Goodrich’s most notorious R&D centers are the Michelin Americas Research and Development Center in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, Michelin Asia-Pacific Research and Development Center in Shangai, China, and BD Goodrich Technology Center in Ladoux, France.
All these facilities are owned by Michelin and also develop tire technologies for other Michelin products. Besides, the brand has many factories in the USA, Thailand, Brazil, France, and Mexico. However, despite their high-quality standards, like any other tire manufacturer, BF Goodrich is not exempt from experiencing defective production runs and launching some faulty products.
The brand occasionally has to recall some batches, but overall it’s constantly proving to its customers that its tires are dependable and long-lasting.
BF Goodrich Recalled Models In The USA Over The Years:
This list is made with information gathered from public records from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). This information is about products sold in the USA and is only for reference. Considering that tires should be replaced and have a lifespan of 5 or 6 years, this list starts in 2015.
| Year | Models (In several sizes) | Cause/s | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | BF Goodrich Commercial T/A All Season BF Goodrich Rugged Terrain T/A | Sidewall rupture. | 104,000 |
| 2016 | BF Goodrich Commercial T/A All Season BF Goodrich Rugged Terrain T/A | Sidewall rupture. | 225,000 |
| 2017 | BF Goodrich Commercial T/A All Season 2 BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S | Tread Separation. | 235,000 |
| 2018 | No Recalls Reported | ||
| 2019 | BF Goodrich Commercial T/A All-Season 2 | Sidewall rupture. | ~104,000 |
| 2020 | No information due to Covid-19 | ||
| 2021 | BF Goodrich Advantage T/A Sport | Tread Separation. | ~106,000 |
| 2022 | No Recalls Reported | ||
| 2023 | No recalls have been announced so far. | ||
Compared to other tire manufacturers, BF Goodrich has had a low, under-the-average recall amount in the last 10 years.
BF Goodrich Reported Problems Briefly Explained
Sidewall Rupture
When the tire’s sidewall (the part of the tire that runs perpendicular to the tread and connects the tire to the wheel) develops tears and/or holes. This can cause an unexpected and sudden air pressure loss, potentially causing a blowout and loss of control of the vehicle. Besides tire overloading and accidents, sidewall rupture can be caused by manufacturing defects.
Tread Separation
Separation of the tread belt is a frequent form of tire failure. It’s commonly generated by contamination that occurs during the tire manufacturing procedure, followed by poor quality control.
When moisture or other contaminants are allowed involuntarily into the adhesion process, tires become prone to suffer from this failure.
As a result, the tread will be prone to be separated from the underlying tire body, which can cause a loss of control of the vehicle. Sometimes tread separation can be caused by defective tire cords.
Final Words
BF Goodrich is a high-quality tire manufacturer with over 100 years in the market. The brand is constantly innovating, and the users’ overall score is above 4 out of 5. Despite some mixed reviews of one of their most emblematic tires, the T/A K02 (love them or hate them), they have a very low recall rate which means that you can trust the products made by this company.
Their off-road products are excellent, and their touring line has kept American vehicles on the road for decades. Besides, all their products are within the most affordable in their respective categories. If you are looking for a new set of tires for your vehicle without breaking your wallet, and at the same time, you want to buy a reliable product; you should consider BF Goodrich tires.
Related articles:
5 Common Kumho Tire Problems To Be Aware Of
