Inside Uniroyal’s giant tire

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 24, 2015) Most Detroiters, and many visitors to the area, have been past the giant Uniroyal tire on I-94 when going to, or coming from, Metropolitan Airport. Originally created for the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair, the 80-foot high, 12-ton tire originally had capsule-shaped gondolas rotating around its circumference at the center of its “tread.”

Each gondola carried four people, and a 100-horsepower motor propelled the cars on an approximately 10-minute long ride. Designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon — also responsible for designing the Empire State Building — the giant tire drew its share of attention.

More than two million people rode the tire, including Jackie Kennedy and her children, the Shah of Iran, and others. The cost was 25 cents, though I’m pretty sure the Kennedys and the Shah of Iran took their rides for free. It was great publicity for the U.S. Rubber Company, which also made rubber-soled shoes, and consolidated a number of styles under the brand name of “Keds”.

At the end of the World’s Fair — that same one at which the Mustang was first introduced — the tire was disassembled into 188 sections and moved by rail to Detroit. There it was anchored in concrete and steel near the company’s Allen Park, MI sales office. Twenty-nine years later, the tire was remodeled, and given a new, more modern hubcap, neon lighting and raised white letters in place of the original whitewalls.

Four years later, a giant nail protruding from the tread was added to promote Uniroyal’s new NailGuard self-sealing passenger car tires.

In August 2003, the tire underwent another renovation, it’s third since Michelin purchased Uniroyal in 1990. At that time, the inner structure was sandblasted down to bare metal, 30 steel beams were replaced, and this support structure was repainted. In addition, the base of the tire was rebuilt and repainted, new asphalt and storm drains were added, the Uniroyal website address was added to the sidewalls, the hubcap was repainted in silver, the neon lighting added earlier was replaced with reflective lettering, and new lighting, fencing and landscaping were placed around the tire.

Also, at some point during its many renovations, the original tread design was replaced with a more modern looking tread, but kept the original six-inch tread depth. It is made of a flame-resistant Uniroyal-developed polyester resin reinforced with glass fibers. As for the nail, it was donated to the city of Allen Park, and auctioned off to support the city’s cultural commission.

In terms of technology, there’s nothing special about the tire. It’s a battle ship gray steel superstructure supporting panels that are shaped like a giant tire, and built atop an asphalt base. The exterior color is painted onto light tan fiberglass and resin panels. (The polyester resin was developed by Uniroyal.

Its natural color is familiar to anyone who has ever stripped a fiberglass body down to its gel coat.) Undoubtedly oppressively hot on mid-summer days and bone-chillingly cold in the depths of winter, you can’t help but imagine the tire as a hideout for the displaced in a post-apocalyptic world, or as a hideout or secret meeting place in a spy novel. Many thanks to Uniroyal and the Automotive Press Association for the opportunity to explore one of Detroit’s treasures, and to photographer Dave Chapman for the evocative pictures.

All photos Copyright, Dave Chapman
The Virtual Driver