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Milestones of Dunlop Passion, Technology and Global Influence
1888
John Boyd Dunlop, a Scottish veterinary surgeon living in Belfast, Ireland, is widely recognized as the father of the modern pneumatic - inflatable - tire, although he was not the first with the idea. In 1845, Scottish engineer Robert William Thompson patented the first rubber pneumatic tire for horse drawn carriages. Dunlop re-invented the tire for his 10-year-old son's tricycle in 1887 and was awarded a patent for his tire the next year. By Dunlop's time, the bicycle had been fully developed and proved a far more suitable application for pneumatic tires.
1889
Dunlop partnered with Harvey du Cross Jr. to form a company that later became the Dunlop Rubber Company.
1893
Dunlop Rubber Company expands to Hanau, Germany.
1908
Development of the first tire with metal rivets, the forerunner of the spikes popular in the 1960s.
1913
Dunlop Rubber Company opens its first Japanese tire operation in Kobe.
1920
Dunlop builds first U.S. plant in Buffalo, N.Y.
1922
Dunlop researchers work on tire/wheel fitments and make drop-base rim the product standard. Dunlop increases the life span of tires with its work.
1927
Major H.O.D. Seagrave achieved an average speed of 326.6 km/hr - a new world record - on a high-speed Dunlop tire.
1947
Dunlop designed and produced ultra-smooth tires for Railton Mobil Special, the first to break 500 mph barrier on land, a world record that stood for 25 years. The tire tread was just 0.5 mm, no thicker than the lead in a mechanical pencil.
1948
Dunlop developed a tubeless tire with hermetic inner lining, which resisted air migration from inside the tire.
1950s
Dunlop was main tire supplier for Formula 1 Grand Prix racing during the 1950s and 1960s, and the company achieved 66 Formula 1 wins with eight world champions.
1959
Researchers discovered aquaplaning. They developed Dunlop's SP 41 radial ply tire with cuts in the tread and openings in the side lugs for improved wet traction.
1960s
Dunlop was the main tire supplier to World Rally teams, including Saab, Ford, Leyland, Mini, Volvo, Rootes and Audi in Great Britain during the 1960s and 1970s.
1963
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. assumes stock majority of Dunlop Rubber Company, and Dunlop becomes brand of Sumitomo.
1964
Dunlop technician Tom French patents a system of microslots that soak up surface water as a sponge and expel it later for improved wet traction.
1972
Dunlop develops first steel-belted tire with aspect ratio of 60.
1973
Dunlop introduces Denovo, the industry's first wheel/tire system designed to counter disabling flat tires. The world's first run-flat tire provided long distance and control, even following air loss.
1980s
Dunlop supplied tires to Jaguar and Porsche in Group C sports car racing, where the tire company won 34 of 69 races.
1983
Dunlop presents the TD/Denloc safety and run-flat system, a successor to its Denovo wheel/tire combination.
1990s
Dunlop supplied tires to Audi in Super Touring Car, winning six worldwide touring championships in one year, and supplied the first Japanese Le Mans winner in 1991.
1994
Dunlop introduced the first radial ply tires using ultralight building method, lowering vehicle weight by 12 kilos. The company also developed an Instant Mobility System to replace spare tire. The system uses a latex mixture to seal the tire.
1997
Dunlop introduces SP Sport 9000 ultra-performance tire with completely new profile.
1998
Dunlop develops the DS strip, a self-supporting tire technology, which evolves into a line of DSST for use on standard wheels.
1999
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. created a global alliance with a series of joint ventures. In North America and Europe joint ventures, companies are created with 75 percent owned by Goodyear and 25 percent owned by Sumitomo. In addition, there are smaller joint ventures involving purchasing, technology and tire sales in Japan.
1999
Goodyear Dunlop introduces Warnair, a low tire pressure warning system.
2000
Dunlop Europe partners with Bentley at Le Mans and helped the carmaker to a podium position after 70-year absence.
2002
Dunlop Europe becomes sole tire supplier to British GT Championship and German DTM series.
2003
Dunlop Europe becomes sole tire supplier for British Touring Car Championship.
2004
In an historic move in North America, Dunlop introduces three tires: the SP Sport Maxx, Direzza DZ101 and Grandtrek AT20.
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