We fell short of our Fall Fundraiser goal of 2,500 donations. Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now

Tiremakers are test-driving new plant-based sources for rubber

May 6, 2021
The industry's push to diversify its supply of natural rubber is spurring research into desert shrubs and dandelions.
The new generation of plant-based tires could hit the road in about five years, one expert estimates.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Goodyear CEO on the automotive industry and trade

Jan 23, 2019
How economic and political situations are impacting the international tire and auto market
Ben Hethcoat/Marketplace

Sears growing an Amazon partnership to at least install tires, when it can’t get the sale

Aug 29, 2018
Customers nationwide can now buy tires online at Amazon, and the local Sears will put them on. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 
"The company told me they truly believe they are positioning the department store for a resurgence," says reporter Hayley Peterson.
Mike Kalasnik/Flickr

As the steel tariff exemption process drags on, optimism wanes

Jun 4, 2018
An American tire cord producer is frustrated by President Trump's 25 percent levy and an objection to his exemption application.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross testifies about U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.,  in March.
AFP Photo / Saul Loeb

Companies say they shouldn't pay tariffs on products no one makes domestically

May 4, 2018
"I don't think people really understand that the U.S. never ... reinvested in its steel-making ability," one executive says.
A worker stacks newly cast steel slabs at the NLMK Indiana mill in March in Portage, Indiana.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Creating jobs in Compton by keeping old tires out of the landfill

Aug 9, 2016
RCO is a green business, but it's also a company that doesn't shy away from employees who've made mistakes in their pasts.
At RCO Tires in Compton, workers ready tire treads for recycling and 'upcycling'
Robert Garrova/Marketplace

A circular argument: How cheap oil affects tire prices

Dec 18, 2014
If oil prices fall, will tires cost less? The answers are far from black and white.

For public good, not for profit.

Tires and civil war: America's business with warlords

Nov 17, 2014
A new PBS film investigates Firestone's relationship with warlord Charles Taylor.

The difference between Americans and Europeans? We're buying new cars

Jul 16, 2013
At a time when U.S. sales are soaring, Europe saw a drop of almost seven percent in the first half of this year. There is one bright spot: U.K. car sales are up.

Goodyear experimenting with soybean-based tires

Jul 26, 2012
The company says using soybean based-oils for the rubber in their tires would be cost-effective for consumers and could reduce Goodyear's oil use by as much as seven million gallons annually.
The company says using soybean based-oils for the rubber in their tires would be cost-effective for consumers and could reduce Goodyear's oil use by as much as seven million gallons annually.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images