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Gum-Dipping Cord Fabric
This innovation was developed under the company's first research director, Chemist John W. Thomas. In 1920, he perfected a method of "gum-dipping" cords to completely impregnate them with rubber, insulating them against heat build-up and ply separation to increase the life of the tire.
Along with improving tire wear and resiliency, gum-dipping paved the way for another Firestone innovation, the balloon tire.