[freebeard]

thedrive.com: Why Goodyear’s Illuminated Tires Were Way Ahead of Their Time

William Larson, a chemist at Goodyear, worked together with fellow employee Anthony Finelli to create a polyurethane compound called neothane, a material which allowed Goodyear to build a tubeless, cordless tire which could be dyed in a plethora of pigments.
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At this point, you're probably wondering what happened to the tires. If they were so cool and well-received, why didn't they appear on more vehicles? Aside from cost being the largest inhibitor (and ultimately what was responsible for killing the project), the tires weren't exactly practical. A few miles of road driving would render illumination useless, as road debris and wear would cover the synthetic tires in soot.

Then came the safety issues. The compound did not provide enough grip in rainy weather, nor did they hold up to hard braking due to the relatively low 250-degree pouring temperature of the compound. Flat spots would have become a large problem. So in the name of function over form, the project did not come to fruition after ten years of development.

Barris' Golden Sahara II was the only car to get a set. ....twice.

https://silodrome.com › golden-sahara-ii
The Golden Sahara II - A Self-Driving Custom Car From The 1950s - Silodrome
The Golden Sahara II is remembered as one of the most important custom cars of the 1950s - and it only came to be because George Barris and a friend accidentally drove a brand new 1953 Lincoln Capri Hardtop under the back of a hay truck - guillotining the roof off.