Tires Cont.

All of this changed when Goodyear produced a special rubber material to assist in the NASA Viking parachute shroud. The rubber proved to be especially durable and strong. Since then, nearly all tires have been made from this new material. So yes, brand new tires for your car can become costly (nobody likes dropping a grand on performance tires for a pick-up), but without the new material, you would be on the side of the road patching tires far more frequently.