Life, 1913-02-06 · page 46 of 48
Life — February 6, 1913 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement for Goodrich Tires**, not satire or political content. It appears in *Life* magazine, which by this era (circa 1912-1913, based on references to 1913 automobile production) had become a general-interest publication carrying advertising alongside humor and commentary. The ad emphasizes Goodrich's manufacturing superiority through repeated emphasis on "Unit Construction"—the idea that tires are engineered as integrated wholes rather than assembled parts. The company claims 43 years of rubber expertise and notes that over one million Goodrich tires sold in 1912, with 175,000 of 400,000 new automobiles in 1913 coming equipped as original equipment. There is **no cartoon or satire here**—just corporate marketing leveraging manufacturing credibility and market dominance to persuade consumers. The "Users Opinions as a Unit" section presents testimonial-style claims about customer satisfaction and widespread adoption.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Es \ = 2Seset Eee rly Sy = sed getset got san gah s coy soe 25% = sed sakecdaot gS cakes sen Sixteen years of unchanged unit construction tell why Goodrich Tires are best for your car RTY-THREE years of successful rubber manufacturing are in Goodrich Tires. We made the original American clincher automobile tires. years ago, when automobile tire-making began. That was sixteen The twenty-seven years of rubber experience that had preceded were crystalized in our principle of Unit Construction. This principle demonstrated its soundness from the start, and Goodrich Tires always have been and always will be so made. You know what you are getting in Goodrich Tires —they are a protection to your automobile, and they give you comfort and mileage. Made as a Unit Unit Construction means just what it says each Goodrich ‘Tire is made asa unit. The unit idea prevails in the placing of the layers of fine rubber-impregnated fabric which build up the backbone of the tire, and inthe finishing with the thick, tough tread of the purest rubber, which is compounded inaway our forty-three years of knowl- edge of rubber makes us know will resist road wear. The result is a unit tire which is bound to give both resistance and re- silency, as both tire users and automo- bile makers testify by their choice. Each layer of fabric, each strip of rubber — every part of a Goodrich Tire — is placed just as accurate knowledge of the demands to be made upon it demonstrates is best. Cured as a Unit The critical point in making a tire is. the curing—the vul- canizing. To be perfectly cured, ‘rubber requires just so much heat—ence, Goodrich Tires are cured as a unit. _ Body and ‘tread ‘are cured together in our vulcanizers under proper heat. The rub- ber impregnation of the fabric strips, the breaker strips, side strips and the thick, tough tread, in this most particular opcra- tion, literally become one tire—a unit. This is the secret of the non-stripping of Goodrich treads. Our unit curing converts the built-up tire into an integral structure—strong, full. of life. We wouldn’t cure the tire twice, any more than you would bake a pie twice. Gocdrich Best in the Long Run Writ Construction lites Users Opinions a Unit. Goodrich Tire users are a unit in recom- mending them. Overa million Goodrich Tires did not -satisfy the complete demand in 1912. Our increased factory facilities will enable us to take care of the much greater demand in 1913. Makers of 175,000 of 400,000 new auto- mobiles which will be mar- keted in 1913 have already contracted forGoodrichTires. Fully half the auto- mobile output of 1913 will go from maker to buyer with Goodrich Tires as the original specified equipment. Thisisthe most tremendously convincing argu- ment you can desire for the advantage to you, - as a tire user, in Goodrich Unit Construction. [oss Wear as a Unit Goodrich Tires wear unifotmly. | Curing them as units unifies their strength as well as their buoyancy. The thick, tough tread— extra heavy and extra strong—because of the unit curing, is perfect at every point. One inch of it wears the same as another. The Goodrich unit construction gives the same dependable staunchness to the body of the tire-—the inside. Body and tread are one —they can not come apart—they hold and wear together. This is what the tire user wants. For all these reasons you owe it to yourself and your car to buy only Goodrich Tires If you are an experienced automobilist you know immediately the value to you of the verdict of the makers of nearly half the 1913 output of cars. If you are not, their decision, coupled with that of hundreds of thousands of experienced motorists, is worth even more to you. and service stations everywhere. Don’t get your tire knowledge from future experience. and judgment of ‘all this majority of makers and tire users, and begin with Goodrich Tires. Benefit now by the experience Goodrich The B. F. Goodrich Company Akron, Ohio comicbooks.com