Kelly Tires

The Kelly-Springfield Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1894 by Edwin Kelly. Soon after, Kelly took his partner’s, Arthur Grant, design from blueprint to production and the first successful carriage tire was launched. Many people tried to imitate Grant’s patent, but Grant’s was the most successful, using wires to hold the tire on the wheel. In 1903, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., B.F. Goodrich Co., The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., plus dozens more purchased licenses to manufacture the Grant patent. The Great Depression hit The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company hard and gross sales dropped 54 percent between 1929 and 1933. The company was rescued from bankruptcy by Edmund Burke, who reorganized and sold it to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Today, Kelly plants have a “first class or scrap” philosophy. If a tire isn’t judged to be of the absolute best quality, it’s “scrapped” and never reaches the market. Their slogan today is “A good deal on a great tire.”

One of Kelly Tire’s most popular tires is the Navigator Gold. The Navigator Gold offers a smooth, quiet ride in all seasons. The tire features a combination of isolated and interlocked tread elements which enhance traction and handling in wet and dry conditions. The tire also has enhanced tread rubber distribution combined with alternating shoulder slots that offer smooth, quiet comfort.

The Safari Trex is a premium all-terrain tire for quiet, even-wearing truck comfort. The tire features an elongated rib and multi-pitch tread design, unique tread pattern, element geometry, below-surface geometry and an enhanced cavity shape. The elongated rib and multi-pitch tread design offers noise reduction for a quiet ride while the unique tread pattern and element geometry delivers enhanced traction in deep snow and mud without causing additional noise. The below-surface geometry helps prevents stones from becoming lodged in the tread grooves. The enhanced cavity shape helps maintain rectangular footprint shape for even treadwear and long tread life.