Just A Car Guy: I imagine that there was a lot of opportunity at the time, when AAA was out there making road signs, and maps, for competition to do the same for some publicity, here the Touring Bureau of the B.F. Goodrich Company was getting the work done, just like Michelin, to get people to wear out their tires

Monday, January 12, 2026

I imagine that there was a lot of opportunity at the time, when AAA was out there making road signs, and maps, for competition to do the same for some publicity, here the Touring Bureau of the B.F. Goodrich Company was getting the work done, just like Michelin, to get people to wear out their tires

B.F. Goodrich Tire Company starting around 1910 on the East coast, finishing in 1917 on the West Coast, to help motorists navigate early roads and use up the tires on their cars so they'd need to buy new ones (like Michelin already figured out), featuring branded signs at intersections and detailed Goodrich Route Books with maps and sign locations

The company placed a sign post every three miles along the main highway routes. Over 10,000 Goodrich Road signs were installed throughout the United States.

The earliest road signs were made from sheets of metal with dimples in them to create letters and numbers. Later versions were then coated with porcelain and painted bright colors to help them stand out and last longer.

Warning signs were typically round with a red background and white lettering for things such as railroad crossings. Signs giving directions were also circular but had a blue back-ground. Arrows would then point in the direction of a town with the town name and distance in miles printed on them. Lastly, all of these signs had the words Goodrich on top and Tires on the bottom to help promote the rubber tire maker.