Why is it that all of the great things about cars involve the letters GT ? There’s Grand Turismo, the Nissan GT-R, the Pontiac GTO, and General Tires. A general is one of the highest ranks obtainable in the military institution around the world, and coincidentally General Tires are some one of the highest quality of tires available today. But who makes General Tires? As the name might suggest, General Tires are made by the General Tire Company. The end. Alright, the real truth is that the General Tire Company is actually a part of Continental AG, a company that manufactures everything from tires to engine injection systems based out of Hanover, Germany However, there is more to General Tires than the takeover by Continental in the 1980’s. The real history of General Tire, or Team GT as they are sometimes called,  began in September 29th, 1915 when it was founded by William F. O’Neil and Winfred E. Fouse in Akron, Ohio. But over the years General Tire didn’t just stick to manufacturing tires though, in fact it probably has one of the richest histories of out of all of the tire manufacture in the world. Many of General Tire’s innovation had a profound impact on both the tire and automotive industries. In the 1920’s the General Tire Company invented the rubber flaps on truck tires and the low pressure tire. Despite the company’s numerous innovations, the General Tire Company’s ambitions extended beyond the automotive industry. Twenty-eight years after its founding, General Tire purchased the broadcasting company the Yankee Network in 1943. The acquisition of the Yankee Network would be the first in General Tire’s history of acquiring media corporations. Seven years after the purchase of Yankee Network, General Tire purchased Don Lee Broadcasting System and several west coast radio stations in 1950. And in 1955 General Tire successfully purchased RKO Radio Pictures from renowned industrialist Howard Hughes and would later form RKO General -- a tire manufacture and veritable broadcasting empire, not unlike how General Electric previously owned NBC Universal. After the collapse of RKO General’s broadcasting operations the company was purchased by Continental AG, giving the German company its first North American tire manufacturer. Shortly the purchase, Continental AG formed the Continental Tire Company of North America but chose to keep the General Tire brand alive at the company’s core. In the end, General Tires are still made by the General Tire Company, only now they are part of a bigger family- the Continental Tire Company. Today Continental Tire is the 4th largest tire manufacturer in the world Source: General Tire University