I keep hearing how Atlas Bucrons were the tires of choice in the early 1960s. What did they look like? Anyone have pics?
No pics, but they were made of almost pure butyl rubber. The center was almost like todays cheater slicks with a groove on each side around the tire. If you were lucky you could get 10,000 miles on a set. But they would stick like glue to the pavement.
as stated --they were the real traction deal in 59/60/61. In the Central Valley we bought them at gas stations (Standard I think)==was the only place to get them--can't recall ever seeing or buying them at a regular tire store. I ran them at the drags in 59 or 60 on a 57 Pontiac and they really hooked up compared to regular tires. Lot of guys found they broke alot more stuff with these due to traction increase--especailly 55-57 stick shift Chevies.
'dude- The "Ol" guys are right on. Bucrons were the hot set-up until NHRA started allowing actual "Cheater Slicks" - treadless recaps (and later on, actual "purpose-built items) with two grooves. Actually, the Bucrons were still better than a lot of the recaps.
My Father drove a truck for Standard oil co. in the 50's and 60's and they sold Atlas tires through Standard gas stations. He had a set on his '62 Catalina, I can rembember him raving about them. I only have one picture of the car but you really cant see the tires, I think the ones he ran were white walls but I maybe mistaken becouse I also remember the car with black walls. It was along time ago!.
Atlas was Amoco's own brand sold only at service stations, think they finally phased out in the late 80s and were anything but a premium tire by then. Certainly premium priced though. Atlas name was also applied to chemicals, wipers, filters, etc. Possibly still using it on their chemical line, those were notoriously decent.
Yep, it was Esso. I worked after school in an Esso station and I remember the Atlas brand tires. Bucrons were almost like a gum rubber eraser. They weren't really black in color either. They were sort of dark brown and quite soft. this was in '60/61. Tom...
We never had Esso in Kansas. It was Standard,Atlas,and Amoco. Those bucrons were good for traction but not a high mileage tire>>>.
The hot ticket for traction back in the late 50's early 60's. We set a National Record (speed) in B/S at York Pennsylvania on Bucrons. That track was actually an airport runway and slightly downhill (right at the maximum allowed by NHRA. They would suspend racing for aircaft landings occasionally. Frank
Does anybody remember why the name ESSO was changed to Exxon? The way I heard from a dealer friend was that ESSO gas wasn't selling in Japan because the name in Japanese meant "no go". So the company went looking for a name that had no meaning in any language. Exxon was it. I grew up with ESSO, I've always thought it was a dumb change.
Corky Coker are you lurking? Could be an opportunity. At our track we saw a lot of them when NHRA brought out the "pure stock" classes about 1967. By then they were old stock and hard to find.
Yes I remember the Bucrons had the best traction of the day. The urban mith around the midwest was that if you could burn them (peal out) they were free!
I worked at my fathers Esso station in the late 60's early 70's ( until 1st gas crisis ) We sold Atlas Bucrons. Put them on all kinds of cars. For some reason I do not remember Hot Rodders flocking in to get them....
Cheapjohn tires generally have the softest rubber, which gives the best traction but not the best mileage and long tire life. They also have less sidewall and tread fabric plies in their construction. I had the best traction and handling on my old 59 AH Bugeyed Sprite using Sears Guardsman tires which were $9.95 each in 1969. They just didn't last too long with that kind of driving.
I worked at an ESSO station in the late 50s, went thru their sales training, sold Bucrons, lots of guys wanted them but only a few ever bought them, mostly older guys. ESSO, Standard, SOHIO, and a few more, were all under the Standard Oil umbrella. I think they had to sell off some of them due to fair trade issues.
School me on Standard Oil and tires... did they actually make their own tires? Was the Bucron a unique tire design and marketed by Standard Oil, or was it a rebranded Goodyear, Firestone, etc.?
I worked at a Goodyear store in the 60's. If a car came in with a set of Bucrons to trade in for Goodyears, there was a fight to see who got to keep the take-offs for their street racer. They were normally pretty worn and good for 500 or so miles, but they were Bucrons.
Yep Atlas Bucron tires were sold by ESSO which is now EXXON. Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember they had a red stripe on the sidewall. The name Butyl Rubber also rings a bell.
I think they were made by a major tire manufacturer exclusivly for Standard oil, don't know which one, maybe from overseas as they didn't publish who.
Atlas grip 4 safe tires and tubes 600-16 like new $100 OBO-Contact Information-Glenburn, ME are these the ones you are talking about in this post.. on uncle henry's in Maine
Hmmm... apparently Standard Oil invented Butyl rubber: (Wikipedia - Butyl rubber. Also, Exxonmobil claims that they invented Butyl) http://www.butylrubber.com/Public_Products/Butyl/Butyl_Polymers/Worldwide/Btl_ProductFrontPage.asp If they were pioneers in the field of synthetic rubbers, maybe ESSO DID manufature their own line of tires way back when?
At one time, Seiberling tire co made Atlas tires. I think they ended up as Gateway tire co. Standard Oil co was broken up in 1910. Out of it came Esso, Sohio, Standard Oil, Amoco, Boron, and several others.
I had a set of 8.50 X 14's on a 50 Chevy fleetline with a dual quad 283 Corvette motor and a Warner 4-speed. Rear was a 55 chev running 4:11's. The damn thing would launch so hard the steering wheel would be ripped from your hands if you didn't get a good grip. Great street racing tires. Wish I could find some hidden away somewhere.
Sounds like they'd be a great item to reproduce if someone, somewhere could find details of the original construction / compound.