Do tread on me: that's why Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co. weaves so much tire-cord fabric at its plant in Kings Mountain.

• Author: Martin, Edward
• Position: PICTURE THIS

When Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. made its first pneumatic tire in 1900, riding on air rather than solid rubber was a hot idea. Hot now means rolling out of the shop with tires able to handle 180 mph. One reason they can do that is the tire cord made in Kings Mountain at Firestone Fibers & Textiles Co.

Raw material--nylon and polyester yarn--comes in from suppliers by truck and leaves as fabric the same way, bound for tire plants in the U.S. and Latin America. In between, the yarn is chemically treated and woven into fabric--similar to what would happen at many other Tar Heel textile mills. When it reaches its final manufacturing stop, the fabric is sandwiched between the outer rubber tread and inner liner to hold the tire's shape.

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Firestone has been making tire cord and similar products in Gastonia and Kings Mountain since 1935. The 470,000-square-foot Kings Mountain plant and headquarters, which opened in 1993, can produce 56 million pounds of fabric a year. Firestone Fibers & Textiles now has two plants--here and...