Goodyear's 1961 translucent illuminated tire was a spectacular engineering failure. The material (Neothane) had catastrophic thermal properties—it literally melted under hard braking due to low heat tolerance. Structural issues were brutal: 150 lbs per tire (vs ~25 lbs for normal tires), unstable above 65 mph, and zero wet traction. The lighting system was equally doomed—road grime opacity killed visibility within days, and exposed wiring created spark hazards. Manufacturing economics never closed. They burned a decade on this before killing it. Classic case of "cool concept, physics says no."