Okay, quick. Without asking the Internet, name five brands of tires. This was my list: Michelin, Firestone, Pirelli, Goodyear, Continental. How did you do? Was Uniroyal on your list? Uniroyal was founded 1892 as the United States Rubber Company in Connecticut as part of the merger of nine separate companies which was one of the biggest corporate consolidations at the time. They became a major supplier for General Motors as an OEM manufacturer. In 1985, Uniroyal merged its tire operations with B.F. Goodrich, forming the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company and they were later acquired by Michelin in 1990, ending its run as an independent company. And I can't remember ever having a Uniroyal on my many vehicles. The Uniroyal Giant Tire was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair as a Ferris wheel styled structure. It was moved here to Allen Park and remains a symbol of their legacy. You can't miss it just off I-94. [Review 680 of 2025 - 388 in Michigan - 24241 overall] read more

Uniroyal Giant Tire - Uniroyal Giant Tire, Allen Park - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Allen Park, Michigan

If you're driving into Detroit- you can't miss the tire! It's large and right along the highway. You can't get too close, as it lines the highway but also has a fence around the base of it. We didn't make a special trip to visit the tire but just acknowledged it's existence and size. read more

The Uniroyal Tire 80-foot-tall tire, built as a Ferris wheel for the 1964 New York World's Fair The biggest tire in the world? Better believe it. It's been here over 60 years. Nice. Huge. Just park on the road to take a view. Highly Recommended read more

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Yep, as the name says, it is a Giant Uniroyal TIre on the side of the highway. There is not much else to it though. It is fenced off with bob wire and you are literally taking your life in your own hands if you stop on the highway to check it out. Those cars are not messing around. It is something to see, but if you are there longer than 5 minutes then you are dragging it on. You can also try to get a driveby look/photo, but once again be carful. You can die a horrible death on I-94 where the average speed is 90 MPH. read more

Well this is the interesting thing to see. It's just a big old giant tire on the side of the road. We were driving by and I saw this and I said this was on my yelp list that I wanted to try and visit so here we are we didn't know how to get over there but I saw it from the expressway took a lot of pictures and I see that this big giant tire is there to represent something I'm not really sure but it was kind of cool to see it was peeking over all the trees that were there and you know it was just kind of cool to see you I was like well cool there's a big giant tire over here so drive down the expressway and you'll definitely see it read more

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The giant tire reminds me of Barbie's anatomy. In terms of its size, and how many people have seen it. The giant tire is amazing! One of the great symbols of Detroit and a lot of people don't even know that it exists. When you're driving in or out of this area and you see this huge thing it really symbolizes what this city used to be and what it still is in a lot of people's memories and to some extent, what it is today and may be again someday. If you're an extreme optimist, that is. It's hard not to love it, but it's hard to get a good picture of it at 2 in the morning when you're doing 83 miles per hour. But try it! (Don't try it. I'm kidding. Do as I say not as I did on Yelp.) And if you get kicked out of Buckingham Palace, then you are no longer Royal. You are UNroyal. I guess that's where these guys got their name. read more

Uniroyal Giant Tire - Best ever picture of the tire - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Allen Park, Michigan

This is my favorite giant tire. All the rest pale in comparison. On the occasion of my 100th Yelp check-in, I thought perhaps a review was in order. This local icon has warmed the hearts of Detroiters and visitors for decades. It started life as a Ferris wheel, but once the fair was over, rather than scrap the structure, it was turned into a giant tire. Placed on display in this auto capital of the world, it is hard to miss as you travel along I-94 between Detroit and the western / downriver suburbs. read more

The thing I like best about this, the World's Largest Tire, is driving by with people who are new to town and saying "That's the World's Largest Tire!" Then they inevitably murmur something like "wow" or "oh cool." So, it's not the most exciting landmark, I mean it's not the world's largest corn dog or anything, but it still makes me happy to see. Although I really miss the nail that used to be in it. I found it added some additional whimsy. read more

Uniroyal Giant Tire - From: http://www.uniroyaltires.com/about/gianttire.html - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Allen Park, Michigan

This would be a much cooler landmark if you could get close to it. Climb it. Conquer it. It is basically just a giant tire. If it were a Ferris wheel, like Mike G. says it was, now man would that be rocking awesome! Can you imagine? As it stands it is merely a giant tire. Symbolic of Detroit's auto titan past but somehow just a stagnant piece of history. It has no real life. I want to touch it, make something useful or fun out of it. Find a way to make it citizen friendly. It is a tease, a possibility but it is not truly alive. This just could be just so much cooler! Sorry but it is just no brick dick in my book. Ypsilanti wins in the landmark challenge hands down. Sorry Allen Park! read more

How can you not like "The World's Largest Tire"? It costs nothing to see when you are driving on I-94 and God knows you cannot miss it! Originally constructed as a, get this, Ferris Wheel for the 1964 New York World's Fair. It held up to 96 riders. Approximately 2 million people rode the ride. Did you know that Jacqueline Kennedy and her children, John Jr., and Caroline rode it too? After the fair ended, it was moved to Allen Park, where Uniroyal's Headquarters is located. There have been three updates / renovations to the tire to keep it up to date looking. It even had a nail in it for a time although they finally patched that up! read more

I love the Uniroyal Tire! As a kid living in the Detroit area it was always a thrill when you would pass it, and when we moved away from Michigan it was exciting to see it when you would come back to town to visit; we would pass it on the way from the airport out to my relatives' places, and it always made me feel like I was "back home." It looks a bit different than it used to (renovated in early 2000s according to Wikipedia): the hubcap is different and it now has reflective lettering rather than neon. Still, it's amazing that it's lasted all these years...since it started its life as a Ferris wheel at the 1964 World's Fair! read more

Oh to be young again. Not just for fixing all of my mistakes, and chasing women again, but to relive those fond memories I have from childhood. One of those memories, The World's Largest Tire. I remember whenever I my family would travel to the airport, passing this tire of gargantuan proportions. The tire would seem to reach the heavens, and my imagination would run wild. Who built this tire? Whose vehicle would accommodate such rubber? Who moved it into this place? I pictured Paul Bunyan type men and women, hiding in the woods and living lives not much different from our own. And of course, they needed tires for those huge cars. Yes, the imagination of a young man is hard to beat. Now that I've driven past this tire as an adult, it doesn't seem quite as large, nor as amazing. But, it's hard to ignore the wonder of The World's Largest Tire and the memories that come along with it. read more

I'm a fan of the Uniroyal Giant Tire is its official name. It is a great landmark of Metro Detroit. It was shipped to Detroit where it was reassembled without its passenger gondolas in 1966 as a static display at the Uniroyal sales office. When the sales office moved the Landmark stayed thankfully. I just think it is a neat Detroit monument and its history. If you're in town definitely worth the drive by to see it. According to its conflicting history, its height is 80-86 feet tall and weighs 12 tons. It was used at the Worlds fair in 1964. The gondolas were removed and not placed back on it after the fair. The Uniroyal Giant Tire has had a couple makeovers over the years. read more

Uniroyal Giant Tire - Uniroyal Giant Tire Ferris Wheel at New York World Fair 1964 - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Allen Park, Michigan

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It can be seen from I-94 from two cities away, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a ferris wheel? Yes that's right, before becoming a giant tire, the Uniroyal sponsored behemoth was actually a ride at the world's fair. It's the world's largest tire, and at one point in time it had a giant nail in it to advertise for run-flat tires. Whatever the reason, this tire has become synonymous with Allen Park and for many heading to or from Metro airport it signifies coming home. read more

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The monument to the motor city is appropriately inaccessible by foot and only viewable through the 70-90mph drive-by of your car window. But just in case you dare to access it some other way, it's also fenced off. I always wanna touch it! Is it squishy or plastic-y? Does it smell like an auto shop? I've got a love-hate relationship with it as it always is a visible marker of distance and time for my drives between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Sometimes it appears faster than I anticipate and so I feel excited. Other times, it shows up as a reminder of how slow traffic is moving. The best is seeing the tire in the purple reign of midnight returning home after adventurous shenanigans. Literary Anecdote: It's written about in Middlesex, a very good book I might add, so it's nice to have an artifact to stare at that blurs the boundary between reality and fiction. Sometimes I ponder what it's like to have a monument to the industry that essentially betrayed a city. read more

I have such a strong feeling of nostalgia with this tire. It was a symbol of Detroit and the Motor City in so many ways, and as a child it meant that my family was almost home. It was the halfway point between our apartment in Detroit and the airport. I don't pass it as often anymore, but when I do, it always makes me so happy. Best tire ever. read more