The company, which became known as the B.F. Goodrich Company, grew slowly during the 1870s, nearly going bankrupt twice, but the business gained momentum during the 1880s and 1890s. In 1888, an Irish veterinarian invented the pneumatic tire out of rubber. A pneumatic tire is one that is filled with air. It became very popular among bicyclists, providing the rider with a much smoother ride. With the invention of the automobile, demands for tires skyrocketed. The first tires were solid rubber, but the B.F. Goodrich Company, which had created a research laboratory to discover new uses for rubber in 1895, quickly developed a pneumatic tire suitable for cars. By 1892, four years after B.F. Goodrich's death, the company employed four hundred workers and sold more than 1.4 million dollars worth of products. By 1911, sales exceeded 27.4 million dollars. The company eventually moved its headquarters from Akron to Charlotte, North Carolina.

The B.F. Goodrich Company continued to be a leader in the rubber industry during the first half of the twentieth century. A B.F. Goodrich scientist invented vinyl in 1926, and in 1937, B.F. Goodrich scientists created synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber was made by blending various chemicals together and did not require rubber trees to produce it. This discovery helped the United States emerge from World War II victorious. The American military needed rubber products for its vehicles and machinery. During the war, the United States had limited access to natural rubber. The synthetic version guaranteed the United States a steady supply of rubber. The company also created the first tubeless tire in 1946.

Following World War II, the B.F. Goodrich Company became involved in the aviation industry. The company had provided tires for Charles Lindbergh's plane on its trans-Atlantic flight in 1927. In 1961, the National Aeronautics Space Agency commissioned the B.F. Goodrich Company to produce the first spacesuits for its astronauts.