Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has unveiled some new designs that it says offer great traction and long wearing rubber at affordable prices.

For your feet. Goodyear Licensed Products, part of the Akron-based company known for cladding the paws of top race cars and consumer vehicles alike, has introduced a new line of shoes, all of which show off the company’s name and logo. Dubbed “The Goodyear Performance Collection,” the line includes five different styles, ranging in price from $60 to $80 and in models ranging from high-top sneakers to casual canvas shoes. The company said the designs feature “racing-inspired silhouettes, providing consumers with easy, comfortable footwear choices for long summer weekends, travel and a night on the town.” The company said the shoes are being sold through about 180 retailers nationwide, and will be a featured item on Amazon.com later this month. The shoes might be a way for Akronites to show off some hometown pride or they might even be seen as a hot new thing among young people or fashionistas — though becoming a national trend would probably be beyond even the company’s most optimistic marketing dreams. But they will help get the company’s name out there, while showing off what has been a core competency of Goodyear even before the company became a big tiremaker. Charles Goodyear Jr., the son of the man who developed vulcanized rubber, made the first machinery to manufacture what became known as “the Goodyear welt” — a strip of rubber running around the perimeter of a shoe’s sole. And Goodyear itself has been making shoe products since before most people even knew the company existed. It began making soles and heels for shoes back in the 1890s, a company spokesman said. But today’s shoes are likely to be a lot more comfortable and better made than anything produced in the 1890s. Some of the earliest sneakers made reportedly did not even have left or right shoe shapes.

Nancy Ray, director of licensed products for Goodyear, said in an email that Goodyear footwear now includes "products ranging from traditional leather boots to hiking lines and the new men’s sports shoes."

The product line expansion "will build on Goodyear’s strong brand recognition in the U.S. where our leading products, retail stores, presence in NASCAR and the visibility of our blimps have made Goodyear a household name," Ray wrote.

In addition to tires, Goodyear is in markets and categories across the world, with car accessories, tools, workwear, watches and more. This includes a "lifestyle clothing collection using vintage typography and imagery inspired by the brand’s rich heritage and American roots," Ray wrote in the email.