Mr. George Kirk was another wonderful man in that same church.
He told me that a four-ply tire is made by pulling fabric first from one source, then from a second. The second has fabric whose cords criss-cross the first ply. Then the process is repeated for a four-ply tire.
Sometimes a new man will take material for both plies from the same source, making the cords run in the same direction. After the outer layer is applied, the tire looks like any other. But the cords running in the same direction have more friction, thus generating more heat.
There is a danger that the tire may weaken and cause a fatal accident. That would bring a financial judgment against the company. If repeated on a large scale, it would trigger a recall, damage the company’s reputation and reduce profits.
The problem was not in the end result - the outer layer of the tire - but in what went before. The end was determined by the beginning.