manufactured at the Decatur factory contributed to the tire failures. Ford argued that the tire design led to higher operating temperatures than similar tires manufactured by Goodyear; that Firestone tires' relatively small wedge, a strip of rubber between the first and second belts, made them weaker and more failure-prone than comparable Michelin tires; and that there were manufacturing problems at the Decatur factory. Publicly, Firestone argued that Ford's recommended 26 psi inflation pressure should have been 30 psi. Firestone also argued that the Explorer was abnormally dangerous and prone to rollovers after a tire failure, leading to more injuries and deaths. Firestone CEO John Lampe said, "When a driver of a vehicle has something happen such as a tread separation, they should be able to pull over, not rollover." Ford argued that the Explorer was no more dangerous than any other SUV and that the accident rate for Explorers with Goodyear tires was far lower than for Explorers with Firestone tires. Some outside observers argued that both parties were to blame: Firestone's tires were prone to tread separation and failure, and the Explorer was especially prone to rolling over if a tire fails at speed compared to other vehicles. Ford Explorer Ford designed the first-generation Explorer by mounting an SUV cabin on a Ford Ranger undercarriage. This cut production costs because Ford could use existing facilities, parts, and robots. But the extra upper cabin weight on the pickup chassis created a vehicle with a higher center of gravity that was more likely to roll over in an accident. It was also more likely to sway during sharp turns because it used the same leaf spring suspension as the Ranger. The likelihood of a crash and likelihood of injuries and death from a crash were greater in an SUV experiencing a tread separation than on a pickup truck. Ford came up with three options for correcting this problem: use shorter suspension springs to lower the vehicle half an inch in the front and one inch in the back, lower the tire pressure to give the Explorer a more car-like ride, or widen the wheelbase by two inches. After the Explorer rolled over in company pre-production tests, Ford decided to lower the suspension and remove air from the tires to 26 psi compared to 35 psi for the same tires on the Ranger. They did not widen the wheelbase, which would have