Tire brand
Avon Tyres
Avon Tyres is a British brand founded in Melksham, Wiltshire, whose roots go back to 1885.
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Brand profile
Avon Tyres is a British brand founded in Melksham, Wiltshire, whose roots go back to 1885. Long a general-purpose tire maker, it has refocused on two niche worlds: motorcycle tires (touring, custom, classic, sport) and automotive racing tires. Owned by Cooper Tire from 1997 to 2021, it now belongs to the Goodyear group, which handles its production and distribution.
Positioning: Positioning: Motorcycle tires and automotive racing tires, with a strong motorsport heritage and a classic British tradition.
History
Avon's origins date back to 1885, when E. G. Browne and J. C. Margetson acquired a former cloth mill on the banks of the River Avon, at Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, England. In 1890, operations moved to Melksham, the town that would remain the brand's birthplace for more than 130 years, and the company took the name Avon India Rubber Company Limited. As early as 1900, Avon was manufacturing bicycle tires, then announced its first automobile tires around 1906. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1933. Over the course of the 20th century, Avon developed a broad range covering passenger cars, light trucks, motorcycles and racing, while building a solid reputation in British motorsport and the classic tire segment. In March 1997, the American company Cooper Tire & Rubber Company bought Avon Tyres for roughly 60 million pounds; the entity became Cooper-Avon Tyres, integrated into Cooper's global network. The brand kept its manufacturing in Melksham and its motorsport expertise. Starting in 2018, Avon's non-specialty production was gradually transferred to a plant in Serbia, with the Melksham facility focusing on racing and motorcycle tires. In 2021, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company acquired Cooper Tire, bringing Avon under Goodyear's control. In October 2022, the closure of the historic Melksham site was announced; the last production runs left the plant at the end of 2023, which permanently shut its doors after more than a century of activity. Manufacturing of Avon's premium motorcycle tires was then transferred to Goodyear's motorcycle center of excellence in Montluçon, France. Avon remains a living brand, relaunched notably in the custom and classic motorcycle segment, with no industrial presence of its own in North America: its products are imported and distributed there through Goodyear's networks and specialist channels.
Technologies
In the motorcycle segment, Avon relies on radial and bias-ply architectures depending on the application, multi-zone compounds, and casing profiles engineered for stability both in a straight line and through corners. The custom range uses specific tread patterns and whitewall sidewalls available on certain models. On the passenger-car side, the ZV7 illustrates the in-house approach: a silica-rich compound for wet-surface grip, 3D sipes that promote thermal stability, wide circumferential grooves that channel water to limit hydroplaning, and structures that dampen rolling noise. In competition, Avon develops compounds dedicated to performance rather than longevity, with constructions ranging from rallycross slicks to road-legal semi-slick radials for motorsport.
Innovations
Avon's identity was forged in competition. The brand has supplied many historic championships and feeder formulas, and it remains a reference for classic racing cars. The ZZ5 slick is presented as one of the most successful rallycross tires, designed to run as a full slick or to be regrooved depending on conditions. The CR6ZZ, a road-legal radial with a period-correct zigzag tread pattern, made it possible to reconcile the authentic look of classic cars with modern performance in road rallying, track days and historic racing. Under Goodyear's stewardship, Avon relaunched its custom motorcycle range with the Cobra Chrome and its whitewall heritage, demonstrating an ability to combine handcrafting, heritage know-how and current industrial processes. R&D remains focused on demanding niches where expertise matters more than volume.
Manufacturing
Avon's historic birthplace was the Melksham plant in Wiltshire, England, in operation from 1890 until its closure at the end of 2023. Starting in 2018, part of the production migrated to a plant in Serbia, and then, after the Goodyear acquisition, manufacturing of the premium motorcycle tires was transferred to Goodyear's motorcycle center of excellence in Montluçon, France. Avon has no plant or headquarters of its own in North America. In Canada and Quebec, its tires, mainly motorcycle and competition, are imported and distributed through Goodyear's networks and by retailers specializing in racing and classic tires.
Reputation
Avon enjoys a strong heritage image, associated with British motorsport, the classic tire and custom motorcycles. In the motorcycle world, the brand is valued for its touring, sport and cruiser models, including the whitewall Cobra Chrome. In the passenger-car segment, the ZV7 receives good feedback for wet braking and low noise in comparative tests, but some reviews point to higher wear and rolling resistance than premium references. In Quebec, interest in Avon lies mainly on the motorcycle and competition side; for winter road use, these summer tires do not carry the 3PMSF symbol and do not meet the December 1 to March 15 requirement.
Models and families
Related Avon Tyres models
These families are presented for reference. Actual availability depends on the catalogue and sizes.