Who Owns MotoMaster Tires?

The MotoMaster brand traces its origins to the founding of Canadian Tire Corporation itself. John William Billes and Alfred Jackson Billes established the company in Toronto in 1922 with C$1,800 in combined savings. Their first catalog offered tires, batteries, and automotive accessories. The brothers built the company on tire sales and automotive service to Canadian motorists.

The MotoMaster name was developed as Canadian Tire's house brand for automotive products. It gave the retailer a proprietary label to compete on price and exclusivity against national brands. By the mid-20th century, MotoMaster had become one of the most recognized private-label automotive brands in Canada, covering tires, batteries, motor oil, and related products.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, MotoMaster expanded its tire lineup to include multiple categories. The brand introduced sub-lines targeting different driving conditions, including all-season touring tires and light truck tires marketed under names such as Rough Rider and, later, Total Terrain. The Formula 1 sub-brand was launched for synthetic motor oils before expanding into conventional and specialty lubricants.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the brand contracted. Canadian Tire began stocking more name-brand products alongside its private labels. In early 2003, Canadian Tire discontinued the MotoMaster spark plug line in favor of carrying brands such as Champion, NGK, AC Delco, and Bosch. In 2004, the Formula 1 oil filter line was discontinued. The tire lineup was also trimmed. The Sentinel A/S and Touring 160 models were discontinued in 2004, leaving the brand concentrated on the Touring AW/H and SE2 lines.

The contraction of the MotoMaster tire range was partly driven by the growth of PartSource, Canadian Tire Corporation's specialty auto parts chain. PartSource, with 63 fully owned locations as of 2007, carried many of the same automotive categories and operated at arm's length from the main Canadian Tire retail network. This reduced the need for MotoMaster to cover every automotive segment.

Despite the narrowing of its product range, MotoMaster tires remained a core part of Canadian Tire's automotive offering through the 2010s and into the 2020s. The brand continued to offer all-season and winter tire lines at price points below major national brands. It serves Canadian consumers who prioritize value over premium performance credentials.

In 2025, Canadian Tire launched its True North Transformation Strategy, a company-wide restructuring plan. The strategy includes optimizing the retail footprint, simplifying operations, and divesting non-core assets. Helly Hansen was reclassified as discontinued operations. MotoMaster tires remained available in Canadian Tire stores across the country, positioned as the retailer's entry-level to mid-range tire option. The brand benefits from Canadian Tire's national store network, which gives it distribution reach that few private-label tire brands can match in Canada.