Nylon is a polyamide polymer characterized by the presence of amide groups—(CO–NH)—in the main polymer chain. A wide variety of nylon polymers are available but only two have found application in tires: nylon 6,6 and nylon 6.
Nylon polymers have found significant commercial applications in fabric and fibers (apparel, flooring and rubber reinforcement), in shapes (molded parts for cars, electrical equipment, etc.), and in films (mostly for food packaging). Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer.