Low rolling resistance tread for cars and light trucks

Abstract

Tires, especially tires for passenger and light track vehicles, that have treads constructed of a silica reinforced material that is based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition that includes, per hundred parts by weight of rubber (phr), between 50 phr and 90 phr of natural rubber and between 10 phr and 50 phr of a silanol end-functionalized styrene-butadiene rubber and may include between 5 phr and 40 phr of a plasticizing resin. The plasticizing resin may be characterized as having a glass transition temperature Tg of between 30° C. and 120° C. or alternatively, between 45° C. and 85° C. The plasticizing resin may be a polylimonene resin. Tires manufactured with such treads may be characterized as having improved rolling resistance with no loss in wet or dry grip properties.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.