Tire bead component

A tire defining a radial direction, an axial direction and a circumferential direction, the tire comprising:

• a pair of opposing bead portions;
• a pair of opposing sidewall portions connected to the opposing bead portions;
• a crown portion connecting the opposing sidewall portions;
• at least one carcass extending between the bead portions and through the sidewall and crown portions;
• and
• a pair of toe guards positioned around at least a radially-innermost section of each of the bead portions and extending radially outward toward the sidewall portions, wherein the toe guards are formed of a rubber composition based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, in parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of rubber (phr):
• between 40 phr and 70 phr of natural rubber;
• between 45 phr and 65 phr of a synthetic rubber component selected from the group consisting of a polybutadiene rubber (BR), a styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), a polyisoprene rubber (IR) and combinations thereof, wherein the synthetic rubber component includes the BR in an amount that is between 25 wt % and 100 wt % of the total weight of the synthetic rubber component;
• between 40 phr and 100 phr of a reinforcing filler, wherein the reinforcing filler is a carbon black having a nitrogen surface area of between 70 m2/g and 120 m2/g;
• a methylene donor and a methylene acceptor reinforcing resin system, wherein the cross-linkable rubber composition includes between 1 phr and 6 phr of the methylene acceptor;
• and
• a sulfur curing system comprising sulfur and one or more accelerators, wherein a ratio by weight of the sulfur to the one or more accelerators is less than 1.