Tire tread

A tire comprising a ground-engaging tread portion having a pair of axially opposed tread edges characterized by said ground-engaging tread having a set of circumferentially adjacent grooves extending from each of said respective tread edges across the axial width of said tread a distance of at least thirty percent (30% of the tread width, each of said grooves having a pair of ends at said tread edge and a pair of circumferentially spaced branches, said branches extending from each of said ends to a termination point, said branches of said grooves generally following an elliptical path having one axis generally perpendicular to the mid-circumferential centerplane of the tire and a second axis being substantially parallel to the mid-circumferential centerplane of the tire, said second axis of each said groove being spaced from the tread edge from which the grooves start a distance not greater than one-eighth (1/8) of the width of said tread portion, said termination point of each of said branches is spaced from the point at which the path of said ellipse is spaced furthest from said tread edge from which said grooves start an axial distance no greater than about one-eighth (1/8) of the tread width, said grooves are disposed about said tire such that each branch of said grooves is substantially tangent to the branch of the next circumferentially adjacent groove in the area of the tread portion closely adjacent the tread edge.