Tire with three belt plies

A radial ply tire comprising:

• a pair of axially spaced apart beads;
• a carcass having at least one carcass ply and having respective axial end portions of a carcass ply secured to said beads;
• a tread portion located radially outward of said carcass for engagement with a ground surface;
• and
• a belt package located between said carcass and said tread portion having three individual belts to form a three-belt construction, said belt package further including:
• a) the first belt located radially outward of said carcass ply with a first strength per unit width in a circumferential direction and with a plurality of parallel extending reinforcing members being disposed at a first angle relative to a midcircumferential plane of the tire in a range of 55 degrees to 80 degrees and having a first tensile strength;
• b) the second belt located radially outward of said first belt with a second strength per unit width in the circumferential direction being greater than said first strength and with a plurality of parallel extending reinforcing members being disposed at a second angle relative to the midcircumferential plane of the tire in a range of 18 degrees to 28 degrees and having a second tensile strength;
• c) the third belt located radially outward of said second belt with a third strength per unit width in the circumferential direction being greater than either said first or said second strengths and with a plurality of parallel extending reinforcing members being disposed at a third angle relative to the midcircumferential plane of the tire in a direction opposite to the direction of the second angle in the range of 18 degrees to 28 degrees and having said second tensile strength, wherein said first tensile strength is at least equal to said second tensile strength;
• and
• said first belt having the plurality of reinforcing members spaced apart a substantially equal first distance, said second belt having the plurality of reinforcing members spaced apart a substantially equal second distance less than the first distance and said third belt having the plurality of reinforcing members spaced apart a substantially equal third distance less than the second distance, said first and second distances being in a range of 1.0 millimeters to 2.9 millimeters and said third distance being in a range of 0.6 millimeters to 1.8 millimeters;
• said three-belt construction being characterized by a predetermined strength per unit width in a circumferential direction between each respective belt, said strength per unit width of each belt being directly proportional to the tensile strength of a respective reinforcing member and the square of the cosine of a respective angle between a longitudinal extent of the reinforcing member and a midcircumferential plane and inversely proportional to a respective spacing of said reinforcing member measured perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the reinforcing members.