Tire with rubber tread of diverse zoned rubber compositions

A tire having a rubber tread of a co-extruded cap/base layered construction, wherein said tread cap layer is of a lug and groove configuration as a running surface of the tread, wherein said tread base layer underlies said tread cap and is comprised of a carbon black-rich rubber composition and wherein said tread cap is comprised of three distinct, circumferential zones, wherein said tread cap zones are comprised of a central tread zone positioned between two lateral tread zones, wherein said tread zones extend radially inward from the running surface of the tread to said tread base layer, wherein, based upon parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr)

• (A) said tread base layer is comprised of at least one conjugated diene-based elastomer and from about 30 to about 70 phr of rubber reinforcing filler selected from carbon black and precipitated silica wherein said filler is comprised of from about 30 to about 70 phr of said carbon black and from zero to 25 phr of said precipitated silica, and wherein
• (B) said lateral tread cap zones are comprised of:
• (1) 100 phr of at least one diene-based elastomers having a Tg between+50° C. and −110° C. and exclusive of elastomers having a Tg higher than −50° C., wherein said elastomers comprised of from 50 to 90phr of cis 1 ,4-polybutadiene rubber, from 10 to 50 phr of cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, preferably natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber;
• and from zero to 20 phr of at least one additional diene-based elastomer selected from at least one of styrene/butadiene rubber, isoprene/butadiene rubber, trans 1,4-polybutadiene, low vinyl polybutadiene having vinyl content in a range of 10 to about 40 percent, and styrene/isoprene/butadiene rubber, so long as said additional elastomers have a Tg within a range of −50° C. and −110° C.;
• (2) about 30 to about 100 phr of reinforcing filler comprised of about 20 to about 80 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black and from 10 to about 40 phr of precipitated silica, wherein the weight ratio of silica to carbon black is in a range of from about 2/1 to about 1/8, and
• (3) a coupling agent having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups contained on the surface of said silica and another moiety interactive with said diene-based elastomer(s);
• (C) said central tread cap zone is comprised of a rubber composition positioned between said lateral zones;
• wherein said central tread cap zone rubber composition is comprised of:
• (1) 100 phr of diene-based elastomers having a Tg in a range of from about −110° C. to about +20° C., wherein from about 50 to about 90 phr of said elastomers have a Tg above −50° C. and below about +20° C.;
• (2) about 40 to about 100 phr of reinforcing filler comprised of about 30 to about 70 phr precipitated silica and from about 10 to about 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black;
• (3) a coupling agent having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups contained on the surface of said silica and another moiety interactive with said diene-based elastomer(s);
• wherein said rubber composition of said lateral tread cap zones has low strain modulus G′ value at 10 percent shear strain at 30° C. and 10 Hertz in a range of about 5 to about 50 MPa, a DIN 53516 relative abrasion value (23° C., at 2.5 Newtons load) in a range of about 30 to about 100 and a tan delta value at 0° C. in a range of from 0.05 to about 0.12;
• and wherein said rubber composition of said central tread cap zone has low strain modulus G′ at 10 percent shear strain at 30° C. and 10 Hertz in a range of about 2 to about 30 MPa and at least 10 percent lower than the low strain G′ modulus of said lateral tread cap zones, a DIN 53516 relative abrasion value (23° C., at 2.5 Newtons load) in a range of about 100 to about 200, and a tan delta value at 0° C. in a range of from 0.12 to about 0.50.