Light duty tire with silica-rich polyisoprene rubber based intermediate transition layer

A light duty tire with a circumferential tread of a cap/base construction and a circumferential belt layer;

• wherein said light duty tire has a maximum load bearing capacity of less than or equal to 3,500 pounds (1587 kg);
• wherein said tread cap/base construction is comprised of a circumferential outer tread cap rubber layer which contains a running surface for the tire and an underlying carbon black reinforced tread base rubber layer;
• wherein said circumferential belt layer is comprised of a rubber composition which contains cord reinforcement comprised of a plurality of cords and underlies said circumferential tread;
• characterized in that said light duty tire contains an internal non-black colored silica-rich, cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber based transition rubber layer, wherein
• said transition rubber layer is an intermediate rubber layer, which is exclusive of cord reinforcement and is positioned between said tread base rubber layer and said circumferential belt layer;
• wherein said silica-rich transition rubber layer is of a rubber composition comprised of, based upon [100] parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr);
• (1) rubber comprised of:
• (a) natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, or
• (b) a combination of natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and synthetic cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, or
• (c) natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and up to 25 phr of at least one additional diene-based rubber, or
• (d) a combination of natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and synthetic cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and up to 25 phr of at least one additional diene-based rubber
• (2) about 30 to about 55 phr of reinforcing filler consisting of precipitated silica, and
• (3) coupling agent for said precipitated silica having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups contained on said precipitated silica and another different moiety interactive with said cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber and said additional diene-based elastomer and
• wherein said rubber composition of said transition layer contains anti-reversion agent(s) comprised of at least one of N,N′metaphenylenebismaleimide, hexamethylene bis-thiosulfate salt dihydrate and 1,3-bis(citraconimidamethyl benzene), and
• wherein the rubber composition of said transition rubber layer contains a colorant to color said transition rubber layer a color other than a black color and
• wherein the rubber composition of said transition rubber layer:
• (A) has a tan delta (100° C., 10% strain, 1 Hz) of 0.1 or less and a tear resistance of greater than 100 Newtons, and
• (B) has a storage modulus G′ (100° C., 10% strain, 1 Hz) in a range of from about 500 to about 1500 kPa.