Rubber composition comprising a blocked mercaptosilane coupling agent

A rubber composition that is free of zinc or that contains less than 0.5 phr of zinc, and wherein zinc has not been replaced with another metal, which can be used for the manufacture of tires, based on at least:

• one diene elastomer;
• one sulphur-based crosslinking system;
• one inorganic filler as reinforcing filler;
• one blocked mercaptosilane of general formula I below:
• (R3O)R2R1—Si—Z—S—C(═O)-A
• wherein:
• R1 and R2, which are identical or different, represent a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group selected from the group consisting of alkyls, which are linear or branched, cycloalkyls or aryls, having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms;
• R3 represents a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group selected from the group consisting of linear or branched alkyls having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
• A represents hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group chosen from alkyls, which are linear or branched, cycloalkyls or aryls, having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms;
• Z represents a divalent bonding group comprising from 1 to 18 carbon atoms.