Rubber compositions including siliceous fillers

A method of making a filled rubber composition, said method comprising

• a) providing a first composition by blending at an increasing temperature profile beginning at a temperature of at least about 120° C. and ending at a temperature of no higher than about 165° C.
• (1) a polymer that comprises
• (i) ethylenic unsaturation and
• (ii) pendent or terminal functionality which comprises an aryl group having at least two substituents defined by the formula —OR, wherein R is H or a hydrolyzable group, or an oxidation product thereof,
• (2) filler particles that comprise oxides of silicon, and
• (3) one or more compounds defined by the general formula YR1L where L is a group that contains at least one Si—O bond, R1 is a hydrocarbylene group, and Y is a functionality that comprises a —OH, —SH, —NHR2, —CN, —C(O)R2 or —NCO group in which R2 is H or a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl group;
• and
• b) in a stage involving an increasing temperature profile beginning at a temperature of at least about 90° C. and ending at a temperature of no more than 150° C., mixing said first composition with at least one sulfide-containing silane coupling agent so as to provide said filled rubber composition.