Abstract: The present invention is directed to a camouflage tire suitable for use in various vehicle use environments wherein it is desirable to reduce or eliminate a viewer's visual perception of the tire against the given environmental background.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a camouflage tire suitable for use in various vehicle use environments wherein it is desirable to reduce or eliminate a viewer's visual perception of the tire against the given environmental background.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire having a circumferential rubber tread of a cap/base construction composed of a cap rubber layer as the tire running surface and an internal base rubber layer underlying said tread cap layer. The said tread cap layer is composed of a primary tread cap portion and one or two lateral tread cap portions of rubber compositions containing precipitated silica and/or rubber reinforcing carbon black reinforcement and wherein the rubber composition of at least one of said lateral tread cap portions contains a dispersion of short carbon fibers. Said primary tread cap portion contains a major portion of the running surface of the tread and is comprised of a silica-rich or carbon black-rich, preferably silica-rich, reinforcement-containing rubber composition, and said lateral tread portion(s) contains a minor portion of the running surface of the tread and is comprised of a silica-rich or carbon black-rich, preferably carbon black-rich, reinforcement-containing rubber composition.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a component comprising: at least one rubber selected from polybutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, synthetic polyisoprene rubber, and natural rubber; and from 1 to 30 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of rubber, of a terpolymer of: ethylene, an ?-olefin, and a non-conjugated diene; the terpolymer having an ethylene content of greater than 80 percent by weight and a Mooney viscosity (ML 1+4 at 125° C.) of from 5 to 25 as measured by ASTM D-1646.

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire has a carcass and a tread. The carcass has at least one carcass reinforcing ply and opposing bead portions. Each bead portion has a bead core and a bead apex radially. The apexes in each bead portion having the same radial height (HA), as measured from a bead base line (B). The tire has a bead reinforcing ply comprising chopped carbon fiber in the amount of 0.5 to 30 parts per hundred rubber located in only one bead portion of the tire, with the bead reinforcing ply being adjacent to the carcass reinforcing ply.

Abstract: This invention relates to preparation of rubber compositions comprised of EPDM and conjugated diene-based elastomer, particularly including cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, and particularly natural cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, blends and pneumatic rubber tire with an outer, visible sidewall layer of a rubber composition comprised of such rubber composition. For such preparation, a combination of at least two diverse EPDM elastomers is used together with a phase mixing process comprised of sequential phase mixing or parallel phase mixing in the sense of reinforcement filler and sulfur curatives.

Abstract: A pneumatic runflat tire comprising a sidewall component comprising a rubber composition comprising at least one diene based elastomer and from about 1 to about 40 phr of glass bubbles having a crush strength of at least 10,000 psi as measured by ASTM D3102-78 in glycerol.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making a tire with a built in sealant is provided. The method includes the steps of mounting an inner liner onto a tire building drum, extruding a sealant composition into strips having tapered sidewalls, cutting the strip to a desired length, mounting the sealant over the inner liner, and layering one or more tire components over the sealant.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a built-in sealant layer having a color other than black. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide and silica together with a colorant. The butyl rubber-based precursor sealant layer is built into the tire to form a tire assembly and its butyl rubber component is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in colored sealant layer. The sealant precursor composition may additionally contain clay and/or calcium carbonate. The sealant layer may also contain a small amount of carbon black so long as the sealant layer is of a color which contrasts with black.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire component, and tire having such component, of a rubber composition which contains a combination of environmentally renewable, plant-derived, soybean oil and plant-derived starch. The starch is provided as a starch/plasticizer composite. Such tire component may be, for example, a tire tread, a tire sidewall and/or tire innerliner. A tire component such as tread may be used for retreading tires.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a built-in sealant layer having a color other than black. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide and silica together with a colorant. The butyl rubber-based precursor sealant layer is built into the tire to form a tire assembly and its butyl rubber component is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in colored sealant layer. The sealant precursor composition may additionally contain clay and/or calcium carbonate.

Abstract: A tire 2 having a colored pattern veneered surface 12 formed by one or more layers 46 of distinct colors applied to the outer surface of the tire 2 on the sidewall 5 and possibly the tread 7 is disclosed as well as the method of manufacturing the tire 2. The colored pattern veneer can be used to make a camouflage tire among other patterns.