Abstract: Provided herein are novel tire tread compositions. The tire tread compositions include a rubber, a terpene-based resin and at least one filler. The terpene-based resin comprises one terpene-based monomer such as ?-pinene, referred to as a hompolymer, or combinations of several terpene-based monomers selected from ?-pinene, ?-pinene, ?-3 carene, ?-phellandrene and pyrolysates of ?-pinene, ?-pinene, ?-3 carene, ?-2 carene, turpentine, and combinations thereof. The terpene-based resin is generally substantially free of limonene. The terpene-based resin has a softening point of about 80° C. to about 130° C., a number average molecular weight (Mn) ranging from about 500 g/mol to about 775 g/mol and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from about 38° C. to about 81° C. The tire tread composition having the terpene-based resin shows improvements of tan ? at 0°, wet grip and rolling resistance as compared with the compositions without the terpene-based resin or comprising alpha methyl styrene resin.

Abstract: Provided herein are novel tire tread compositions. The tire tread compositions include a rubber, a terpene-based resin and at least one filler. The terpene-based resin comprises one terpene-based monomer such as ?-pinene, referred to as a hompolymer, or combinations of several terpene-based monomers selected from ?-pinene, ?-pinene, ?-3 carene, ?-phellandrene and pyrolysates of ?-pinene, ?-pinene, ?-3 carene, ?-2 carene, turpentine, and combinations thereof. The terpene-based resin is generally substantially free of limonene. The terpene-based resin has a softening point of about 80° C. to about 130° C., a number average molecular weight (Mn) ranging from about 500 g/mol to about 775 g/mol and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of from about 38° C. to about 81° C. The tire tread composition having the terpene-based resin shows improvements of tan ? at 0°, wet grip and rolling resistance as compared with the compositions without the terpene-based resin or comprising alpha methyl styrene resin.