Abstract: The tread has a total axial width W and a wearable thickness PMU of material and has at least four grooves on each side of a midplane that divides the tread axially into two parts. The grooves divide the tread into a middle, intermediate and edge regions 6. The middle region has an axial width Lm of at least 30% and at most 60% of the total width W. The total volume void ratio when new is less than 17%, and the middle region has a volume void ratio that is less than half the total volume void ratio. The middle region comprises a plurality of transverse sipes opening into the grooves, and the sipes have depths at least equal to 75% of the depth of the grooves. The number of transverse sipes in the middle region is greater than the number of transverse sipes on each intermediate or edge region.

Abstract: Tire tread, this tread having a tread surface intended to come into contact with a roadway and comprising at least one groove of width W and of depth P delimited by two lateral walls facing one another, these two lateral walls being joined together by a groove bottom, at least one groove comprising a plurality of closure devices, each closure device being made up of a flexible blade to close this groove in a rest position to a degree of closure of at least 90%, each flexible blade having a thickness suited to allowing it to deform under the effect of a circulation of liquid in the groove, this at least one flexible groove being secured to the two lateral walls delimiting the groove and to the bottom of the groove, each flexible blade being dimensionally suited to be able, under the action of a flow of liquid, to deform in the groove thereby reducing its degree of closure of the cross section of this groove to at most 40%.

Abstract: A tire for a heavy goods vehicle, having a tread having a tread surface provided in the new state with at least one groove delimited by opposing side walls, this groove opening onto the tread surface in a discontinuous manner by way of a plurality of portions that are open towards the exterior of the tread, these open portions having two ends that are extended under the tread surface by channels having inlets connected to the ends of the open portions, these inlets to the channels having a mean surface area S. This tread is such that each open portion on the tread surface is provided at each of its ends with a closure device for partially closing the cross section of the inlets to the channels when the tire is running and for leaving a passage unclosed.

Abstract: Tread for a tire to equip a heavy vehicle, having:—a plurality of grooves of circumferential overall orientation and a plurality of grooves of oblique overall orientation intersecting the circumferential grooves to delimit blocks, these circumferential and transverse grooves forming a directional tread pattern, imposing a running direction on the tread, a dividing plane separating part of the pattern to the left and part of the pattern to the right,—the circumferential grooves delimiting at least three intermediate rows of blocks and two edge rows situated axially on the outside of the intermediate rows, wherein each block has a contact face forming part of the tread surface, a front face and a rear face and two lateral faces, the front face and the rear face intersecting the contact face along a leading edge Ai and a trailing edge Fi respectively, Ai coming into the contact patch during running before Fi of the same block when running in the running direction, wherein Ai of all the blocks are offset from one

Abstract: Tread for a tire for the driven axle of a heavy goods vehicle, comprising a plurality of circumferential grooves delimiting at least three ribs each having a height and a width measured in the axial direction, axially delimited by two edge rows, each rib having a plurality of sipes able to close at least in part as they enter the contact patch, and opening onto each lateral face of the rib to form two edge corners and having a depth at least equal to 50% of the height of the rib, these sipes in pairs delimiting an elementary rib volume and an elementary contact surface, wherein each elementary volume delimited by two sipes of one and the same rib has a void volume opening on the contact face in the new state, having a total area on the tread surface at least equal to 0.4% and at most equal to 1.

Abstract: Tread having a maximum thickness PMU of material to be worn away during running, having: at least two grooves of circumferential overall orientation delimiting at least one intermediate row and two edge rows, a plurality of cuts of transverse overall orientation on each intermediate and edge row, representing, in the new state, a void of total volume Vco open onto the tread surface, at most equal to 13% of the total volume of the tread, channels or cavities extending under the tread surface in the new state, adapted to form new grooves after the tread has partially worn away, and having, in the initial state, a total volume Vcc at least equal to 30% of the total void volume Vco in the new state, intermediate rows of suffix (i) and edge rows of suffix (e) each provided with a plurality of cuts of transverse or oblique orientation distributed over each row evenly or near-evenly with a mean pitch of Pi and Pe respectively, having mean depths, Di and De respectively, which are at least equal to 20% of the thickne

Abstract: A vehicle (3) comprising at least two axles (6, 7, 8) fitted with at least two tires the axis of rotation of which are always mutually parallel from one axle to another. Each axle (6, 7, 8) bears at least 10% of the load of the vehicle and at least two axles (6, 7, 8) bear different loads during running. Also disclosed is a method for distributing the load between said at least two axles.

Abstract: Tire for a heavy goods vehicle, comprising a crown reinforcement, and, radially outside this crown reinforcement, a tread having a total thickness PMU of material intended to become worn during running, the crown reinforcement being formed by at least two working plies and a protection ply positioned radially outside the working plies and radially inside the tread, the narrowest working ply having a width in the range from 70% to 90% of the width W of the tread, the protection ply having a width at most equal to 70% of the width of the narrowest working ply, the tread comprising grooves only in the part radially outside the protection ply, each circumferentially orientated groove having a depth at least equal to 75% of the maximum thickness intended to become worn PMU.

Abstract: A vehicle (3) comprising at least two axles (6, 7, 8) fitted with at least two tires the axis of rotation of which are always mutually parallel from one axle to another. The tires of at least one axle (7) have a cornering stiffness greater than that of the tires of another axle (6, 8).

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes at least one wheel designed to turn in a well defined by a wheelhouse. The vehicle also includes a wheel deflector of an elongate overall shape extending from the wheelhouse towards the wheel with one end provided with a radius R corresponding substantially to an exterior radius of the wheel. The deflector is arranged in an upper portion of the wheelhouse and extends longitudinally on each side of a median plane of the wheel passing through an axis of rotation of the wheel, with an overall angular length L between 1/20 and ¼ of an external circumference of the wheel.

Abstract: A tire for a heavy goods vehicle, having a tread having a tread surface provided in the new state with at least one groove delimited by opposing side walls, this groove opening onto the tread surface in a discontinuous manner by way of a plurality of portions that are open towards the exterior of the tread, these open portions having two ends that are extended under the tread surface by channels having inlets connected to the ends of the open portions, these inlets to the channels having a mean surface area S. This tread is such that each open portion on the tread surface is provided at each of its ends with a closure device for partially closing the cross section of the inlets to the channels when the tire is running and for leaving a passage unclosed.

Abstract: A method for determining a characteristic quantity representative of grip conditions of a vehicle wheel running on a ground surface involves imposing a given simultaneous steering angle variation on two wheels mounted on the same axle of the vehicle, the steering angle variation being of the same amplitude for the two wheels but in opposite directions, and measuring the characteristic quantity for at least one of the two wheels.

Abstract: A vehicle (3) comprising at least two axles (6, 7, 8) fitted with at least two tires the axis of rotation of which are always mutually parallel from one axle to another. The tires of at least one axle (7) have a cornering stiffness greater than that of the tires of another axle (6, 8).

Abstract: A vehicle (3) comprising at least two axles (6, 7, 8) fitted with at least two tires the axis of rotation of which are always mutually parallel from one axle to another. Each axle (6, 7, 8) bears at least 10% of the load of the vehicle and at least two axles (6, 7, 8) bear different loads during running. Also disclosed is a method for distributing the load between said at least two axles.

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes at least one wheel designed to turn in a well defined by a wheelhouse. The vehicle also includes a wheel deflector of an elongate overall shape extending from the wheelhouse towards the wheel with one end provided with a radius R corresponding substantially to an exterior radius of the wheel. The deflector is arranged in an upper portion of the wheelhouse and extends longitudinally on each side of a median plane of the wheel passing through an axis of rotation of the wheel, with an overall angular length L between 1/20 and ¼ of an external circumference of the wheel.

Abstract: To determine a characteristic quantity representative of grip conditions of a wheel of a vehicle running on a given ground surface, the following steps are performed: for two wheels mounted on the same axle of the vehicle, imposing a given simultaneous steering angle variation, the steering angle variation being of the same amplitude for the two wheels but in opposite directions; and measuring the characteristic quantity for at least one of the two wheels.