Abstract: A tread wear indicator for a tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls and a tread and the tread includes a plurality of tread elements defined by circumferential grooves and lateral grooves. The tread wear indicator is formed in a selected one of the tread elements adjacent a selected one of the circumferential grooves. The indicator includes a plurality of step elements descending from a radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements toward the base of the selected one of the circumferential grooves. Each step element includes an axially-extending surface that is approximately parallel to and is radially inward of the radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements, and a radially-extending surface that extends approximately perpendicular to the axially-extending surface. The axially-extending surface of each step element is formed with indicia visible to a user of the tire.

Abstract: A tread wear indicator for a tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls and a tread and the tread includes a plurality of tread elements defined by circumferential grooves and lateral grooves. The tread wear indicator is formed in a selected one of the tread elements adjacent a selected one of the circumferential grooves. The indicator includes a plurality of step elements descending from a radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements toward the base of the selected one of the circumferential grooves. Each step element includes an axially-extending surface that is approximately parallel to and is radially inward of the radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements, and a radially-extending surface that extends approximately perpendicular to the axially-extending surface. The axially-extending surface of each step element is formed with indicia visible to a user of the tire.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire with a tread of a cap/base construction comprised of a two-ply (dual layered) tread cap rubber layer comprised of a combination of an outer tread cap layer and an inner tread cap layer together with an underlying tread base rubber layer which underlies the two-ply tread cap layer. The tread cap layer is of a lug and groove configuration with at least a portion of the grooves extending through the outer tread cap layer into the inner tread cap layer without extending to the tread base rubber layer. The outer tread cap rubber layer is comprised of a carbon black-rich rubber composition to promote dry traction for the tread running surface. The inner tread cap layer is comprised of a softer silica-rich rubber composition to promote wet traction for tread running surface as the outer tread cap layer wears away to expose the softer inner tread cap layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rubber tire having a rubber tread intended to be ground-contacting which is relative electrically insulating and which has at least one thin, narrow, carbon black reinforced rubber strip integral the outer surface, or face, of said tread, each strip extending laterally across the tread to each of the tire's carbon black reinforced sidewalls.In one aspect, said outer rubber strip, extends laterally across the outer surface of the tread which is designed to be ground contacting and connects with carbon black reinforced tire sidewalls to provide a path of reduced electrical resistance from the outer surface of the tire tread to the bead portion of the tire carcass and, thereby, such a reduced electrical resistance path from a vehicle to the road surface.In another aspect, the said rubber tread intended to be ground-contacting, is primarily reinforced with silica.

Abstract: A tire that has a tread base compound and a tread cap compound that have synergistic properties, an extra wide center rib, stiff shoulder lugs, and lateral grooves between shoulder lugs that do not vary significantly in width has a superior combination of rolling resistance properties, traction properties, noise properties, and wear properties. Also the RSAT of the tire can be fine tuned by chamfering edges of lugs in the tire.