A styrenic block copolymer having one or more polymer blocks A and one or more polymer blocks B is disclosed, where “A” is a poly(vinylaromatic) block having a molecular weight of greater than 5 kg/mol. The “B” block has a molecular weight of more than 15 kg/mol, and comprises polymerized 1,3-diene units and vinylaromatic units, wherein the polymerized vinylaromatic units represent 5-40 wt. % of the overall weight of the block “B”. The polymerized 1,3-diene units comprise more than 80 wt. % of polymerized isoprene units in which 45-80 mol % are 1,4-isoprene addition units. The blocks “A” and “B” represent from >5 to <40 wt. %, and >33 to <95 wt. %, respectively, relative to the overall weight of the block copolymer. The polymers have physical properties that make them valuable, e.g., as vibration damping materials.

A tire for a vehicle comprises a tread (2), of which the central part of the tread (2) comprises at least two rubber compounds (221, 222), making up at least 90% of its volume. The first compound (221) is radially on the outside of the second compound (222) and makes up at least 40% and at most 60% of the volume of the central part. The second rubber compound (222) has a Shore hardness DS2 at least equal to 5 plus the Shore hardness DS1 of the first compound (221) and dynamic losses at a temperature of 0° C. and 23° C. that are at least equal to those of the first rubber compound (221). The axially outer parts of the tread are made up of a third compound (223) capable of touching the ground, having a stiffness and a hysteresis that are lower than those of the first compound.

A tire comprises a directional tread of width (W), having a total volume VT, comprising voids (221, 211, 212) defining a voids volume VE. There is defined a volumetric voids ratio TEV=VE/VT, part of the voids (211) delimits blocks (21A, 21B) which are organized into patterns (26) of blocks of pitch P succeeding one another in the circumferential direction (X). Part of the voids forms sipes (211, 212) in one of the patterns. The sipes density SD corresponds to the ratio of a sum of the projected lengths (lpyi) of the sipes in an axial direction to the product of the pitch P of the pattern times the width (W), all multiplied by 1000. SD in any pattern of pitch P is comprised between 10 mm.sup.−1 and 70 mm.sup.−1. TEV is at least equal to 0.29 and at most equal to 0.35.

Provided is a pneumatic tire having excellent abrasion resistance and excellent handling stability on an extremely cold road while having a reduced weight. The present disclosure relates to a pneumatic tire, including a tread having a hardness at −20° C. of 90 or less, a hardness at 30° C. of 60 or more, and a maximum thickness of 8.5 mm or less, and a carcass including one carcass ply.

A pneumatic tire having a toroidal tire framework member having bead portions, sidewall portions and an under tread portion, and a ground contacting tread component disposed radially outside the under tread portion. The tire framework member and the ground contacting tread component are made of a resin material, and a tensile elastic modulus of the ground contacting tread component is smaller than that of the tire framework member. The tread thickness between the radially inner surface of the under tread portion and the radially outer surface of the ground contacting tread component is such that the tread thickness X2 at a tread edge is more than 1.2 times and less than 5.0 times the tread thickness X1 at the tire equator.

A motorcycle tire comprises a carcass having a bias structure, a band comprising a jointiess ply, and a tread rubber disposed on the radially outside of the band. The loss tangent of the tread rubber at a temperature of 0 deg C. is larger in a tread crown region than in tread shoulder regions. The carcass comprises an outer carcass ply of carcass cords. The angles of the carcass cords with respect to the tire circumferential direction are smaller in the tread crown region than in the tread shoulder regions.

This invention is based upon the unexpected finding that a hydrocarbon traction resin can be dispersed into the oil used in making an oil extended emulsion and solution rubbers to attain improved performance characteristics. For instance, this technique allows for the hydrocarbon traction resin to be incorporated into the rubber at a higher level than would ordinarily be possible using conventional mixing techniques. In tire tread compounds this provides improved wet traction characteristics without compromising cured stiffness (dry traction) and ultimate properties (chip/chunk resistance). This technique can be used to incorporate a resin into virtually any synthetic rubber that can benefit from being oil extended. It is of particular value in making resin modified solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR), emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR), high cis-1.4-polybutadiene rubber, and synthetic polyisoprene rubber which are formulated for use in tire tread compounds.

This invention is based upon the unexpected finding that a hydrocarbon traction resin can be dispersed into the oil used in making an oil extended emulsion and solution rubbers to attain improved performance characteristics. For instance, this technique allows for the hydrocarbon traction resin to be incorporated into the rubber at a higher level than would ordinarily be possible using conventional mixing techniques. In tire tread compounds this provides improved wet traction characteristics without compromising cured stiffness (dry traction) and ultimate properties (chip/chunk resistance). This technique can be used to incorporate a resin into virtually any synthetic rubber that can benefit from being oil extended. It is of particular value in making resin modified solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR), emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (ESBR), high cis-1.4-polybutadiene rubber, and synthetic polyisoprene rubber which are formulated for use in tire tread compounds.

Disclosed herein are tires having a tread having stiffness made from a rubber composition of specified ingredients including an elastomer component, a resin component including a terpene phenol resin having a specified hydroxyl value and a DCPD-based resin, a filler component including reinforcing silica filler and carbon black, optionally a liquid plasticizer, and a cure package. Also disclosed are methods for stiffness in a tire tread by using a resin component comprising a terpene phenol resin having a specified hydroxyl value and a DCPD-based resin in a rubber composition comprising an elastomer component, a filler component including reinforcing silica filler and carbon black, optionally a liquid plasticizer, and a cure package.

A rubber composition based on at least one diene elastomer, a reinforcing filler and a 1,3-dipolar compound comprising an epoxide group is provided. The epoxide group is a 3-membered ether ring in which a first member is a carbon atom exhibiting a connection to the dipole of the 1,3-dipolar compound and a second member is a tertiary or quaternary carbon. Such a rubber composition exhibits improved properties at break and an improved processing, as well as good hysteresis properties.