A wind-diverting apparatus for minimally shielding only the faster-moving drag-sensitive uppermost wheel surfaces from headwinds reduces overall vehicle drag. The apparatus includes various upper wheel fairings of FIGS. 1-6. Each fairing shields a primary vehicle-drag-inducing upper wheel surface from headwinds otherwise impinging directly thereon.

A pneumatic tire includes side blocks in each of side regions adjacent to, on an outer side in a width direction, outermost side end portions of a tread portion in the width direction. For the number N1 and total area SS1 of the side blocks in a first side region located on a first side in the width direction, the number N2 and total area SS2 of the side blocks in a second side region located on a second side in the width direction, a land portion area TS1 in a first tread region of the tread portion on a side of the first side region, and a land portion area TS2 in a second tread region of the tread portion on a side of the second side region, relationships N1>N2, TS1>TS2, and 0.95≤(SS1×TS1)/(SS2×TS2)≤1.05 are satisfied.

The present invention relates to a tire (100) for vehicle wheels comprising a tire component comprising a crosslinked elastomeric material obtained by crosslinking a crosslinkable elastomeric composition, wherein said elastomeric composition comprises a polymer blend comprising (a) 50 to 95 percent by weight of a first elastomeric polymer and (b) 5 to 50 percent by weight of a second elastomeric polymer based on the total weight of the polymer blend. The second elastomeric polymer (b) is obtainable by (i) anionic polymerization of at least one conjugated diene monomer and one or more a-olefin monomer(s) in the presence of a polymerization initiator in an organic solvent, and (ii) coupling the polymer chains obtained in (i) by a coupling agent. The second elastomeric polymer (b) has a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) in the range of 5,000-40,000 g/mol and a coupling rate of at least 50 percent by weight.

It is provided a pneumatic tyre, the tyre having a circumferential direction, an axial direction and an equatorial plane, and the tyre comprising: a tread extending in a tyre circumferential direction, said tread comprising at least one circumferential groove running continuously in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of axial grooves or transverse grooves running at an angle to the axial direction, and a plurality of blocks defined by the circumferential groove and the axial grooves or transverse grooves, said blocks extending radially between an inner surface of the tread and a tread surface to come into contact with the ground, wherein at least some of the blocks comprise at least one wavy groove that extends from a circumferential groove inwardly into the block, and wherein the wavy groove has a depth extending radially from the tread surface to come into contact with the ground towards the inner surface that ends above the inner surface (26) of the tread.

A tyre for a motorcycle for rough terrain comprises a tread portion. In a region between at least one of tread edges and a tyre equator, the tread portion is provided with middle blocks, shoulder blocks, and tie bars each connecting between one of the middle blocks and its adjacent one of the shoulder blocks. The shoulder blocks include first shoulder blocks forming the one of the tread edges and second shoulder blocks arranged on an inner side in a tyre axial direction of the one of the tread edges. The tie bars include first tie bars each connecting between one of the middle blocks and one of the first shoulder blocks and second tie bars each connecting between one of the middle blocks and one of the second shoulder blocks.

A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion having a first tread edge and a first buttress portion extending inward in a tire radial direction from the first tread edge. The first buttress portion has a plurality of stepped surfaces protruding outward in a tire axial direction. At least one of the stepped surfaces is a first stepped surface including a plurality of stepped portions having different protruding heights in the tire axial direction at the same height position in the tire radial direction.

In a pneumatic tire, a tread portion is provided with center blocks and shoulder blocks, and sidewall portions are each provided with side blocks. Surfaces of the blocks are provided with groove elements each including a narrow groove and/or a sipe. The first groove elements provided in the side blocks, the second groove elements provided in the shoulder blocks, and the third groove elements provided in the center blocks form a set of lateral groove group extending continuously from the side block on a first side to the side block on a second side in the tire lateral direction along the blocks across a main groove or an auxiliary groove.

Provided is a pneumatic tire. Center land portions between main grooves extending in a zigzag shape along a circumferential direction on both sides of an equator of a tread portion are defined into repeating units by first shallow grooves that extend along a lateral direction, have both ends communicating with portions other than bent portions of the main grooves, and are disposed at intervals in the circumferential direction. The repeating units are aggregates of four blocks defined by second shallow grooves extending from the main grooves in the lateral direction and converging toward one point on the equator, a third shallow groove extending from one of the first shallow grooves adjacent to the repeating unit to one of the second shallow grooves, and a fourth shallow groove extending from an other of the first shallow grooves adjacent to the repeating units to an other of the second shallow grooves.

A pneumatic tire includes a lug grooves extending in a shoulder region of a tread portion in a width direction up to a sidewall portion, a shoulder block and a side block defined by the lug grooves, in which the side block located outward of the shoulder block in the width direction is ridged higher than the shoulder block, at least a part of the lug grooves being each a closed lug groove closed by a ridge portion provided therein, the ridge portion being continuous to the side block located on both sides of the closed lug groove in the circumferential direction, the ridge portion including a first narrow groove with a smaller groove width and a smaller groove depth than the lug groove, extending in the width direction, and at least one end of the first narrow groove penetrating toward the closed lug groove or the sidewall portion.

A pneumatic tire has paired bead portions, paired sidewall portions, a tread portion, a plurality of lug grooves extending from a shoulder area of the tread portion to reach a buttress area of the sidewall portion, and a block defined by the plurality of lug grooves. The block includes a shoulder block provided in the shoulder area, and a buttress block provided in the buttress area. The buttress area is provided with an annular rib annularly extending along a tire circumferential direction. The lug grooves are comparted into an outside lug groove positioned in an outer side of the annular rib, and an inside lug groove positioned in an inner side of the annular rib. A widened portion is provided in at least part of the plurality of lug grooves so as to enlarge a width of the annular rib.