Provided is a pneumatic tire. At least one land portion is defined and formed by a plurality of circumferential main grooves provided in a tread surface. A main sipe including a body portion and a chamfered portion is formed in at least one side of the body portion. A branch sipe branching from the chamfered portion is provided. The depth of the body portion is equal to or greater than the depth of the branch sipe.

A tire mold segment containing a mold surface with a plurality of groove forming and sipe forming protrusions arranged to form tread portions of tires. At the end faces of the tire mold segment, the portion of sipe forming protrusions with an end that terminates at or near the mold segment end face have an increased width to provide a countermeasure against irregular tread wear and tire noise. The sipe forming protrusions having an end that terminates at or near a tire mold segment end face have a width of about 0.7 mm or more. The remaining sipe forming protrusions positioned on the tire mold segment can a reduced thickness to accommodate high sipe density tread designs.

A pneumatic tire includes the plurality of sipes, when, with regard to each sipe in which the shoulder-side end portion is located closest to a center side among the plurality of sipes, a position of the shoulder-side end portion of the sipe in the tire width direction is taken as a first reference position, and with regard to each sipe in which the center-side end portion is located closest to a shoulder side among the plurality of sipes, a position of the center-side end portion of the sipe in the tire width direction is taken as a second reference position, the plurality of sipes are arranged at regular intervals in the tire circumferential direction, and at other of the first reference position and the second reference position, the plurality of sipes are arranged at irregular intervals in the tire circumferential direction.

In regions, divided by the tire equator, on both sides of the tread surface of a tire, the tire includes a grip area along the entire circumference of the tread, the grip area including a plurality of recessed lines, with a shape recessed toward an inner side of the tire from the outline of the tread surface, that extend from the tread edge side in a direction inclined relative to the tire equator and are arrayed in parallel, and a plurality of sipes that extend toward the tire equator in a direction inclined relative to the tire equator, starting in the grip area and terminating before the tire equator. The negative ratio in the grip area is higher than the negative ratio closer to the tire equator than the grip area.

A tread portion includes a crown land portion including first and second longitudinal edges extending in the tire circumferential direction. The crown land portion is provided with first, second and third crown sipes. The first, second and third crown sipes open at the ground contact surface via respective chamfer portions. The first and third crown sipes extend from the first longitudinal edge and have closed ends in the ground contact surface. The second crown sipes extend from the second longitudinal edge and have closed ends in the ground contact surface. Each first crown sipe has a constant opening width in a longitudinal direction of the sipe. Each second crown sipe has a constant opening width in a longitudinal direction of the sipe. Each third crown sipe has an opening width which decreases continuously from the first longitudinal edge toward the closed end thereof.

Provided is a tire including a tread portion. The tread portion can include a first shoulder land portion. The first shoulder land portion 11 can include a shoulder lateral groove and a shoulder sipe. The shoulder lateral groove can include a minimal portion in which a groove width of the shoulder lateral groove is smallest, between a ground contact surface and a groove bottom of the shoulder lateral groove. A width of the shoulder sipe may not be greater than 1.5 mm. An internal groove having a groove width greater than the width of the shoulder sipe can be continuously disposed inwardly of the shoulder sipe in a tire radial direction. The internal groove can be disposed inwardly of the minimal portion and outwardly of the groove bottom of the shoulder lateral groove, in the tire radial direction.

Provided is pneumatic tire in which a land portion includes a width direction sipe extending in a tread width direction, the width direction sipe includes, in a cross section along a depth direction, a linear portion extending from an opening of the width direction sipe toward a bottom of the width direction sipe, and a bent portion connected to the linear portion, bending and extending from a connecting portion with the linear portion to the bottom of the width direction sipe, and the linear portion of the width direction sipe has a length in the depth direction increasing as the linear portion extends from a center portion of the width direction sipe in the tread width direction toward an end portion in the tread width direction.

A pneumatic tire includes a circumferential main groove extending in a tire circumferential direction, a block, which is a land portion defined by the circumferential main groove, a sipe extending through the block in a tire width direction, and chamfered portions provided in the sipe. A total length of lengths of the chamfered portions in the tire width direction is less than 70% of a length of the sipe in the tire width direction.

A pneumatic tire includes circumferential grooves aligned in a lateral direction and extending in a circumferential direction, lateral grooves aligned in the circumferential direction and extending to cross the circumferential direction, communicating at ends with the circumferential grooves and defining a block-shaped land portion between the circumferential grooves, two narrow grooves aligned in the lateral direction and extending in the circumferential direction, communicating at ends with a lateral groove and dividing the land portion defined by each of the circumferential grooves and each of the lateral grooves into small land portions, the narrow grooves having a smaller groove width than the circumferential grooves and being formed with a bent portion in an intermediate portion, the bent portion being disposed inward in the lateral direction, and bend points of the bent portions being disposed at positions offset from one another in the circumferential direction.

The tread pattern of the pneumatic tire includes an outer main groove, shoulder lug grooves, and vertical sipes. The outer main groove extends in the tire circumferential direction on an outer side of the tire centerline in the tire width direction. The shoulder lug grooves are spaced apart in the tire circumferential direction and provided in the shoulder land portion regions on an outer side of the outer main groove in the tire width direction, extend from the outer side in the tire width direction toward the outer main groove, are closed in a shoulder land portion region. Each of the vertical sipes has a narrower width than each of the shoulder lug grooves, crosses each of the shoulder lug grooves and extends in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the vertical sipes has a depth greater than a groove depth of each of the shoulder lug grooves.