A shear-controlled tire tread includes a plurality of narrow channels disposed generally perpendicular to a rolling direction. Each narrow channel includes a heel side, a toe side, and a valley connecting the heel side and the toe side, and a first plurality of ridges disposed on a heel side and a second plurality of ridges disposed on a toe side. The first plurality of ridges disposed on a heel side and the second plurality of ridges disposed on a toe side are offset and form interacting friction surfaces when a heel side of collapses toward a toe side or a toe side collapses toward a heel side.

The present invention relates to a tire with main kerfs and sub-kerfs, and more particularly, to a tire with main kerfs and sub-kerfs, which maintains drainage performance and running and braking performance by additionally including an auxiliary groove and improves a flow of air and drainage performance by including an auxiliary flow tube.

Tread for heavy-duty vehicle tire, having tread surface with at least one cavity forming a hidden channel which forms an additional groove after an amount of wear, each channel extended towards tread surface in the new state along its entire length by a sipe of small width, at least one channel having plurality of extensions from this channel towards tread surface to place the channel and the outside of the tread into communication from an amount of partial wear of the tread, each extension being a secondary channel having a first opening of elongate shape with a minimum dimension I0 and a maximum dimension Lo that opens onto tread surface and a second opening that opens into channel, wherein for at least one channel provided with extensions, each first opening of these extensions is formed by a side of the sipe that extends the channel.

A tire (1) comprising a tread (8), this tread comprising at least one channel (2), at least one wear indicator (3) disposed on the bottom of the channel (2), the wear indicator comprising a contact face (7) intended to come into contact with a road surface when the tire reaches a wear limit, the channel (2) comprising a texture (4) surrounding the wear indicator (3) and contrasting with the contact face (7) of the wear indicator.

A tire tread is provided having a layered design that includes bridged and unbridged circumferential grooves during earlier stages of tread life while transverse and unbridged circumferential grooves are provided at later stages of tread life. Together, the combination of grooves can provide desired wet adherence performance without unacceptable compromises of tread wear and/or rolling resistance. Pockets can also be provided at the end of the transverse grooves to increase the volume available for receipt of water during wet traction.

Tread (1) for a tire of a heavy-duty vehicle, having a tread surface (10), this tread (1) comprising, near to each of its edges (11), a plurality of open wells (2) on the tread surface when new, these open wells (2) of depth Pmax being arranged circumferentially with a mean distance D between two consecutive open wells; each open well (2) being delimited by two main faces (21, 22) facing one another, this tread being such that each open well (2) is connected to at least one hidden cavity (32) formed within the tread, this hidden cavity (32) opening into a main face (21, 22) of said well.

A heavy truck tire tread (12) is provided that has a partially hidden longitudinal groove (22) with an undersurface channel (24) engaged by a longitudinal sipe (26). The partially hidden longitudinal groove (22) has a surface opening (28) that extends from a surface of the tread to the undersurface channel (24). The tread (12) has at least one of two features. The first feature is that the surface opening (28) extends from the surface to the undersurface channel (24) at an angle to the thickness direction such that the surface opening (28) at the surface is forward of the surface opening (28) at the undersurface channel (24) in the rolling direction (20). The second feature is that a lateral sipe (32) engages the surface opening (28) so that the first end is at the surface opening (28), and the second end is forward of the first end in the rolling direction (20).

A pneumatic tire includes: a first and second main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction; first and second inclined grooves extending obliquely toward the same side with respect to the tire circumferential direction and connected to the first and second main grooves; and a block defined by the first and second main grooves and the first and second inclined grooves. The block includes a sub groove having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being open to an intermediate portion of the first inclined groove and extending in the tire circumferential direction, the second portion being inclined to a side opposite to the first inclined groove, extending from a terminal end of the first portion in a direction away from the first inclined groove, and being open to the first main groove.

In a pneumatic tire, a plurality of lands include a first land, the first land comprises a plurality of circumferential grooves that extend in a tire circumferential direction and that are arrayed in a tire axial direction, the plurality of circumferential grooves are respectively arranged at portions in the tire circumferential direction of the first land, the plurality of circumferential grooves include a first circumferential groove which is arranged in inwardmost fashion in the tire axial direction, and a second circumferential groove which is arranged in outwardmost fashion in the tire axial direction, and as viewed in a tire meridional section, an inner space area of the first circumferential groove is greater than an inner space area of the second circumferential groove.

A tire having a tread with a novel groove structure for enhanced wet and snow traction is provided. The groove includes an upper portion and a lower portion that can provide enhanced wet and snow traction over various stages of tread wear without unnecessary compromise to the tread rigidity. The lower portion includes one more voids for the accumulation and/or evacuation of fluids.