A wheel assembly to be coupled to a hub of a vehicle may include an inner rim to be coupled to the hub of the vehicle and an outer rim surrounding the hub. The wheel assembly may also include gas springs operatively coupled between the inner rim and the outer rim to provide a gas suspension for relative movement between the inner rim and the outer rim. The wheel assembly may also include an outer ring coupled to the outer rim and defining a closeable gap with adjacent interior portions of the inner rim to define a mechanical stop to limit relative movement of the inner rim and outer rim.

The present invention provides a system and method for altering the audible sounds generated by a tire during operation by altering airflow through the tread. The tread includes tread blocks and the tread blocks include a plurality of tread block sides. Airflow through the tread blocks is altered by notches placed in the tread block sides. In an embodiment, at least one tread block side includes a notch. The notch serves to alter airflow through the tread of the tire and alter the audible sounds of the tire.

A tire including a tread portion, the tread portion having at least one main groove continuously extending in the tire circumferential direction, the tread portion including a rubber having a hardness at 60 C. of 58 or higher and a hardness at 0 C. of not more than 115% of the hardness at 60 C., the tread portion having a S.sub.50/S.sub.0 ratio of more than 1, wherein S.sub.0 denotes the sea proportion (%) in the tread ground contact surface of the new tire, and S.sub.50 denotes the sea proportion (%) when the tread portion is worn until the depth of the main groove reaches 50% of that of the new tire.

Provided is a tire comprising a radial direction, an axial direction, a circumferential direction, and a tire lug. The tire lug may be bounded by a plurality of surfaces. The plurality of surfaces may comprise a top surface and a first side surface oriented at a first angle to the top surface. The top surface may extending in the axial direction and the circumferential direction. The first angle may be greater than 90 degrees. The first side surface may comprise a first cavity of the first side surface. The first side surface may have a height and a width.

Provided is a pneumatic tire. A tread portion includes a plurality of longitudinal grooves extending in the tire circumferential direction, a plurality of lateral grooves extending in a tire lateral direction, and a plurality of blocks defined by the longitudinal grooves and the lateral grooves. Notch portions are formed in portions of a freely-selected pair of blocks adjacent to each other across a longitudinal groove, the portions facing the longitudinal groove. The notch portions face with each other across the longitudinal groove. Each of the notch portions has a notch width and a notch depth larger on a center side in an extension direction of the longitudinal groove than on an outer side in the extension direction of the longitudinal groove.

A pneumatic tire comprises at least one block partitioned by a groove and having a plurality of corners, the plurality of corners includes a largest corner at which angle is greatest thereamong and is greater than 180, and the at least one block comprises a first block groove which is arranged at the largest corner.

A pneumatic tire comprises at least one block partitioned by a groove, the at least one block comprises a plurality of corners including a first corner, the at least one block comprises a first corner recess at which a portion toward the exterior in a tire radial direction at the first corner is recessed relative to a reference surface of the groove, and a first corner projection that is arranged toward the interior in the tire radial direction from the first corner recess and that protrudes toward the exterior of the at least one block, and the first corner projection protrudes from the reference surface of the groove.

A pneumatic tire comprising on a tread surface 1 a plurality of blocks 7, wherein: the blocks have an inclined groove 43 formed thereon; the inclined groove has a connecting portion 43a connected to the circumferential main grooves, a wide-width portion 43b connected to the connecting portion, and a narrow-width portion 43c connected to the wide-width portion; the wide-width portion and the narrow-width portion have inclination angles with respect to the tire circumferential direction smaller than the connecting portion; the blocks have a sipe 52a formed thereon, the sipe having one end opening to the connecting portion and the other end opening to the circumferential main grooves; and the sipe has a bent portion.

A pneumatic tire includes land portions defined by grooves, and sipes that are formed in the land portions and intersect the grooves. The sipes form acute angle portions and obtuse angle portions with the grooves. Notches are formed in the obtuse angle portions.

Tyre (100) for all-terrain vehicles having a tread band (2) comprising: a central annular portion (A1), located across the equatorial plane (X-X), and two shoulder annular portions (A2, A3), separated from said central annular portion (A1) by two circumferential grooves (3, 4); said central annular portion (A1) having at least one circumferential row (8) of central blocks, comprising a plurality of central blocks (20), and at least two rows (9, 10) of lateral blocks, opposed to each other relative to said at least one circumferential row (8) of central blocks, and comprising a plurality of lateral blocks (21), wherein said central blocks (20) have a first and a second portion (20a; 20b) located opposite to each other relative to the equatorial plane (X-X); said central blocks (20) and said lateral blocks (21) have a circumferential dimension greater than 2% of the development extension of the tread of the tyre; said lateral blocks (21) have an elongate portion (13) and a head portion (14) located at an end of said elongate portion (13); said elongate portion (13) having a dimension SI in axial direction and said head portion (14) having a dimension S2 in axial direction, where S2>S1; the elongate portion (13) extends according to an extension direction forming an angle relative to the equatorial plane comprised between 0 and 30; said elongate portion (13) has an axially outer lateral wall (15) facing one of said circumferential grooves (3, 4) and an axially inner lateral wall (16) facing one of said first and second portions (20a, 20b) of the central blocks (20); said head portion (14) has a first transverse wall (17) located so as to form with said axially inner lateral wall (16) a concavity which points towards the equatorial plane (X-X) and is such that the first or the second portion (20a; 20b) of the central block (20) being subsequent in axial direction faces said concavity and is at least partially surrounded by said axially inner lateral wall (16) and by said first transverse wall (17).