A pneumatic vehicle tire with a tread comprising circumferential grooves (2) and at least one profile rib (1), which runs around in the circumferential direction and formed in which there are grooves (4) which at a groove flank (5) of a circumferential groove (2) that delimits the profile rib (1) open into it, wherein the groove flanks (5) of the circumferential groove (2) run at an angle () of 12 to 17 to the radial direction, thereby widening the circumferential groove (2) in the direction of the periphery of the tread.

The grooves (4) run at an angle () of 4520 to the axial direction, end within the profile rib (1), have a maximum depth (t.sub.2) of 3.5 mm and open in each case into a local indentation (7), which is formed at the groove flank (5), reaches up to the periphery of the tread, is concavely rounded along the groove flank (5) and has a bottom (7a) that runs in particular parallel to the periphery of the tread and is at a distance (c), determined in the radial direction, of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm from the deepest point of the groove (6) of the circumferential groove (2).

A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion including a contact patch which occurs when the tire is mounted on a standard wheel rim with a standard pressure and loaded with a certain tire load at zero camber angle. The contact patch, on a respective tire load, defines a ratio Lc/Ls of a crown contact circumferential length Lc at an axial center of the contact patch to a shoulder contact circumferential length Ls at an axial location of 80% of an axial maximum width of the contact patch. The ratio Lc/Ls upon being loaded with 40%, of a standard tire load is equal to or less than 125% of the ratio Lc/Ls upon being loaded with 70% of the standard tire load.

A pneumatic tire is provided with, in the tread surface, land portions that include a rib or a plurality of blocks. The land portions are provided with a plurality of narrow shallow grooves and a plurality of recessed portions in a contact patch. The opening area ratio Se of the recessed portions in the end portion regions in the tire lateral direction of one continuous contact patch and the opening area ratio Sc of the recessed portions in the central portion region in the tire lateral direction have the relationship Sc<Se, where the central portion region is defined as the region in the central portion in the tire lateral direction occupying 50% of the continuous contact patch of the land portions, and the end portion regions are defined as the regions in the left and right end portions in the tire lateral direction occupying 25%.

A pneumatic tire includes: a rib defined by a circumferential main groove; circumferential sipes formed in the rib at intervals in the circumferential direction; rib edge sipes formed in the rib aligning in the circumferential direction, each of the rib edge sipes terminating in the rib opening to the circumferential main groove; and first and second narrow grooves extending in the circumferential direction, each of the first and second narrow grooves having a groove depth shallower than depths of the circumferential sipes and the rib edge sipes, the first narrow grooves having ends connected to one of the circumferential sipes adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction and the second narrow grooves each including an inner connecting portion connected to one of the first narrow shallow grooves and including an outer connecting portion connected to one of the rib edge sipes.

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 method for producing a tread for a tire having a plurality of contacting element delimited by a plurality of grooves and a connecting member. The method includes depositing at least one connecting member on a surface of an unvulcanized green tread, introducing the unvulcanized green tread with the connecting member into a mold having at least one molding element having a plurality of rib for forming the groove on the tread, at least two rib side faces and a molding surface, at least one rib having at least one notching portion receiving a guiding member including a guiding slit, moving the connecting member to a predetermined position in the guiding slit through the guiding slit by green tread, molding and vulcanizing the green tread with the connecting member in the mold, and taking a molded and vulcanized tread out from the mold.

The tire whose mounting position relative to a vehicle is specified, comprises a tread portion having a first tread edge and a second tread edge, and provided with three main grooves and four land portions. The main grooves include a first shoulder main groove, a second shoulder main groove, and a crown main groove. The land portions include a first middle land portion and a second middle land portion. The first middle land portion is disposed on the tire equator. The first middle land portion is provided with first transverse narrow grooves. The first transverse narrow groove comprises a first deep portion, a second deep portion and a first shallow portion therebetween to improve steering stability and ride comfort.

A tire comprises a tread portion comprising three main grooves and four land portions. The main grooves are a first shoulder main groove, a second shoulder main groove and a crown main groove. The land portions include a first middle land portion between the first shoulder main groove and the crown main groove, a second middle land portion between the second shoulder main groove and the crown main groove. The first middle land portion is disposed so that the tire equator is positioned in the ground contact surface thereof. Each of the first middle land portion and the second middle land portion is provided with a plurality of narrow grooves so as to exhibit excellent steering stability and ride comfort.

A tire comprises a tread portion 2. The tread portion 2 comprises two crown land regions 6 and two shoulder land regions 7 divided by a crown main groove 3 and a pair of shoulder main grooves 4 and 5 arranged one by one on each side of the crown main groove 3. Each of the two crown land regions 6 is provided with a plurality of sipes 15 each having a width less than 1.5 mm. The sipes 15 of each of the two crown land regions 6 include only semi-open sipes 18 each having one end connected with one of the main grooves and the other end terminating within the land region. The sipes 15 of the two crown land regions 6 are inclined in a same direction with respect to a tire axial direction.

In a pneumatic tire which is formed with plural shallow grooves 40 and plural recesses 32 in a tread and in which the plural shallow grooves 40 extend in parallel, the plural shallow grooves 40 form a saw teeth shape as a cross-sectional shape of the tread in a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the shallow grooves 40, portions corresponding to apexes of the saw teeth shape are formed as edges 44, and the recess 32 is formed between the two edges 44.