In a tire having composite grooves provided on a shoulder land portion, dry performance and wet performance are improved. The tire includes a tread portion 2. The tread portion 2 includes a first shoulder land portion 13. The first shoulder land portion 13 has shoulder lateral grooves 15 and shoulder composite grooves 20. The shoulder lateral grooves 15 and the shoulder composite grooves 20 are each curved so as to be convex in a tire circumferential direction. Each shoulder composite groove 20 includes, in a cross section thereof, a sipe element 21 having a width not greater than 1.5 mm and extending from a tread surface of the first shoulder land portion 13 in a tire radial direction, and a groove element 22 connected to an inner side in the tire radial direction of the sipe element 21 and having a width greater than 1.5 mm.

A tire has a tread portion 2 including a first land portion 11. The first land portion 11 includes a first circumferential edge 11a, a second circumferential edge 11b, and a tread surface between the first circumferential edge 11a and the second circumferential edge 11b. On the tread surface, a first inclined groove 21 extending from the second circumferential edge 11b to the first circumferential edge 11a side, a second inclined groove 22 extending from the second circumferential edge 11b to the first circumferential edge 11a side so as to be inclined in a direction opposite to that of the first inclined groove 21, and a triangular block 35 demarcated by the first inclined groove 21 and the second inclined groove 22, are formed. A curved groove 15 curved so as to be convex on the second circumferential edge 11b is formed on the triangular block 35.

A tire for vehicle wheels comprises a tread band (2), on which a first circumferential rib (14) is formed, on which a plurality of first notches (20) are formed, which extend as a whole over at least 80% of the width of the first circumferential rib and each of which comprises: ⋅ i. a first portion (21) which is substantially rectilinear and has a first inclination with respect to a circumferential direction, ⋅ ii. a second portion (22) which is substantially rectilinear and has a second inclination with respect to the circumferential direction having a sign opposite to said first inclination, and ⋅ iii. a connecting portion (23) that extends between said first portion and said second portion; respective pluralities of the second and the third notches (30; 40), which are blind and substantially parallel to the first (21) and the second portion (22), respectively, of said first notches (20), are further formed on the first circumferential rib (14).

A pneumatic tire includes lug grooves having alternating first and second groove portions. The first groove portion intersects an equator, extends in a width direction, and communicates with an adjacent second groove portion. The second groove portion inclines from the first groove portion at a smaller angle relative to a circumferential direction smaller than that of the first groove portion and extends to a tread edge on one side. The first groove portion is on a stepping side with respect to an end on the tread edge side. The second groove portions curve or bend and have an average angle in an inner region smaller than that of the second groove portions in an outer region. A maximum length in the width direction of center blocks defined by narrow grooves connecting adjacent second groove portions and the lug grooves is 25%-35% of a development width.

A lug groove and a sipe formed in an outside shoulder land portion are inclined in a first predetermined direction, a lug groove and a sipe formed in an outside second land portion are inclined in a second predetermined direction. A lug groove formed in a center land portion is inclined in the second predetermined direction, a sipe formed in the center land portion is inclined in the first predetermined direction. A lug groove formed in an inside second land portion is inclined in a first predetermined direction, a sipe formed in the inside second land portion is inclined in a second predetermined direction. A lug groove and a sipe formed in an inside shoulder land portion are inclined in a first predetermined direction, the lug groove formed in the inside second land portion and the lug groove formed in the inside shoulder land portion are formed by offsetting.

Center land portions of a tire each include a circumferential narrow groove extending in a tire circumferential direction, and a first lateral groove opening to one edge portion of each of the center land portions at one end and connecting to the circumferential narrow groove at the other end, and a second lateral groove opening to the other edge portion of the center land portion at one end and connecting to the circumferential narrow groove at the other end. Further, the circumferential narrow groove has a zigzag shape formed by repeatedly connecting a first long portion, a first short portion, a second long portion, and a second short portion. Furthermore, the first lateral groove connects to the first long portion of the circumferential narrow groove having the zigzag shape, and the second lateral groove connects to the second long portion of the circumferential narrow groove having the zigzag shape.

A tire has a tread portion that can include a first tread ground contact end on one side in a tire axial direction, a first shoulder circumferential groove closest to the first tread ground contact end, and a first shoulder land portion demarcated to be disposed outwardly of the first shoulder circumferential groove in the tire axial direction. A plurality of first shoulder grove portions extending from the first shoulder circumferential groove to the first tread ground contact end e1 can be in the first shoulder land portion. A pair of first shoulder groove portions adjacent to each other in a tire circumferential direction can have different angles relative to the tire axial direction. The plurality of first shoulder groove portions can include a plurality of kinds of first shoulder groove portions having different first pitch lengths at a connecting portion to the first shoulder circumferential groove. A maximum value of the first pitch length can be 1.2 to 1.5 times an average of the first pitch lengths.

Provided is a 5-rib tire that can have improved steering stability and noise performance A tread portion 2 includes four circumferential grooves 3 and five land portions 4. Two tread ends are ends of a 50%-load ground-contact surface. Each of the five land portions 4 is provided with no groove having a groove width greater than 2.0 mm, and is provided with only sipes 9. The five land portions 4 include a shoulder land portion 11. The shoulder land portion 11 is provided with a plurality of shoulder sipes 20. At least one of the shoulder sipes 20 includes an inclined portion 21 and an axial portion 22. The axial portion 22 cross the tread end.

A tire includes a tread portion including four circumferential grooves extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction and five land portions divided by the four circumferential grooves. The five land portions include a first middle land portion located between a first tread edge and a tire equator. The first middle land portion is provided with first middle sipes inclined with respect to a tire axial direction and fully traversing the first middle land portion in the tire axial direction. Each first middle sipe includes a pair of sipe edges, and at least one of the pair of sipe edges opens at the ground contact surface via a chamfer portion over an entire length thereof. The chamfer portion has a chamfer width increasing continuously from a first longitudinal edge to a second longitudinal edge of the first middle land portion.

To provide a narrow and large-diameter tire capable of improving noise performance at high speeds without compromising handling performance at low temperatures.

The tire has a tread portion formed of an elastomer composition. A relationship between a tire outer diameter (Dt) and a tire cross-sectional width (Wt) satisfy a following expression (1). The tread portion includes at least one circumferential groove extending in a tire circumferential direction. A rubber thickness at a groove bottom of the circumferential groove is 0.05 to 0.25 times a maximum thickness of the tread portion. The elastomer composition has a phase difference δ of 5.0×10.sup.−2π [rad] or less between a maximum value of strain and a maximum value of stress when repeatedly deformed at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a frequency of 10 Hz in a dynamic viscoelasticity test;

1963.4≤(Dt.sup.2×π/4)/Wt≤2827.4  (1).