A tire includes a tread portion being provided with a circumferentially and continuously extending outboard shoulder main groove, a circumferentially and continuously extending outboard crown main groove disposed between the outboard shoulder main groove and a tire equator, and an outboard middle land portion disposed between the outboard shoulder main groove and the outboard crown main groove. The outboard middle land portion is provided with a plurality of first outboard middle lug grooves extending from the outboard crown main groove and terminating within the outboard middle land portion, and a plurality of second outboard middle lug grooves extending from the outboard shoulder main groove and terminating within the outboard middle land portion, wherein the second outboard middle lug grooves are larger than the first outboard middle lug grooves in length in a tire axial direction.

A pneumatic tire includes a tread having a pair of crown grooves, a pair of shoulder grooves, a crown land, a pair of middle lands, and a pair of shoulder lands. No grooves having width of 2 mm or more are formed in the crown and middle lands, the tread has first and second halves and has first sipes in the first half such that each has width of less than 2 mm and extends from the crown to shoulder lands via the grooves, second sipes in the second half such that each has width of less than 2 mm and extends from the crown to shoulder lands via the grooves without reaching the ground contact edge, and third sipes in the middle land in the second half such that each has width of less than 2 mm and extends in axial direction between second sipes adjacent in circumferential direction.

A pneumatic tire has inner mediate land portions and center land portion(s) that are divided into a plurality of blocks by lateral grooves. Each of the lateral grooves includes a pair of wide portions opening to a main groove and a narrow portion coupling the pair of the wide portions. one-side-closed sipes are formed in a bottom of each of the lateral grooves formed in the inner mediate land portions. The one-side-closed sipes are open at the wide portions and close at the narrow portion. a both-sides-open sipe is formed in a bottom of each of the lateral grooves formed in the center land portion or portions. The both-sides-open sipe is open at the wide portions and at the narrow portion.

A tire 1 comprises a tread portion 2 provided with an outer shoulder main groove 3 in a part closest to an outside tread edge (To) and an outer crown main groove 4 on a side of an inside tread edge (Ti) of the outer shoulder main groove 3 both extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction, and outer transverse grooves 9 connecting between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer crown main groove 4 so that an outer shoulder land region 7A is defined between the outside tread edge (To) and the outer shoulder main groove 3 and an outer middle land region 7B is defined between the outer shoulder main groove 3 and the outer crown main groove 4. A maximum axial width Ws of the outer shoulder land region 7A is larger than a maximum axial width Wm of the outer middle land region 7B.

A tire includes a block 30. The block 30 includes a land 36b, a transverse groove 48b, a longitudinal groove 50b, and a side surface 38b. The land 36b is flat. The transverse groove 48b is recessed from the land 36b. The transverse groove 48b has inner and outer ends 52 and 54 in an axial direction of the tire. The inner end 52 of the transverse groove 48b is open on the side surface 38b. The outer end 54 of the transverse groove 48b is not open on the side surface 38b. The transverse groove 48b is localized in the inner region of the block 30 in the axial direction.

A pneumatic tire (10) has, in the surface of the tread (11), a central circumferential groove (12) located at the center of the contact patch width and extending circumferentially around the tire, a plurality of longitudinal grooves (13 (13a, 13b)) formed on the axially outside of the central circumferential groove (12), lug grooves (15), and blocks (16 (16a to 16c)) defined by the central circumferential groove (12), the longitudinal grooves (13), and the lug grooves (15). Each of the lug grooves (15) is formed such that its width in the shoulder region is greater than its width in the central region, and the sum of the groove area of the central circumferential groove (12) and the groove area of the longitudinal grooves (13) is smaller than the area of the lug grooves (15). As a result, the pneumatic tire (10) not only secures the wet braking performance and wear resistance performance on paved roads, but also improves the acceleration performance and braking performance and the steering stability performance on snowy roads.

The tread profile of a vehicle tire has a circumferential rib. Grooves are formed in the circumferential rib with a width, which increases along its entire extent, wherein the grooves are formed with a vertex point between a first portion and a second portion. The groove direction from the beginning to the vertex point is formed with a greater directional component in the circumferential direction than in the axial direction and between the vertex point and the entry into the circumferential groove is formed with a greater directional component in the axial direction than in the circumferential direction. The groove is formed in the first portion with a depth T.sub.1, which increases continuously from the beginning over the first portion up to reaching its maximum value T.sub.1max at the vertex point and is formed with a constant depth T.sub.2 in the second portion wherein T.sub.2≥T.sub.1max.

A pneumatic tire has a high wet performance with keeping steering stability and wear resistance. Each of the middle land portions (12) is provided with middle sipes (15) and a middle sub-groove (16). Each of the middle sipes (15) has an arc-like shape such that an angle (θ1) with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire gradually increases from its inner end (15i) towards its outer end (15o). A circumferential length (L2) is in a range of from 0.6 to 1.0 times the arrangement pitch (P2) of the middle sipe (15). The middle sub-groove (16) communicates with a shoulder main groove (10), terminates without communicating with a crown main groove (9), and has an arc-like shape having an angle (θ2) that gradually increases from its inner end (16i) to its outer end (16o). A length (L3) of the middle sub-groove (16) is less than the length (L2) of the middle sipe, and the adjacent middle sipe (15) and middle sub-groove (16) overlap one another in the axial direction of the tire.

A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided on each side of the tire equator with a middle land portion defined between a shoulder main groove and a crown main groove each extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction. The middle land portion is provided with axially inside middle lug grooves and axially outside middle lug grooves arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction. The axially inside middle lug groove is connected to the crown main groove at an angle θ1 of from 20 to 45 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and has an axially inner opened end and an axially outer closed end. The outside middle lug grooves is connected to the shoulder main groove at an angle θ2 of from 60 to 80 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and has an axially outer open end and an axially inner closed end. The tread portion may be provided with a shoulder land portion comprising circumferential sipes, axial grooves terminating at the circumferential sipes, and a circumferentially continuous rib.

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.