371results about "Off-road vehicle tyres" patented technology

Disclosed is an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer having isotactic polypropylene crystallinity compounded with a blend rubber wherein the terpolymer can be present in an amount effective to improve tack, aged tensile strength retention, fatigue resistance, ozone cracking resistance, and reversion resistance. Also disclosed is an elastomer composition wherein the terpolymer can have at least 60 wt % propylene-derived units, at least 6 wt % ethylene-derived units and from 0.3 to 10 wt % diene-derived units, and a tire sidewall composition comprising from 10 to 30 phr terpolymer, from 20 to 60 phr natural rubber, from 20 to 60 phr polybutadiene rubber, and an optional secondary blend rubber. Also disclosed is a vulcanizate of the elastomer composition, and articles, tire sidewalls, tires, retreaded tires, bias truck tires, off-road tires, and passenger automobile tires made with the vulcanizate. Further disclosed are processes for making molded articles and tires, and for retreading tires.

A pneumatic radial tire includes three or less steel belt layers, wherein a first block and a second block extending in an outer side than the first block are alternately provided in a tire circumferential direction on a ground edge region of a tread part. An annular region extending in a circumferential direction is provided on the outer surface of an outer side than a maximum width position in a side wall part, and plural projections are provided side by side on the annular region. An outer thin wall part continuing along an outer circumferential edge of the annular region and an inner thin wall part continuing along an inner circumferential edge of the annular region are provided, and the outer thin wall part is arranged adjacent to an inner radius height and inside of the inner radius height.

A pneumatic tire has an aggressive tread pattern for use on both on-road and off-road vehicles having at least a pair of intermediate ribs and a pair of shoulder ribs providing the ground engaging tread lugs. A plurality of circumferentially extending lug groups are formed on and extend outwardly from and along the sidewalls of the tire. Each lug group preferably includes three separate lugs, each lug having a substantially flat outer surface lying in a different plane than the outer surfaces of the other two lugs. Two of the lugs are radially aligned with each other along the sidewall of the tire with the third lug lying intermediate spaced pairs of these aligned lugs. The lugs are formed with sharp corners offset from each other which extend outwardly from the sidewall to different levels. A top surface of one of the lugs aligns with the ground engaging surface of an adjacent shoulder rib tread lug and the top surface of the intermediate lug aligns with the inner tread surface of the road engaging tread pattern.

A pneumatic tire has a tread designed primarily for off-road activities, comprising large lugs. The tread can be defined as having a central tread width that is divided into a central tread zone and opposing lateral tread zones. The tire also has shoulder regions extending from each lateral tread zone. The tread itself has a plurality of tread elements separated by lateral grooves in the lateral tread zones. The lateral grooves in the lateral tread zones are protected by elongated pads, the pads extending from between a pair of the tread elements and into a shoulder region of the tire. Each pad has a radial height less than the adjacent tread elements and has a base width greater than 50% of the width of the lateral grooves.

The invention provides a novel all-steel mud-field tire, and belongs to the field of tires. Through the adoption of the novel all-steel mud-field tire disclosed by the invention, improving tire strength is facilitated, impact resistance and durability of the tire are improved, and the service life of the tire is prolonged. A longitudinal section of the all-steel mud-field tire comprises a tire crown (1), a tire shoulder (2), a tire sidewall (3), a tire bead (6), and a tire body (4), wherein the tire crown (1) is located on the outer side of the upper part of the longitudinal section; the tire shoulder (2) is connected with the tire crown (1); the tire sidewall (3) is connected with the tire shoulder (2); the tire bead (6) connected with a wheel rim is arranged at the lower part of the tire sidewall (3); the tire body (4) is located on the inner side of the section of the tire; a tire shoulder pad (21) is arranged on the tire shoulder (2); a convex rib (31) is circumferentially and annularly arranged on the outer part of the tire sidewall (3); and the tire body (4) is a layer of all-steel tire body.

To enhance cornering performance on each road surface and improve steering stability while ensuring traction performance and breaking performance of a pneumatic tire on a snow road or off-road.A shoulder land row (31) between a main groove (11) extending in the tire peripheral direction of a tread unit (2) and a tread end (TE) is partitioned into plan-view trapezoidal blocks (31B) with their widths reducing toward the outer side of a tire width direction by shoulder lug grooves (26) in an almost tire width direction. A plan-view trapezoidal notch (40) with its width reducing toward the inside of a block (31B) is formed in almost the center of the main groove (11) side edge of a block (31B), and an inclined surface (41) extending from the surface of the block (31B) toward the bottom of the main groove (11) is formed in the notch (40) integrally with the block (31B). This inclined surface (41) is formed stepwise by a plurality of recessed curved surfaces and protruding ridges formed between them.

A tire has a circumferential tread, the tread including shoulder tread regions configured for off-road performance separated by and interlocking with a center tread region configured for on-road performance. The shoulder tread regions are defined by a repeating pattern of two or more distinct shoulder tread elements and the center tread region is defined by a repeating pattern of two or more distinct center tread elements. The shoulder tread elements each have a ground contacting surface area greater than a ground contacting surface area of the center tread elements. The center tread elements extend at a relatively greater angle of inclination with respect to an equatorial centerplane of the tire and the shoulder tread elements extend at a relatively lesser angle of inclination with respect to the centerplane. The center tread elements and the shoulder tread elements are irregular and asymmetrical about a longitudinal central axis and a transverse central axis and, together, total five or more (three in the center tread region and two in the shoulder tread region) tread blocks of mutually distinctive geometric shape.

The present invention provides structures on the tread of a tire that improve the evacuation of mud, soil and the like. In particular, different tread features are provided that may improve the evacuation of mud, soil and the like by themselves or by strategically combining them. These different tread features may be tested to see how they affect mud evacuation at different rotational speeds by a test apparatus that mimics the performance of a tire. For example, a tread that has offset shoulder tread blocks, which shows good mud evacuation at lower speeds, may be combined with shoulder grooves with pockets that show good mud evacuation at intermediate speeds to see if this combination provides a solution that has the lowest change of speed necessary to evacuate 50-87% of the mud found in the grooves.

A tire having a tread wherein a first shoulder region includes a plurality of shoulder blocks that are circumferentially separated by shoulder transverse grooves. A central region includes a plurality of substantially transverse grooves extending from a first circumferential groove toward the equatorial plane, wherein two circumferentially consecutive substantially transverse grooves delimit a central area. The central area includes a first central block; a second central block having one side forming a part of the wall of the first circumferential groove; and a third central block circumferentially shifted with respect to the first central block and positioned at a distance from the first circumferential groove, the third central block being separated from the second central block by a central transverse groove which is inclined with respect to the equatorial plane. The substantially transverse grooves have respective end portions at a distance from the equatorial plane.

Disclosed is an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer having isotactic polypropylene crystallinity compounded with a blend rubber wherein the terpolymer can be present in an amount effective to improve tack, aged tensile strength retention, fatigue resistance, ozone cracking resistance, and reversion resistance. Also disclosed is an elastomer composition wherein the terpolymer can have at least 60 wt % propylene-derived units, at least 6 wt % ethylene-derived units and from 0.3 to 10 wt % diene-derived units, and a tire sidewall composition comprising from 10 to 30 phr terpolymer, from 20 to 60 phr natural rubber, from 20 to 60 phr polybutadiene rubber, and an optional secondary blend rubber. Also disclosed is a vulcanizate of the elastomer composition, and articles, tire sidewalls, tires, retreaded tires, bias truck tires, off-road tires, and passenger automobile tires made with the vulcanizate. Further disclosed are processes for making molded articles and tires, and for retreading tires.

Wheel assemblies and valves for use with central tire inflation systems are provided. A wheel assembly may include a wheel having a rim and a wall extending radially inwardly from the rim. The wall may include an inboard side and an outboard side, and a central opening therethrough. The wheel may include a wheel duct for communicating pressurized fluid to a tire. A valve may be secured to the wheel wall. The valve may include an inboard side and an outboard side. The valve may include a hub interface adapted to extend from its inboard side. The hub interface may be adapted to extend around the wheel wall. The valve may include an inlet duct opening on the hub interface to communicate with a duct in a wheel hub on which the wheel is mounted. The valve may also include an outlet duct configured to communicate with the wheel duct.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire excellent in running performance on a rough road. In order to achieve the object, a pneumatic tire comprises a tread surface having a plurality of lug grooves each of which opens to a sidewall, the sidewall includes a plurality of protrusions disposed thereon, wherein each of the lug grooves includes a protruding strip portion disposed on a groove bottom of the lug groove and extending along an extending direction of the lug groove, the protruding strip portion has a start point thereof at an inner side than a ground-contact point in a width direction as viewed from a front side thereof, and extends up to one of the protrusions beyond an open end of the lug groove located at the sidewall side and is connected to the protrusion.

To improve straight running stability on an off-road. An off-road pneumatic tire 1, which has on a tread portion 2 at least one block row 10 comprising a plural of blocks 9 arranged in the tire circumferential direction. The block row 10 includes a center block row 10A composed of center blocks 11 arranged on the tire equator C. Each of the center blocks 11 comprises a lateral-long block main portion 11a having a width BW in the tire axial direction larger than the length BL in the tire circumferential direction, and a keel portion 11b prepared integrally on the rear side of the block main portion 11a in the tire rotational direction and projecting with a small width toward the rear side in the tire rotational direction.

A tire is configured having first and second shoulder rows of shoulder tread elements opposite respective first and second interior rows of interior tread elements, separated respectively by circumferentially extending, zig-zag shaped first and second grooves within a tire tread region. Each groove is defined by opposed shoulder tread elements and interior tread elements and includes a circumferentially continuous see-through central groove portion extending parallel to a circumferential centerplane of the tread. The see-through circumferential grooves communicate with angular intermediate and shoulder lateral grooves having a relatively wide mouth dimension adjacent to a respective circumferential grooves. Staggered in and out shoulder regions within the shoulder tread elements facilitate gripping edges and prevent mud clogging of the shoulder grooves.

A pneumatic tire includes: a main groove extending in a tire circumferential direction disposed on a shoulder region of a tread portion; lug grooves extending from the main groove toward an outer side and reaching a side wall portion; and blocks demarcated by the main groove and lug grooves. An edge on an innermost side in a tire radial direction of the blocks is positioned more on an outer side in the tire radial direction than a tire maximum width position, and a ratio of an orthogonal distance from a ground contact end position to the edge on an innermost side in the tire radial direction of the blocks is 0.2 or more. Recessed portions each having a closed periphery are provided in a side region more on an outer side in a tire width direction than the ground contact end of the blocks.

An off-road motorcycle tire having a block pattern comprising a plurality of blocks 11 defined by tread grooves 10, each block 11 having a circumferential profile 16 of top surface 12 in the form of a straight line or a circular arc having a radius Ra of curvature of at least 500 mm, in which the circumferential profile denotes a profile in the circumferential section which passes through the centroid G of the top surface 12 and is parallel to the tire equatorial plane Cc. According to the invention, the ground contact pressure at the periphery of the top surface of blocks 11 is prevented from lowering to enhance the edge effect.

A pneumatic tire has a tread designed primarily for off-road activities, comprising large lugs. The tread can be defined as having a central tread width that is divided into a central tread zone and opposing lateral tread zones. The tire also has shoulder regions extending from each lateral tread zone. The tread itself has a plurality of tread elements separated by lateral grooves in the lateral tread zones. The lateral grooves in the lateral tread zones are protected by elongated pads, the pads extending from between a pair of the tread elements and into a shoulder region of the tire. Each pad has a radial height less than the adjacent tread elements and has a base width greater than 50% of the width of the lateral grooves.

A motorcycle tire for running on rough terrain comprises a tread portion (2) having a developed tread width (TWe) and provided with a plurality of tread blocks (B). The tread blocks include a plurality of crown blocks (13) defined as having a ground contacting top surface whose centroid (Gb) is located within a crown region (Cr) defined as having a developed width of 1 / 3 of the developed tread width (TWe) and centered on the tire equator. The crown blocks include a plurality of central crown blocks (13a) whose axial distance (L1) from the tire equatorial plane to the centroid is not more than 2 % of the developed tread width, and a plurality of off-center crown blocks (13b) whose axial distance (L2) from the tire equatorial plane to the centroid is more than 2 % and not more than 6 % of the developed tread width.

A strip of tire ply stock is reinforced with steel cords wherein the steel cords are constructed of high strength wire filament having at least a tensile strength of −2000×D+4400 MPa where D is the filament diameter in mm. Tires are constructed with the ply stock in the belt and / or carcass.

A pneumatic tire is provided in which hydroplaning performance, transverse slipping performance on snow, straight forward traveling stability, and the like are maintained by a pair of circumferential grooves. A large number of second blocks and center blocks are formed, by a large number of transverse grooves, in a center tread region positioned between the pair of circumferential grooves. A reinforcing portion is provided at the center block. This reinforcing portion faces, in a circumferential direction, the second block with a narrow transverse groove therebetween. Another reinforcing portion is provided at an end portion of the second block. This reinforcing portion faces, in the circumferential direction, the center block with a narrow transverse groove therebetween. Each block is reinforced by the reinforcing portion provided integrally therewith. When a block receives load in a direction of deformation, the block abuts and is supported by the reinforcing portion of a block adjacent thereto. Thus, even if a number of transverse grooves is increased, deformation is suppressed. Accordingly, good off-road performance, on-snow performance, and on-road traveling performance can be obtained.

Provided is a pneumatic tire being excellent in property of protecting the tire from a mounted tire chain or being excellent in property of discharging mud from grooves formed on the tire.The pneumatic tire includes a tread portion having lug grooves, and side portions which are contiguously formed with the tread portion. Projections which differ in at least one of a shape and a size are arranged on a side portion in a plurality of rows in a tire radial direction. Opening positions of small lug grooves on both sides of the tread portion are made to agree with a straight line which passes the projection and extends in the tire radial direction.

An insert specifically adapted for use with an off-road tire, such as an off-road tire of a motocross motorcycle, or an off-road bicycle. The insert includes an inflatable tube and a foam element which generally conforms to the contours of the off-road tire to provide support to the tire when the tube is inflated. The ability to deflate the insert facilitates installation of the insert between the wheel rim and off-road tire. When inflated, the insert occupies the space between the wheel rim and tire to support a load during use of the wheel.

An off the road tire comprising a carcass, a tread located radially outward of the carcass, the tread having a plurality of lugs, the lugs extending radially outward from an inner tread and being located between first and second lateral tread edges, a first row of lugs extending from the tread lateral edge axially inwards toward the centerplane, a second row of lugs extending from the opposite tread lateral edge and axially inwards toward the centerplane and wherein the lugs of the first and second rows are separated by a plurality of shoulder grooves, a third row of lugs located between the first and second row of lugs, wherein all of the lugs in each row are aligned circumferentially, wherein the lugs in the third row have two or more ends formed by grooves.

A pneumatic tire has a shoulder land portion including a tread edge and a plurality of lateral grooves which are open to an outer wall of the shoulder land portion in a tread surface. One end in a tire circumferential direction of the outer wall is positioned on an inner side in a tire width direction with respect to another end between the lateral grooves which are adjacent to each other. A vacancy communicating with the lateral groove from the one end of the outer wall is formed so as to face the outer wall. A pawl portion protruding in the tire circumferential direction is provided in a wall surface of the lateral groove which is close to the other end of the outer wall. A height of the pawl portion from a bottom of the lateral groove is gradually decreased toward a leading end.

An unmotorized sand-rideable bicycle utilizes oversized balloon tires that have an enlarged footprint to permit the bicycle to ride up over even loose sand to provide ease of pedaling as well as enhanced steering and stability over that associated with standard bicycles.