Truck racing tire

Abstract

The invention is directed to a pneumatic radial ply truck tire having a tread with a tread depth D, at least two circumferential grooves dividing the tread into at least a first shoulder circumferential rib, an intermediary circumferential rib, and a second shoulder circumferential rib, the tire being characterized by the tread having a base region disposed at depth D and a cap region over the base region, the base region and the cap region adjoining along a boundary, the cap region comprising a cap rubber composition having properties measured at 23° C. of: elongation of 400 to 500%, true tensile of 77 to 83 MPa, 300% modulus of 9 to 11 MPa, tensile strength of 14 to 15 MPa, shore A hardness of 63 to 68, rebound of 20 to 25%; and the base region comprising a base rubber composition having properties measured at 23° C. of: elongation of 470 to 520%, true tensile of 135 to 150 MPa, 300% modulus of 13 to 15.5 MPa, tensile strength of 22 to 25 MPa, shore A hardness of 63 to 67, rebound 50 to 55%.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of co-pending Ser. No. 60 / 671,568, filed Apr. 15, 2005, and fully incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Tires generally have a tread that is well suited for a specific vehicle application. Certain tread and reinforcement packages specifically designed for a racing truck are well known. The considerations relevant to a tire for such an application are, among others, tread configuration, reinforcement package disposition, and material composition. While existing and commercially available tires developed for truck racing to date have worked well, certain shortcomings in such tires remain. In particular, existing truck racing tire designs are deficient in several key areas. [0003] First, the weight and material utilization in currently available truck racing tires is greater than desired resulting in a tire with less than optimal temperature and weight characteristics. Another problem is that existing tire tread d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005] The invention is directed to a pneumatic radial ply truck tire having a tread with a tread depth D, at least two circumferential grooves dividing the tread into at least a first shoulder circumferential rib, an intermediary circumferential rib, and a second shoulder circumferential rib, the tire being characterized by the tread having a base region disposed at depth D and a cap region over the base region, the base region and the cap region adjoining along a boundary, the cap region comprising a

Problems solved by technology

In particular, existing truck racing tire designs are deficient in several key areas.

First, the weight and material utilization in currently available truck racing tires is greater than desired resulting in a tire with less than optimal temperature and weight characteristics.

Another problem is that existing tire tread designs for truck racing applications experience irregular wear in the shoulder region of the tire and offer a less than optimal indication of wear.

Such irregular shoulder wear results in unpredictable performance and a resultant competitive disadvantage.

Still a further problem is that existing tread and tire designs provide less than satisfactory lateral stability and handling and lower than desired resistance in the event of tread damage.

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