Tire Shoulder Groove Layout for Wet Grip and Dry Steering Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires face a challenge in enhancing wet performance without compromising steering stability on dry road surfaces, as existing designs often prioritize one aspect over the other.
Innovation Solution
The tire design features a tread portion with specific circumferential grooves and land portions, including a first shoulder lateral groove with a maximum groove width portion, inner and outer portions with varying groove widths, and a reduction rate, which enhances drainage and maintains pattern stiffness for improved wet performance while maintaining steering stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the groove width is increased to enhance drainage performance, then wet performance is improved, but steering stability on dry road surfaces deteriorates due to reduced pattern stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The groove width varies along the axial direction with different reduction rates in different sections. The first reduction rate applies to the first portion while the second reduction rate (smaller than the first) applies to the second portion, creating localized variations in groove width that optimize both drainage and stiffness in different regions
Solution Approach 2:
The groove width is designed to change dynamically along the axial direction rather than remaining uniform. The varying reduction rates create a progressive narrowing effect that adapts the groove characteristics to different functional requirements along the tire shoulder land portion
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a tire that has enhanced wet performance while maintaining steering stability on dry road surfaces. The tire has a tread portion 2. The tread portion 2 includes a first shoulder circumferential groove 5 and a first shoulder land portion 11. In the first shoulder land portion 11, a plurality of first shoulder lateral grooves 20 are disposed. At least one of the first shoulder lateral grooves 20 includes an inner end 20i connected to the first shoulder circumferential groove 5, a maximum groove width portion 21, and an outer portion 22. The maximum groove width portion 21 is disposed at almost the center, in a tire axial direction, of a ground contact surface of the first shoulder land portion 11. A groove width at the inner end 20i and a groove width, on a first tread end T1, of the first shoulder lateral groove 20 are each less than the maximum groove width. A groove width of the outer portion 22 is reduced outward in the tire axial direction.