Tire with tread containing combination of specialized elastomer and coupling agent

摘要

This invention relates to a tire wherein at least a portion of its tire tread containing a running surface is of a rubber composition comprising a functionalized elastomer, silica reinforcement, particularly precipitated silica aggregates which contain hydroxyl groups (e.g. silanol groups) and a blocked alkoxyorganomercaptosilane coupling agent. The rubber composition may constitute the entire, or major portion of, the running surface of the tread or may be limited to only a longitudinal circumferential strip, or portion, of the running surface of the tread. Such functionalized elastomer is an elastomer which contains functional groups distributed along the polymer chain and/or at its terminal end. Such functional groups may be divided into two categories, namely, a first category which promotes adsorptive interactions with the precipitated silica and a second category which chemically bonds to the precipitated silica. Such functionalized elastomer may contain functional group(s) from either of both of said first and second categories. In addition, said functionalized elastomer may be tin coupled.