Tire having non-black colored tread

摘要

The present invention relates to a tire (1) having a rubber tread of a lug (3) and groove (4) configuration and which may be of a co-extruded cap/base construction; wherein at least a part of the visible portion of the tread is exclusive of carbon black and thereby of a color other than black. Such non-black colored rubber includes the outer surface of at least one of said tread lugs (3) intended to be ground-contacting. In one aspect of the invention, said non-black colored rubber composition contains (A) a precipitated silica reinforcement which has been pre-treated with a hydrophobation agent and optionally also pre-treated with a coupling agent or (B) a precipitated silica which has been pre-treated with a hydrophobating agent and a coupling agent which does not from an alcohol byproduct upon reacting with hydroxyl groups (e.g. silanol groups) contained on the surface of said precipitated silica. In another aspect of the invention, said non-black colored rubber composition is comprised of at least one diene based elastomer and a brominated poly(isobutylene-co-para-methylstyrene) where a coupling agent for said silica is an organo phosphite.