Continental Aktiengesellschaft

Katja Hanebuth

Markus Metz

Tanja Wackerhage

Thomas Sych

Frank Jenne

Tire tread

A pneumatic tire for motor vehicles has a running surface profile designed in the direction of rotation, with two shoulder regions (S , S ) each being a constituent of a row of shoulder blocks, and with a middle region (C) separated from them by circumferential grooves ( ) running in the circumferential direction; this middle region encompasses the width of the circumferential grooves ( ) and covers a minimum width of 60% of the width of the running surface (B), is free from circumferential grooves running in the circumferential direction and is equipped with a number of V-shaped running rills ( ), which open into the circumferential grooves ( ) and whose V-peaks rest at least essentially on the equator line (M&mdash;M). In the two partial regions of the middle region (C) running to the side of the equator line (M&mdash;M) there are a number of slanting grooves ( ) which are oriented in the same direction to the course of the V-shaped rills ( ), crossing at least three V-shaped rills ( ) following each other in the circumferential direction and being at least essentially of a straight design, wherein these slanting grooves ( ) run at an incline at a much smaller angle (&bgr;, &bgr;&prime;) to the equator line (M&mdash;M) than the V-shaped rills ( ) and which are the widest of all grooves or rills of the profile, wherein the slanting grooves ( ) of the one partial region of the middle region (C) are offset in the circumferential direction with respect to those of the other partial region.

Growing community of inventors

Hannover, Germany

Katja Hanebuth