The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Thomas H Wells

Peter Ross Shepler

Russell A Carolla

William M Hopkins

Thomas Reed Oare

Klaus Beer

James Anthony Bukowski

Perry W Bell

Gary William Richards

Thomas Alan Brown

Jon A Gerspacher

A bias ply pneumatic tire 40,80 is disclosed. The tire 40,80 has a tread 42,82 with a plurality of circumferentially continuous grooves 52,72 and a plurality of laterally extending grooves 50,70. The grooves define tread elements 60,90 of parallelogram shape. Each lateral groove 50,70 includes a portion 53,73 extending from a tread edge a distance of at least 5% of the tread width (W). The portion of the groove 53,73 adjacent a tread edge is inclined less than 25.degree. relative to a plane passing through the axis of rotation, preferably inclined 23.degree.. The tread elements 60,90 preferably have radially extending groove walls having an outer portion 69A,79A inclined at 10.degree. and an inner portion 69B,79B inclined at least 30.degree. relative to the radial direction. The tire is particularly well-suited for a rear drive tire for Sprint car racing vehicles.

Bias ply pneumatic tire

A pneumatic tire (10, 40) having a belt reinforcing structure (24) located between the carcass (12) and the tread portion (20) is reinforced with an overlay belt (30) located between the belt reinforcing structure (24) and the tread (20). The overlay belt (30) has a plurality of parallel cords (32) oriented at an angle with respect to the equatorial plane (EP) of the tire. The angle of the cords (32) is between 9.degree. to 24.degree. degrees. The overlay can be used by itself or in conjunction with a pair of belt reinforcing strips (42) located radially outwardly along both axial edges (46, 48) of one of the belts (26, 28) of the belt reinforcing structure (24). The belt reinforcing strips (42) also contain a plurality of cords (50) oriented at an angle of from 9.degree. to 24.degree. with respect to the equatorial plane of the tires.

Angled overlay belt for tires

The tread (28) of a tire (10) has a plurality of traction elements (34), each of which has a ground-engaging surface. The ground-engaging surfaces are convex in either an axial direction, a circumferential direction, or both directions. The convex paths followed by the ground-engaging surfaces vary between ground-engaging surfaces across the axial width of the tread in relationship to the unit tread pressure of the tire, and may also vary between ground-engaging surfaces that are axially aligned but located at different places around the circumference of the tire.

Tire treads with convex elements

A pneumatic vehicle tire (10) has a plurality of radial carcass plies (16,18). One of the carcass plies (16) has a high turn-up that ends under the belt reinforcing structure (42). The other carcass ply (18) has its lateral edges (34,36) located radially inwardly of the widest part of the tire (SD).

Pneumatic tire

Growing community of inventors

Copley, OH, United States of America

Thomas H Wells