TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology relates to a pneumatic tire and particularly relates to a pneumatic tire that can provide performance on snow and performance on ice in a compatible manner.

BACKGROUND ART

A studless tire is required to have good performance on snow and performance on ice. The technologies described in Japan Patent Nos. 3682269 and 5686955 as well as Japan Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-074289 are known studless tires in the related art.

SUMMARY

The technology provides a pneumatic tire that can provide performance on snow and performance on ice in a compatible manner.

A pneumatic tire includes two circumferential main grooves disposed in a region on one side of a tire equatorial plane as a boundary; and a land portion defined by the two circumferential main grooves, the land portion including a circumferential narrow groove extending in a tire circumferential direction and a plurality of sets of a first lug groove and a second lug groove that extend in a tire lateral direction through the circumferential narrow groove; the first lug groove including an end portion that opens to an edge portion on one side of the land portion and another end portion that terminates within the land portion, the second lug groove including an end portion that opens to another edge portion of the land portion and another end portion that terminates within the land portion; and the first lug groove and the second lug groove being alternately disposed in the tire circumferential direction.

In a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the technology, the first lug groove and the second lug groove extend in the tire lateral direction through the circumferential narrow groove and each of the lug grooves opens to the circumferential main grooves. Thus, the number of groove intersection portions is increased, groove volume is increased, and the shear force in snow and snow discharge properties of the land portion on snow-covered road surfaces are improved. Additionally, the first lug groove and the second lug groove include another end that terminates within the land portion. Thus, the ground contact area of the land portion is ensured, and adhesion and friction forces on icy road surfaces are ensured. This is advantageous in that the performance on snow and the performance on ice of the tire are achieved in a compatible manner.

