It is highly desirable for tires to have good wet braking performance and good braking performance on snow and ice. It has traditionally been very difficult to improve simultaneously a tire's braking characteristics on wet surfaces and snow and ice surfaces. This is because a good wet braking tread formulation needs to provide a high energy dissipation at low temperatures between about −20° C. and about 0° C. at a frequency of 10 Hz. Such a high energy dissipation is related to a stiffening of the rubber tread at temperatures between −10° C. and −40° C. at 10 Hz, which negatively impacts braking on snow and ice.
It would therefore be desirable to have a rubber composition for tires wherein the wet braking performance and braking on ice and snow are simultaneously improved.