Tires, particularly commercial vehicle tires as used on trucks, must be periodically removed from service and replaced as the tires eventually wear from use. Depending upon the application and maintenance of each tire, anomalies in the tread region can also develop during use that lead to the tire being removed from service before reaching the normal useful life of the tread. Typically, such anomalies are discovered as the driver senses a change in the ride of the vehicle or a change in the tire noise during vehicle use, and removal of a tire having anomalies is frequently a subjective determination. Such anomalies can include, for example, depressions or uneven wear in the tread region, which is generally caused by unequal stress distribution laterally across the tread region. “Heel and toe” wear is a form of irregular wear that can occur in which one side of a tread element—such as the leading edge of a tread block—wears more quickly than the opposing side. An explanation of various types of irregular tire wear can be found in a guide entitled “Radial Tire Conditions Analysis Guide: A Comprehensive Review of Tread Wear and Conditions”, published by The Truck Maintenance Council (TMC).
Many different factors can contribute to irregular tire wear. For example, the operating conditions of the vehicle as well as the type of load carried can both have an impact on tire wear. In addition to the existence of many possible causes, it is common that a combination rather than a single factor will start uneven wear or cause it to increase. Determining a solution where a combination of factors is contributing can be particularly difficult.
Accordingly, a need remains to reduce the irregular wear occurring on tread elements such as e.g., tread blocks. The present invention provides one or more features than can help resist the onset and continuation of irregular wear. The onset of “heel to toe” wear is a particular concern that the present invention can be useful in addressing.