A tread for a tire defining lateral and longitudinal directions, the tread comprising: a central portion and a shoulder portion separated by a shoulder longitudinal groove; a plurality of central tread blocks located in the central portion that are formed by central lateral elements consisting of lateral central sipes and lateral central grooves, wherein the lateral central grooves number no more than 10 % of a total of the central lateral elements; a plurality of shoulder tread blocks located in the shoulder portion that are formed by shoulder lateral elements consisting of lateral shoulder sipes and lateral shoulder grooves, wherein the lateral shoulder grooves number no more than 35 % of a total of the shoulder lateral elements, the central and shoulder tread blocks disposed circumferentially about the tread, the central tread blocks having an average central tread block length of between 6.5 mm and 10 mm and the shoulder tread blocks having an average shoulder tread block length of between 10 mm and 20 mm; wherein the tread has a tread thickness in the central portion of between 6.5 mm and 7.7 mm and is formed at least in part of a rubber composition that is based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, per hundred parts by weight of rubber (phr): 100 phr of rubber selected from between 50 phr and 100 phr of a functionalized styrene-butadiene rubber and between 0 phr and 50 phr of a polybutadiene rubber, wherein the functionalized SBR includes a functional group attached as an active moiety; a plasticizing system comprising a plasticizing resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 25 °C and a plasticizing liquid, wherein the plasticizing system is added in an effective amount to provide the rubber composition with a glass transition temperature of between -30 °C and -15 °C and with a dynamic modulus G* at 60 °C of between 0.9 MPa and 1.15 MPa; between 95 phr and 125 phr of a silica filler; and a sulfur curing system. a central portion and a shoulder portion separated by a shoulder longitudinal groove; a plurality of central tread blocks located in the central portion that are formed by central lateral elements consisting of lateral central sipes and lateral central grooves, wherein the lateral central grooves number no more than 10 % of a total of the central lateral elements; a plurality of shoulder tread blocks located in the shoulder portion that are formed by shoulder lateral elements consisting of lateral shoulder sipes and lateral shoulder grooves, wherein the lateral shoulder grooves number no more than 35 % of a total of the shoulder lateral elements, the central and shoulder tread blocks disposed circumferentially about the tread, the central tread blocks having an average central tread block length of between 6.5 mm and 10 mm and the shoulder tread blocks having an average shoulder tread block length of between 10 mm and 20 mm; wherein the tread has a tread thickness in the central portion of between 6.5 mm and 7.7 mm and is formed at least in part of a rubber composition that is based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, per hundred parts by weight of rubber (phr): 100 phr of rubber selected from between 50 phr and 100 phr of a functionalized styrene-butadiene rubber and between 0 phr and 50 phr of a polybutadiene rubber, wherein the functionalized SBR includes a functional group attached as an active moiety; a plasticizing system comprising a plasticizing resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 25 °C and a plasticizing liquid, wherein the plasticizing system is added in an effective amount to provide the rubber composition with a glass transition temperature of between -30 °C and -15 °C and with a dynamic modulus G* at 60 °C of between 0.9 MPa and 1.15 MPa; between 95 phr and 125 phr of a silica filler; and a sulfur curing system. 100 phr of rubber selected from between 50 phr and 100 phr of a functionalized styrene-butadiene rubber and between 0 phr and 50 phr of a polybutadiene rubber, wherein the functionalized SBR includes a functional group attached as an active moiety; a plasticizing system comprising a plasticizing resin having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 25 °C and a plasticizing liquid, wherein the plasticizing system is added in an effective amount to provide the rubber composition with a glass transition temperature of between -30 °C and -15 °C and with a dynamic modulus G* at 60 °C of between 0.9 MPa and 1.15 MPa; between 95 phr and 125 phr of a silica filler; and a sulfur curing system.