Patent ID: 7604031

Claim:
A pneumatic tire having a rubber sidewall comprised of (i) an outer, visible annular configured sidewall rubber layer which comprises (A) 30 to 80 phr of natural rubber; (B) 20 to 70 phr of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber; (C) from 10 to 100 phr of silica; and (D) from 1 to 30 phr of a particulate rubber gel filler selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene gel, styrene butadiene gel, acrylonitrile-butadiene gel, chloroprene gel, natural rubber gel, and mixtures thereof; and (ii) an inner annular configured sidewall rubber layer integral with and underlying said outer sidewall layer which comprises, based upon parts by weight per 100 parts by weight rubber (phr): (1) conjugated diene-based elastomers comprised of: (a) about 40 to about 80 phr of cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber, (b) about 20 to about 60 phr of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber, (c) from zero to about 30 phr of styrene/butadiene copolymer rubber; (2) about 55 to about 80 phr of reinforcing filler as: (a) about 5 to about 40 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black having an Iodine value in a range of from about 30 to about 90 g/kg and a dibutylphthalate (DBP) value in a range of from about 70 to about 130 cc/100 g, and (b) about 15 to about 70 phr of synthetic amorphous precipitated silica, (3) a coupling agent for said precipitated silica having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups contained on said precipitated silica and another moiety interactive with said conjugated diene-based elastomers, and (4) a dispersion therein of short fibers in a range of about 1 to about 12 phr thereof, wherein said short fibers have an average length of less than 0.5 millimeters (mm) and are comprised of at least one of aramid and nylon filaments; wherein said short fibers are substantially aligned in a parallel relationship to each other and substantially parallel to said annular configured inner sidewall rubber layer, and wherein said tire further is comprised of a carcass which contains a rubber carcass ply comprised of a rubber encapsulated cord reinforcement of a plurality of cords, wherein said cords extend in a radial direction outward from a bead portion of the tire to its circumferential tread, wherein said cords are spaced apart in a substantially parallel relationship to each other, wherein said rubber carcass ply is integral with and underlies said inner rubber sidewall layer and wherein said short fibers of said inner rubber sidewall layer are substantially aligned in a perpendicular direction to said cords of said underlying carcass ply.