Patent ID: 7350552

Claim:
A steer axle tire for a heavy vehicle, the tire designed for a single rolling direction and comprising a radial carcass reinforcement surmounted by a crown reinforcement and a tread, the tire including a visual indicator indicating the single rolling direction, the tread comprising ribs separated by grooves of generally circumferential orientation, two of said ribs forming the edges of the tread, and at least two of said ribs being intermediate such two edge ribs, the intermediate ribs having a plurality of incisions, all incisions being V-shaped and oriented in the same direction, each incision being of a width of less than 3 mm, a depth E when the tread is new and substantially parallel to each other, wherein each incision has an angular relationship with a line extending perpendicular to the point where the incision intersects the tread's outer surface, the angular relationship varying along the incision wherein the angular relationship in an outer tread region extending from the outer surface to a depth of one-third E is zero degrees, and the angular relationship in an inner tread region at a depth greater than one-third E being greater than the angular relationship in the outer tread region, wherein a radially innermost first point of each incision is located, relative to the indicated rolling direction of the tire, in front of a second point of the incision located on the running surface of the tread when new, wherein each incision, from its second point to its first point, has a generally concave side and a generally convex side, the generally concave side facing in the rolling direction and further wherein the two edge ribs are free of incisions having varying inclination.