Patent ID: 7942177

Claim:
A pneumatic tire that has a directional tread pattern, comprising: a first land area being rib-shaped and extending in a center section of a tread portion in the tire-circumferential direction; a pair of first main grooves extending in the tire-circumferential direction and being adjacent respectively to the two sides of the first land area; a pair of second land areas extending in the tire-circumferential direction and being adjacent respectively to the outer sides of the first main grooves; a pair of second main grooves extending in the tire-circumferential direction and being adjacent respectively to the outer sides of the second land areas; a pair of third land areas extending in the tire-circumferential direction and being adjacent respectively to the outer sides of the second main grooves; a fine groove extending in the tire-circumferential direction and being formed at the center of the first land area; a plurality of lug grooves being formed in the first land area and each extending from a corresponding one of the first main grooves towards the fine groove; and a plurality of sipes being formed in the first land area and each extending from a corresponding one of the first main grooves towards the fine groove, wherein the plurality of lug grooves alternate with the plurality of sipes along the tire-circumferential direction, each of the lug grooves intersects with a corresponding one of the sipes, an end of each of the lug grooves formed in the first land area is formed as a dead end located between the fine groove and a corresponding one of the first main grooves, the width and the depth of each of the lug grooves formed in the first land area are gradually reduced from the open-end side of the lug groove to the closed-end side thereof, each of the sipes formed in the first land area communicates with the fine groove, and each of the sipes formed in the first land area includes: a deeper section which lies between a corresponding one of the first main grooves and an intersection with a corresponding one of the lug grooves; and a shallower section which lies between the fine groove and the intersection with the corresponding lug groove and which is shallower than the deeper section.