Patent ID: 7500500

Claim:
A pneumatic tire for use on iced and snowed road surfaces having a tread surface, the tread surface comprising: main grooves extending in a circumferential direction of the tire; lateral grooves extending in a width direction of the tire; and tread blocks defined by said main grooves and said lateral grooves, said tread blocks having center blocks and shoulder blocks located on both sides of said center blocks, wherein: each center block has only pairs of center block left and right sipes that intersect with a width-directional center portion of said center block, said pairs of center block left and right sipes being disposed at a predetermined interval in said circumferential direction, said center block left sipes of the pairs being discontinuous with said center block right sipes of the pairs, ones of said center block left and right sipes of the pairs extend in said width direction from said width-directional center portion of said center block toward one of said main grooves, outer ends of said ones of said center block left and right sipes of the pairs being opened at a side face of said center block, the others of said center block left and right sipes of the pairs extend in said width direction from said width-directional center portion of said center block toward another of said main grooves, outer ends of said others of said center block left and right sipes of the pairs being opened at another side face of said center block, each shoulder block has only pairs of shoulder block left and right sipes that extend in said width direction without intersecting a width-directional center portion of said shoulder block, said pairs of shoulder block left and right sipes being disposed at a predetermined interval in said circumferential direction, said shoulder block left sipes of the pairs being discontinuous with said shoulder block right sipes of the pairs, ones of said shoulder block left and right sipes of the pairs extend in said width direction from said width-directional center portion of said shoulder block toward said center block, outer ends of said ones of said shoulder block left and right sipes of the pairs being opened at a side face of said shoulder block, and the others of said shoulder block left and right sipes of the pairs extend in said width direction from said width-directional center portion of said shoulder block and away from said center block, outer ends of said others of said shoulder block left and right sipes of the pairs being opened at another side face of said shoulder block.