Patent ID: 7214731

Claim:
A tire which contains a tread and sidewall composite of a circumferential rubber tread and rubber sidewalls connecting to peripheral edges of said tread, wherein said tread and sidewall are comprised of rubber compositions containing a combination of carbon black and precipitated silica reinforcement: wherein said precipitated silica is pre-hydrophobated prior to its addition to said rubber composition by treatment with a bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide which contains an average of from 2 to 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge, for which ethanol byproduct is produced by such pre-hydrophobation thereof; wherein said ethanol byproduct is removed therefrom prior to addition of said pre-hydrophobated precipitated silica to the tread and sidewall rubber composition; wherein said rubber compositions of said tread and sidewalls are thereby exclusive of said ethanol produced by said pre-treatment of said precipitated silica; and wherein said rubber compositions of said tread and sidewalls are exclusive of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine and thereby exclusive of methyl isobutyl ketone derived from said N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine.