Patent ID: 7213625

Claim:
A tire tread comprising a tread pattern formed by a plurality of motifs in relief which are defined by grooves oriented respectively in the transverse direction and in the longitudinal direction of the tread, each of these motifs comprising a contact face and lateral faces, a plurality of these motifs in relief being interconnected two by two by at least two rubber connecting elements molded in a respective ones of the grooves during the molding of the tread, these connecting elements defining, with the opposing walls of the motifs in relief to which they are connected, a cavity which closes in contact with the roadway to trap and compress a volume of air, at least one of the rubber connecting elements comprising at least one orifice passing through the whole of said at least one rubber connecting element to cause the volume of said cavity to communicate with a groove, wherein the at least one orifice has an elongated form in a direction substantially perpendicular to the running surface of the tread, and wherein the at least one orifice is arranged as close as possible to one of the opposing faces of said motifs so as to be practically insensitive to the compression of the rubber resulting from the contact with the roadway and thus prevent its closure.