Use of hydrocarbon resins as an alternative to TDAE oil in tire tread compounds

The increasing demand on passenger car tires requires a continuous effort of tire manufacturers to improve their performance and safety. Achieving a balance between the three properties that form the “Magic Triangle of Tires” is one of the biggest challenges in this field. This work aims to improve this balance between wet grip, rolling and wear resistance by the use of performance hydrocarbon resins as an alternative to treated distillate aromatic extracted (TDAE) oil in tire tread compounds. In this framework, the effect on the in-rubber properties of five different hydrocarbon resins with different chemical nature, was studied in a styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)/polybutadiene rubber (BR) blend. The effect of the resins was analyzed by the use of different experimental techniques. All the compounds containing resin in their formulation, independently of their amount and chemical nature, showed an increase in the wet grip indicator and abrasion resistance indicator. However, it also was observed a deterioration in the rolling resistance indicator.