Modern vehicle tires face conflicting demands across diverse operating conditions. Current fixed-tread designs must balance wet and dry performance, operating temperature ranges from -40°C to 120°C, and varying surface conditions from smooth asphalt to loose gravel. Field measurements show that optimal tread patterns for snow can reduce dry-road handling by up to 30%, while summer-optimized treads can lose 70% of their traction on wet surfaces.

The fundamental challenge lies in developing tread patterns that can dynamically adapt their geometry and material properties without compromising the tire's structural integrity or durability.

This page brings together solutions from recent research—including piezoelectric tread block actuators, shape-memory materials in tire walls, integrated sensor networks, and electronically controlled deformation mechanisms. These and other approaches focus on practical implementation while addressing both the mechanical complexity and real-time control requirements of adaptive tire systems.

1. Rubber Composition with Polybutadiene Base and Silica Filler for All-Weather Tire Treads

BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS TIRE OPERATIONS LLC, 2025

Rubber composition for all-weather tire treads that provides good balance of wet grip, snow traction, and rolling resistance. The composition contains specific elastomer components, fillers, resins, oils, and cure package. The elastomer blend has a polybutadiene base with a high cis content, low Tg, and small amount of styrene-butadiene rubber. The filler is silica with moderate surface area. The resin has a mid Tg. The oil amount is moderate. The cure package has specific accelerators, activators, and inhibitors. This composition provides wet grip, snow traction, and rolling resistance balance for all-weather tires.

US12370830B2-patent-drawing

2. Rubber Composition for Tire Treads with Specific Diene Rubber, Thermoplastic Elastomer, Resin, and Silica Ratios

TOYO TIRE CORP, 2025

Rubber composition for tire treads that balances wet, rolling resistance, and snow performance. The composition contains a diene rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, resin, and silica. The diene rubber has a specific range of styrene-butadiene ratios. The thermoplastic elastomer has a low butylene content. The resin is a styrene-based resin. This composition provides improved balance of wet traction, rolling resistance, and snow performance compared to conventional tire treads.

3. Winter Tire Tread with Serrated Block Edges and Curved Contours in Specific Configuration

NOKIAN RENKAAT OYJ, 2025

A tread design for winter tires that improves grip and handling on snow, ice, and bare road. The tread has a specific block arrangement with a unique shape and layout that enhances snow traction, provides better steering response, and reduces aquaplaning. The blocks have serrated edges, curved contours, and a zigzag pattern that grips and bites into snow and ice, while also providing channeling for water evacuation. The blocks are also arranged in a specific configuration to maximize contact patch size and pressure distribution on dry roads. This tread design improves winter tire performance without sacrificing summer tire characteristics.

4. Tire with Blocks Having Triangular Recess Openings on Ground and Sidewall Surfaces

SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD, 2025

A tire with improved snow traction compared to traditional tires. The tire has blocks with recesses extending across the ground contacting surface and the sidewall. The recesses have triangular openings on both the ground and sidewall surfaces. The sidewall opening terminates before reaching the groove bottom. This unique recess design allows snow to pack into the triangular openings and compact onto the ground contacting surface, enhancing traction on snow.

US12350972B2-patent-drawing

5. Non-Pneumatic Off-Road Tire with Low Camber Thrust Stiffness and Center Gap Reinforcement Ply

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, 2025

Non-pneumatic off-road tires for vehicles like utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) that have improved rut wander performance without sacrificing load capacity. The tires have characteristics like low camber thrust stiffness, specific tread shape, and reinforcement layout to prevent excessive steering inputs and wandering when driving over ruts. The low camber thrust helps avoid getting stuck in ruts. The tread has a narrower center section to widen the contact patch. The reinforcement ply has a gap in one wrap at the center to reduce stiffness. This allows the tire to follow the rut contour instead of getting stuck.

US2025214376A1-patent-drawing

6. Tire Tread with Alternating Linear and Arc-Shaped Shoulder Grooves and Angled Center Grooves

THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD, 2025

Tire with optimized snow performance and low rolling resistance by using specific narrow groove patterns in the shoulder and center regions. The shoulder has alternating linear/arc shaped narrow grooves, while the center has an angled narrow groove connected to the main groove and a separate narrow groove that extends circumferentially. This configuration improves snow traction without sacrificing rolling resistance by providing biting edges in the shoulder and center that enhance grip on snow while minimizing voids for reduced rolling resistance.

US2025214378A1-patent-drawing

7. Tire Tread with Three-Direction Intersection Grooves and Bent Edges at Specific Angles

THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD, 2025

A tire tread design that provides good snow performance and steering stability simultaneously. The tread pattern has three-direction intersection points between the grooves that allow compacting snow in multiple directions. These points have bent edges with an optimal angle range of 40-85 degrees. This design ensures strong snow shear force without sacrificing block rigidity for steering stability.

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8. Pneumatic Tire with Center and Middle Land Portions Featuring Lug Grooves, Notched Blocks, and Interconnected Sipes

THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD, 2025

Pneumatic tire design with improved uneven wear resistance and wet traction. The tire has specific features in the shoulder and center regions. The center land portion has multiple center lug grooves with blocks between them. The middle land portion has multiple middle lug grooves, blocks, a notch on the center groove side of each block, and a middle sipe extending from the notch to the shoulder side. This configuration helps prevent uneven wear and improves wet traction by providing interconnected sipes and lugs that can channel water and provide biting edges.

9. Two-Wheeled Vehicle Tire with Asymmetrical Middle Block Tread and Selective Siping

SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD, 2025

Two-wheeled vehicle tire for off-road use that provides stable traction and slide control on both soft and hard terrain. The tire has a tread with middle blocks between the equator and edge. The middle blocks have different radially outer surface areas. The smaller block has no sipe, while the larger block has at least one sipe. This configuration allows better traction on soft terrain by maximizing block contact area, while preventing excessive block deformation and maintaining stability on hard terrain by avoiding excessive sipe depth in the smaller block.

10. Tire Pressure Management System with Condition-Based Adaptive Adjustment Mechanism

VOLVO CAR CORP, 2025

Adaptive tire pressure management system that optimizes tire pressure based on factors like weather, road conditions, and driving habits to enhance safety, efficiency, and performance. The system monitors tire pressure, receives data on conditions, determines optimal pressure, and commands the tire pressure control system to adjust. It can also proactively suggest tire pressure adjustments at specific locations during a trip. The system can also calculate tire pressure schemes for entire trips.

US2025206075A1-patent-drawing

11. Rubber Composition with Diene Rubber and Liquid Aromatic Resin Containing Aromatic Vinyl Compound

TOYO TIRE CORP, 2025

Rubber composition for tire treads that improves braking on icy roads and response on snowy roads. The composition contains a diene rubber and an aromatic resin with a liquid glass transition temperature (-100°C to 0°C) containing an aromatic vinyl compound like styrene. The liquid aromatic resin provides a balance of tire softness and rigidity that enhances both ice braking and snow response compared to solid aromatic resins or non-aromatic resins.

US2025197613A1-patent-drawing

12. Wheel Slippage Control System with Individualized Mobility Performance Estimation

GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, THE UAB RESEARCH FOUNDATION, WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, 2025

Optimizing vehicle mobility performance by individually controlling wheel slippage to maximize mobility on rough terrain. The technique involves estimating wheel mobility performance based on force and velocity, comparing to maximum, and finding optimal slippage for each wheel to operate at peak mobility. This allows tailored wheel control for best vehicle performance on uneven terrain.

US12330654B2-patent-drawing

13. Vehicle User Driving Behavior Analysis System with Single Item Recommendation Based on Deviations

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, 2025

Recommending appropriate items to a vehicle user based on their driving behavior to improve user satisfaction and engagement with the vehicle diagnosis system. The system analyzes the user's driving data over a period and identifies predetermined behaviors. It then determines items to recommend based on deviations from normal behavior. Only one item is presented with a message to the user. This prevents overwhelming them with multiple recommendations. The item is selected based on the user's memory of the behavior.

US2025187613A1-patent-drawing

14. Design of innovative human-centric tyre on road pressure regulation system for increasing driver safety and fuel efficiency

neeta amol mandhare, omkar yadav, shamkant laxmikant waghmare - SAGE Publishing, 2025

Tyre pressure plays a vital role in dynamic control over the vehicle and enhancing overall fuel efficiency by lowering rolling resistance and, as result, tractive effort. Excessive speeding causes traction loss, which is primary cause of accidents. Wet roads make driving more perilous, hence majority accidents occur during rainy season. As worlds crude oil sources deplete electric car industry expands, it critical to extend range currently existing automobiles improving its efficiency. In order find solution above problems, authors investigated impact tyre on coefficient friction designed developed regulating system that uses an infrared rpm sensor track rate at tires rotational speed decreases function time, then information calculate ideal based current environmental conditions data from various accelerometers. This unique automatically changes provide best combination driver safety sensors detecting slip lateral acceleration, regardless road surface conditions.

15. Pneumatic Tire with Asymmetrically Inclined Main Grooves and Notched Land Blocks

THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD, 2025

A pneumatic tire with improved wet and snow performance by optimizing the tread pattern. The tire has alternating pairs of asymmetrically inclined main grooves extending from the ground contact edge to the equator. These form staggered land portions extending from the equator to the ground. The innermost blocks in each land have notches opening to the main groove connections, improving drainage. This pattern provides enhanced snow traction, braking, and wet grip compared to traditional symmetrical treads.

US12319093B2-patent-drawing

16. Method for Adjusting Suspension System with Controllable Dampers and Springs for Variable Traction Conditions

GRAVIC INC, 2025

A method for temporarily increasing traction of a vehicle's tires to improve handling in scenarios like getting stuck in snow or driving on ice. The method involves using a controllable suspension system with adjustable dampers and springs. By selectively stiffening the suspension components, the vehicle's contact with the ground is improved, providing better traction. This can be done automatically based on sensor inputs or manually by the driver. The adjustable suspension allows the vehicle to transition between normal handling for dry conditions and enhanced traction for low friction situations.

17. Method for Continuous Estimation of Tire-Road Friction Coefficient with Time-Dependent Adjustment in Non-Slip Conditions

FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, 2025

Estimating the coefficient of friction between a vehicle tire and the road surface even when the tire is not slipping. This allows continuous coefficient estimation without needing complex observers. The coefficient is adjusted based on time since the last slip event. When slipping, the coefficient is calculated conventionally from torque, speeds, etc. But when not slipping, the coefficient is adjusted at a rate that increases with time since slip. This provides a smooth transition between slip and non-slip conditions.

US12319294B2-patent-drawing

18. STATE AND TRENDS OF HARMONIZATION OF AUTOMOBILE TIRE PARAMETERS, THEIR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE UNION STATE

b v kisulenko - Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2025

The article presents the analysis of technical requirements for automobile tires, which have a direct impact on safety wheeled vehicles by increasing adhesion tires to support surface with low coefficients, wet asphalt, rolled snow and ice, as well environmental characteristics wheel rolling resistance sound level reduction when driving asphalt. scientific novelty is research aimed at limiting abrasive wear tire tread, development test methods its assessment during road bench tests. uncertainties possible systematic accidental errors that occur testing are analyzed, may affect results supervision in market products released basis primary certification. carried out application international norms UN Regulations Global Technical Republic Belarus Russian Federation, Eurasian Economic Union whole. Recommendations offered early modern State countries comparison Regulation On Safety Wheeled Vehicles.

19. Tire with Adjustable Tread Design Featuring Variable Region Shape Configuration

GEELY HOLDING GROUP CO LTD, ZHEJIANG GEELY HOLDING GROUP CO LTD, ZHEJIANG JIKE INTELLIGENT TECH CO LTD, 2023

A tire with adjustable tread design to improve grip on different road conditions. The tire has multiple variable regions in the tread that can be changed between raised, flat, and concave shapes using adjustment units. This allows switching the tire's contact patch configuration based on the road surface. Raised shapes provide extra grip on muddy, snowy, or wet roads, while flat shapes reduce impact on smooth roads. Concave shapes improve adhesion on slick surfaces. The tire can adapt its tread shape to better match the road conditions for improved traction and handling versatility.

20. Tire with Temperature-Responsive Shape Memory Alloy Studs for Automatic Protrusion and Retraction

NEXEN TIRE CORP, 2022

Tire with studs that protrude automatically based on temperature to improve traction on snow and ice without performance loss on dry roads. The studs have a shape memory alloy portion that deforms at low temperatures to extend out of the tire tread. This protrusion provides better grip on snow and ice without needing manual stud installation. At higher temperatures, the studs retract into the tread for normal road use. The studs also have features like grounding and hinge sections to manage their engagement with the road surface.

21. Pneumatic Tire with Graphene-Based Energy Conversion and Heating Elements in Longitudinal Grooves

22. Curved Composite Tire with Distinct Rubber Zones and Tilting Mechanism for Adaptive Traction

23. Tire with Explosion-Proof Bead Protection, Solid Core, and Adaptive Shape-Changing Components

24. Tire with Shape Memory Resin Spokes and Struts for Controllable Tread Width Adjustment

25. Tire with Thermally-Responsive Spokes for Structural Transformation

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