RUBBER COMPOSITION AND TIRE CONTAINING VEGETABLE OIL EXTENDED STYRENE/BUTADIENE ELASTOMER AND RESIN

A rubber composition and a tire comprising such a rubber composition is disclosed. The rubber composition comprises, based on parts by weight per 100 parts by weight elastomer (phr):(A) conjugated diene-based elastomers comprising:(1) from 25 to 60 phr of a styrene/butadiene elastomer (SBR) extended with vegetable triglyceride oil, preferably of 25 to 60 phr of a solution polymerized styrene/butadiene elastomer (SSBR) extended with vegetable triglyceride oil, wherein said SBR or said SSBR respectively has a Tg in a range of from -20°C to +10°C and has a bound styrene content in a range of from 25 to 50 percent;(2) from 75 to 40 phr of at least one additional conjugated diene-based elastomer comprising at least one of polybutadiene and cis 1,4-polyisoprene rubber or natural rubber;(B) 50 to 200 phr of a reinforcing filler comprising (i) silica, preferably precipitated silica, or (ii) a combination of carbon black and silica, preferably precipitated silica; wherein said reinforcing filler further contains a silica coupler for said silica having a moiety reactive with hydroxyl groups on said silica and another different moiety interactive with said diene-based elastomers; and(C) 5 to 50 phr, alternatively from 20 to 35 phr, of a resin comprising at least one of styrene/alphamethylstyrene copolymer resin, terpene-phenol resin, coumarone-indene resin, petroleum hydrocarbon resin, terpene polymer resin, rosin derived resin, modified rosin acid resin, and styrene/alphamethylstyrene resin.