RUBBER COMPOSITION WITH PRECIPITATED SILICA PARTIALLY PRE-HYDROPHOBATED WITH ALKYLSILANE COUPLED TO AN ELASTOMER IN SITU WITHIN THE RUBBER COMPOSITION AND TIRE WITH COMPONENT

A rubber composition and a method of prepapring a rubber composition is disclosed. The rubber composition comprises, based on parts by weight per 100 parts by weight (phr) of conjugated diene based elastomer, (A) at least one conjugated diene-based elastomer, (B) 10 to 120 phr of a reinforcing filler comprising a combination of rubber reinforcing carbon black and silica comprising: (1) up to 60 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black, and (2) silica comprising partially pre-hydrophobated silica with at an alkylsilane comprising halogenated alkylsilane or alkoxyalkylsilane, where the partially hydrophobated silica contains residual hydroxyl groups, and (C) a silica coupling agent having a moiety reactive with the residual hydroxyl groups on the partially pre-hydrophobated silica and another different moiety interactive with the diene-based elastomer(s), wherein the alkyl silane for pre-hydrophobation of the silica is of the general Formula (I): €ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ (I)€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒ€ƒX n -Si-R 4-n wherein R is an alkyl radical having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, n is a value of from 1 to 3 and X is a radical selected from halogen comprising chlorine or bromine and from alkoxy radicals, wherein the alkoxy radical is (R 1 O)-, wherein R 1 is an alkyl radical comprising of from one to 3 carbon atoms.