Effects of NR / BR and NR / SSBR Blend Ratios on the Performance of High Ice‐Grip Tire Tread Rubber

Tread rubber plays a critical role in the ice‐grip performance of winter tires. In this study, tread rubber formulations with varying NR/BR and NR/SSBR blend ratios were designed to investigate the effects of the raw rubber system on the properties of high ice‐grip tire tread rubber. The processing and comprehensive physical properties of the formulated tread rubbers were tested, and the influence of blend ratios in the raw rubber system was analyzed and optimized. The results indicate that, within the NR/BR system, increasing the BR content improves ice‐grip performance, wear resistance, and low‐temperature rebound, but deteriorates processing performance and reduces tensile strength and wet‐slip resistance. In the NR/SSBR system, increasing the proportion of SSBR3402 enhances both ice‐grip and wear resistance, while processing and tensile properties decrease. The NR/BR blend ratio of 60/40 and the NR/SSBR blend ratio of 40/60 were found to be optimal for high ice‐grip tire tread rubber.