RUBBER COMPOSITION PREPARED WITH PRE-TREATED SILICA AND TIRE

A rubber composition for use in a tread of a tire is disclosed. The rubber composition comprises: (A) 100 parts by weight of at least one conjugated diene based elastomer; (B) a reinforcing filler comprising a combination of carbon black and silica, wherein said silica is a composite comprising a silica, preferably precipitated silica, pretreated with a silica coupling agent, wherein said coupling agent comprises: (1) bis(3-triethoxysilylpropyl) polysulfide having an average of from 2 to 4 connecting sulfur atoms in its polysulfidic bridge, or (2) an alkoxyorganomercaptosilane, and (C) a sulfur curative comprising sulfur, a 1,6-bis (N,N'-dibenzylthiocarbamyldithio)-hexane crosslinking agent and a sulfenamide sulfur cure accelerator, wherein the sulfur curative is exclusive of a diphenyl guanidine sulfur cure accelerator. The sulfenamide sulfur cure accelerator comprises at least one of N-tert-butyl benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, N-oxydiethylene benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, N-cyclohexyl benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide and N-tert-benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide, preferably comprised of N-cyclohexyl benzothiazole-2-sulfenamide or N-tert-butyl-2-benzothiazole sulfonamide.