TIRE TREAD STRIPS FOR AUTOMOBILE TIRES HAVING A GOOD COMBINATION OF WEAR AND SKID RESISTANCE ARE FORMED OF A POLYBUTADIENE HOMOPOLYMER COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: (A) A HOMOPOLYMER OF 1,3-BUTADIENE HAVING AN AVERAGE VINYL GROUP CONTENT OF 25-50%, A CIS-1,4-DOUBLE BOND CONTENT OF 10-40%, A TRANS-1,4-DOUBLE BOND CONTENT OF 15-55%, A MOONEY VISCOSITY (ML-4) OF BETWEEN 40 AND 120, AND A DEFORMATION-ELASTICITY OF AT LEAST 25, WHOSE VINYL GROUPS ARE DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE MACROMOLECULE TOWARD AN END THEREOF IN A SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING MANNER, (B) 5-100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A PLASTICIZER, BASED ON 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF POLYBUTADIENE, AND (C) 30-120 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF A CARBON BLACK, BASED ON 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF POLYBUTADIENE.