A method and equipment for mixing hard granules into tire tread bodies and into sundry rubber strips and tread stock. Rubber stock is extruded into tread bands of a suitable shape which are rolled under control, in a suitable thickness and number of layers, in a circular process over a pre-treated tire, or other object. The tire is subsequently patterned and vulcanized. The hard granules are distributed according to a predetermined configuration onto at least part of the surface of the extruded rubber tread band before the next layer is rolled in a circular process onto the pre-treated tire, using dedicated equipment so that the granules will be mixed into the patterned wearing surface of the tire after profiling and vulcanization.