Vegetable oil has been added in small amount to the rubber compound during mixing. It has been observed that the extent of cure obtained from the rheometric torque is lower for vegetable oil-containing compounds. This has been manifested from their physical and tensile properties. The lower abrasion and hardness of vegetable oil-containing compounds may be due to better plasticization and lower crosslink density. The lower tan a at maximum torque indicates lower loss and heat generation. The vegetable oil-containing compounds shows lower modulus, higher tensile strength, and elongation. All the compounds containing vegetable oil shows lower compression set and higher rebound resilience, tear strength, and flex cracking compared to the standard compound containing no vegetable oil. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.