Abstract: Tire including a continuous pressure membrane. The tire includes a carcass, a rubber layer surrounding the carcass, and a belt. The carcass includes at least one continuous pressure membrane defining a generally U-shaped cross section. The pressure membrane includes a crown portion, a first sidewall portion, and a second sidewall portion connected with the first sidewall portion by the crown portion. The belt may be composed of at least one additional continuous pressure membrane adjacent the crown portion.

Abstract: A tire casing is formed on an annular toroidally shaped building surface. The tire casing has a cord attachment elastomeric layer extending over the toroidally shaped building surface to a pair of radial inner ends; a first and second bead stack, each bead stack having an axially inner stack and an axially outer stack the axially inner stack attached to one of the radial inner ends of the first elastomeric layer; one or more continuous lengths of first ply cords, and one or more continuous lengths of second ply cords. The one or more continuous lengths of the first ply cords in combination with the one or more continuous lengths of the second ply cords form a bias angled cord reinforced belt structure, the first ply cords forming one cord reinforced sidewall and the second ply cords forming an opposite cord reinforced sidewall.

Abstract: Tire including a continuous pressure membrane. The tire includes a carcass, a rubber layer surrounding the carcass, and a belt. The carcass includes at least one continuous pressure membrane defining a generally U-shaped cross section. The pressure membrane includes a crown portion, a first sidewall portion, and a second sidewall portion connected with the first sidewall portion by the crown portion. The belt may be composed of at least one additional continuous pressure membrane adjacent the crown portion.

Abstract: A tire casing 302 is formed on an annular toroidally shaped building surface. The tire casing 302 has a cord attachment elastomeric layer 250 extending over the toroidally shaped building surface to a pair of radial inner ends 32R; a first and second bead stack 220, each bead stack 220 having an axially inner stack 222 and an axially outer stack 224 the axially inner stack 222 attached to one of the radial inner ends 32R of the first elastomeric layer 250; one or more continuous lengths of first ply cords 32A, and one or more continuous lengths of second ply cords 32B. The one or more continuous lengths of the first ply cords 32A in combination with the one or more continuous lengths of the second ply cords 32B form a bias angled cord reinforced belt structure, the first ply cords 32A forming one cord reinforced sidewall and the second ply cords 32B forming an opposite cord reinforced sidewall.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a compact bead configuration, and high interlocking forces between the carcass ply cords and the bead cords. The carcass ply is formed from one or more cords wound continuously between a first end and a second end, wherein the at least the first end of the carcass ply is located in one tire bead portions. In the bead portion of the tire, the carcass ply cords are interwoven among a plurality of bead wires. The interwoven carcass ply cords follow a zigzag path.

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire combination for four-wheeled automobile or light truck vehicles. The tire combination has a pair of front steer position tires and a pair of rear position tires. The front steer position tire has a footprint when the tire is normally inflated for normal load that has a footprint shape factor of greater than 1.00 at a 50% load, and about 1.00 at both 85% load and 100% load, the footprint shape factor being defined as the maximum circumferential extent of the tire's footprint at the centerplane of the tire's footprint width divided by the average of the circumferential extent of the tire's footprint width as measured at 40% of the footprint from both sides of the central plane of the footprint. The rear position tire footprint, when the tire is normally inflated for normal load, has a footprint shape factor of about 1.00 at 50% load, and 1.00 or less than 1.00 at 85% load and 100% load when measured similar to the method described for the front position tires.

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire combination for four-wheeled automobile or light truck vehicles. The tire combination has a pair of front steer position tires and a pair of rear position tires. The front steer position tire 10 has a first tread arc 46 when the tire is normally inflated for normal load but unloaded, of decreasing radii extending toward the lateral edges 42, 44 and a straight line 50 drawn between the intersection of the tread arc curvature and the centerplane is inclined at an angle &thgr;F of greater than 5° relative to a tangent line L, L being tangent to the tread arc at the centerplane and parallel to the axis of rotation R. The rear tire 20 when similarly measured has a tread arc having an angle &thgr;R of less than 5°.

Abstract: A radial pneumatic light truck or automobile tire 40 having a tread 42 is described. The tread 42 has a base 43, a plurality of traction elements 52 extending radially outwardly from the base 43 and at least one circumferentially continuous wide groove 54,55. The wide groove 54,55 has a circumferentially continuous window 72 extending from the tread base 43 to the radially outer contacting surface 53. The window 72, when viewed in the ground contacting portion of the tread 42, has a shape that is triangular or trapezoidal having two sides 73,74 and a radially outer long base 75. The long base 75 has an axial width of 7% to 20% of the tread width. The wide groove 54,55 has a zig-zag portion 70 extending radially from the tread base 43 in a circumferentially continuous path. The sides 73,74 of the window 72 define the maximum axial extent or amplitude of the zig-zag portion 70 into the wide groove 54,55.