Abstract: A proper balance between ride comfort, steering stability, and road noise is achieved. A pneumatic tire (1) has a band layer (9) comprising a band ply (9A) where band cords are arranged at an angle of not more than 5 deg. with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire on the radially outer side of a belt layer (7). The band ply (9A) comprises a first ply piece (9a) covering only one side of end portions of the belt layer (7) and a second ply piece (9b) disposed adjacently to the first ply piece (9a), covering continuously the central portion of the belt layer (7) and another side of the end portions, and having a width larger than that of the above-mentioned first ply piece (9a). And, the band cords of said first ply piece (9a) and band cords of said second ply piece (9b) are different in modulus.

Abstract: A vehicle is fitted with a run-flat tire provided with: a carcass extending from a tread through a sidewall to a bead core of a bead assembly; and a side-reinforcement rubber layer that has a crescent-shaped cross-section and is disposed inside the carcass in the sidewall. A heat-conducting member having a coefficient of thermal conductivity of at least 0.3 W/(m·K) is disposed on the inner surface of the tire. The run-flat tire is further provided with a cooling device that cools the run-flat tire by blasting a fluid onto the fun-flat tire and/or the wheel rim.

Abstract: Disclosed is a run-flat tire having greatly increased run-flat endurance. The disclosed run-flat tire is provided with: a carcass (6) extending from a tread section (2) through a sidewall portion (3) to a bead core (5) of a bead portion (4); and a side-reinforcement rubber layer (9) that has a crescent-shaped cross-section and is disposed inside the carcass (6) in the sidewall portion (3). A heat-conducting rubber (11) having a coefficient of thermal conductivity of not less than 0.3 W/(m·K) is disposed on the inner cavity surface (12) of the tire. At least part of said heat-conducting rubber (11) is disposed in a side-reinforcement rubber layer projection area (T) where the side-reinforcement rubber layer (9) is projected onto the inner cavity surface (12) of the tire.

Abstract: A proper balance between ride comfort and steering stability is achieved. A pneumatic tire (1) has a band layer (9) comprising a band ply (9A) where band cords are arranged at an angle of not more than 5 deg. with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire on the radially outer side of a belt layer (7). The band layer (9) is formed of a crown band ply (9C) and a shoulder band ply (9S), wherein the crown band ply is arranged in the central portion of the belt layer (7) and composed of low modulus cords (9Y1) and the shoulder band ply is composed of high modulus cords (9Y2) and arranged in both sides thereof. A tread rubber (2G) is formed of a soft crown rubber portion (2C) arranged in the radially outer side of the crown band ply (9C) and a hard shoulder rubber portion (2S) arranged in the radially outer side of the shoulder band ply (9S).

Abstract: A proper balance between ride comfort, steering stability, and road noise is achieved. A pneumatic tire (1) has a band layer (9) comprising a band ply (9A) where band cords are arranged at an angle of not more than 5 deg. with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire on the radially outer side of a belt layer (7). The band ply (9A) comprises a first ply piece (9a) covering only one side of end portions of the belt layer (7) and a second ply piece (9b) disposed adjacently to the first ply piece (9a), covering continuously the central portion of the belt layer (7) and another side of the end portions, and having a width larger than that of the above-mentioned first ply piece (9a). And, the band cords of said first ply piece (9a) and band cords of said second ply piece (9b) are different in modulus.

Abstract: A proper balance between ride comfort and steering stability is achieved. A pneumatic tire (1) has a band layer (9) comprising a band ply (9A) where band cords are arranged at an angle of not more than 5 deg. with respect to the circumferential direction of the ti re on the radially outer side of a belt layer (7). The band layer (9) is formed of a crown band ply (9C) and a shoulder band ply (95), wherein the crown band ply is arranged in the central portion of the belt layer (7) and composed of low modulus cords (9Y1) and the shoulder band ply is composed of high modulus cords (9Y2) and arranged in both sides thereof. A tread rubber (2G) is formed of a hard crown rubber portion (2C) arranged in the radially outer side of the crown band ply (9C) and a soft shoulder rubber portion (2S) arranged in the radially outer side of the shoulder band ply (9S).

Abstract: A vehicle tire includes a tread provided with a tread pattern, which is made up of circumferentially arranged design units having a plurality of pitch lengths Pi (i=l to j) including a minimum pitch length Pl and a maximum pitch length Pj. Each of the design units has at least one groove with side walls each having an inclination angle ?i in a cross section parallel to the tire equator, and the inclination angle ?1 in the design unit having the minimum pitch length P1 is less than the inclination angle ?j in the design unit having the maximum pitch length Pj, whereby the rigidity difference between the design units having different pitch lengths is decreased. Preferably, the angle ?i in a design unit having a pitch length Pi is not more than the angle ?i+1 in a design unit having the next longer pitch length Pi+1.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire which comprises a tread portion, a pair of bead portions adapted to a wheel rim, a pair of sidewall portions therebetween, at least one of the sidewall portions provided with an axially protruding rim protector, the rim protector extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction so as to form an annular axially outer surface extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction and a radially inner surface extending radially inwardly from said annular axially outer surface towards the adjacent bead portion, wherein the radially inner surface is provided along the tire circumferential direction with at least one recess having a depth of from 0.5 to 7.0 mm.

Abstract: A tire mold including a molding face for shaping the outside of a tire and a vent structure, wherein the vent structure contains a hole having an opening in the molding face, an inserted piece disposed in the hole so that the surface of the inserted piece defines a part of a molding face, and a micro-gap of not more than 100 micrometers formed between the inserted piece and the hole for the purpose of vent.

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire has a carcass composed of radially inner and outer carcass plies. A complex elastic modulus E*1 of the topping rubber of the inner carcass ply is different from a complex elastic modulus E*2 of the topping rubber of the outer carcass ply, and a ratio E*1/E*2 is 0.95 or lower or 1.05 or higher.

Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire has a carcass composed of radially inner and outer carcass plies. A complex elastic modulus E*1 of the topping rubber of the inner carcass ply is different from a complex elastic modulus E*2 of the topping rubber of the outer carcass ply, and a ratio E*1/E*2 is 0.95 or lower or 1.05 or higher.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire which comprises a tread portion, a pair of bead portions adapted to a wheel rim, a pair of sidewall portions therebetween, at least one of the sidewall portions provided with an axially protruding rim protector, the rim protector extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction so as to form an annular axially outer surface extending continuously in the tire circumferential direction and a radially inner surface extending radially inwardly from said annular axially outer surface towards the adjacent bead portion, wherein the radially inner surface is provided along the tire circumferential direction with at least one recess having a depth of from 0.5 to 7.0 mm.

Abstract: A tire mold comprises a molding face for shaping the outside of a tire and a vent structure, wherein the vent structure comprises a hole having an opening in the molding face, an inserted piece disposed in the hole so that the surface of the inserted piece defines a part of a molding face, and a micro-gap of not more than 100 micrometers formed between the inserted piece and the hole for the purpose of vent.

Abstract: A vehicle tire includes a tread provided with a tread pattern, which is made up of circumferentially arranged design units having a plurality of pitch lengths Pi (i=l to j) including a minimum pitch length Pl and a maximum pitch length Pj. Each of the design units has at least one groove with side walls each having an inclination angle &agr;i in a cross section parallel to the tire equator, and the inclination angle &agr;1 in the design unit having the minimum pitch length P1 is less than the inclination angle &agr;j in the design unit having the maximum pitch length Pj, whereby the rigidity difference between the design units having different pitch lengths is decreased. Preferably, the angle &agr;i in a design unit having a pitch length Pi is not more than the angle &agr;i+1 in a design unit having the next longer pitch length Pi+1.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire having an improved tread pattern which is capable of improving the steering stability, tire uniformity and the like without increasing a tread pattern noise is disclosed. The tire comprises rows of circumferentially arranged tread elements such as blocks, the tread elements in each row having plural kinds of different circumferential widths. The circumferential widths of the axial grooves and the circumferential lengths of the tread elements in each row satisfy 1.2≦GR/BR≦1.5 where BR is the length maximum ratio defined by the ratio (Bll/Bss) of the maximum circumferential length (Bll) to the minimum circumferential length (Bss), and GR is the width maximum ratio defined by the ratio (Gll/Gss) of the maximum circumferential width (Gll) to the minimum circumferential width (Gss).

Abstract: A mold for a pneumatic tire with an inflatable bladder is disclosed with a pair of axially spaced bead portions each with a bead bottom surface extending from a bead toe toward the axially outside of the tire. The bladder is disposed inside the green tire in the mold and inflated to press the green tire against the inside of the mold. The mold comprises a pair of bead rings and each bead ring is provided with a bead bottom molding face for molding said bead bottom surface. Each bead ring is provided radially inside the bead bottom molding face with a protrusion protruding axially inwardly from the axially inner end of the bead bottom molding face so that the axial extent of the protrusion from the axially inner end of the bead bottom molding face is in the range of from 0.05 to 0.4 times the axial distance between the axially inner ends of the bead molding faces.

Abstract: A vehicle tire has an unidirectional tread pattern, and the tread portion is provided with two circumferential grooves to divide the tread portion into two outer parts and a central part there between, the central part being substantially continuous in the tire circumferential direction and formed symmetrically about the tire equator. The outer parts are provided with mirror-image patterns, each formed by circumferentially repeating pattern units having an average circumferential length, and the mirror-image patterns are circumferentially shifted from each other by a distance S of from 0.15 to 0.25 times the above-mentioned average circumferential length.