Abstract: An improved tire sidewall 12 for a tire 10 has an annular outer surface 11, the annular outer surface 11 having a design pattern having a first pattern 15 and a second pattern 17. The second pattern 17 is superimposed over a portion of ridges 20 of the first pattern 15. The improvement has the ridges 20 of the first pattern 15 within a sidewall sector 13 defined by parallel planes passing through a plane (T) parallel to the equatorial plane of the tire 10 and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the annular tire sidewall 12 to form lines 21 all having the same slope (x/y). Preferably the ridges 20 have a substantially triangular cross section having an included angle of about 100.degree. at the apex. The sectors 13A, 13B, 13C and 13D can be any portion of the tire sidewall 12, preferably the sectors 13 being quadrants, halves, or the whole annular surface 11. The resulting patterns yield a decorative sidewall 12 having unique contrasting light and dark appearance.

Abstract: A sidewall 12 of a tire 10 having a surface with distinctive design patterns is described. Pattern A has a plurality of ridges 20 of similar cross-sectional shapes, each ridge 20 being substantially parallel to an adjacent ridge 20. Pattern B is superimposed over a portion of the design pattern A. Pattern B has a plurality of parallel ridges 30 extending in an angular direction between 45.degree. and 90.degree. relative to the ridges 20 of pattern A. In one embodiment a pattern C is included, pattern C having at least two parallel ridges 40 angularly oriented in the range of 45.degree. to 90.degree. relative to the ridges 20 of pattern A. The ridges 20 of pattern A intersect two ridges 40 of pattern C. The design patterns may form a circumferentially continuous wide decorative band with striped alpha-numeric markings superimposed over a portion of the wide decorative band.