Tire assemblies are disclosed. In one embodiment a tire insert assembly includes an elastomeric tire insert constructed to be received within a tire, the tire having sidewalls and a tread portion. An upper crown surface of the tire insert and a lower surface of the tire define an outer chamber and the tire insert defines an inner chamber. The tire insert may be configured to support a substantial portion of the sidewall of the tire when the inner chamber is inflated.

In a cross-section of a pneumatic tire, a contour of the bead core is a polygon formed by tangent lines of circumferential portions of a bead wire, the contour includes a vertex with an acute angle and a bottom side opposite the vertex, the carcass layer is folded back along a circumference of the bead core in a bead portion, a folded back portion of the carcass layer from an outer end of the bead core extends in the radial direction, and a distance in the radial direction between a center of an arc profile of a tire outer surface and a straight line extending in the lateral direction through the vertex is within 20% of a radius r of the arc, and a distance in the lateral direction between the center of the arc and a straight line extending in the radial direction through the vertex is within 2r±0.4r.

A run-flat tire includes a side reinforcing rubber provided in a tire side portion. The run-flat tire is formed of a resin material, has a prescribed width in the tire width direction, and is provided with a reinforcing ring portion having an annular shape along the tire circumferential direction. The reinforcing ring portion is provided outside the tire radial direction of a carcass, and an elastic modulus of the reinforcing ring portion of the central region in the tire width direction is higher than an elastic modulus of the reinforcing ring portion in either position of the shoulder regions in the tire width direction.

The run-flat tire of this disclosure includes a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions continuous, bead portions, side reinforcing rubbers with crescent-like cross section, and a carcass, wherein: when the tire is mounted to a rim, and an internal pressure of 250 kPa or more is applied, in a case where a sectional width SW of the tire is less than 165 mm, a ratio of the sectional width SW to an outer diameter OD of the tire, SW/OD, is 0.26 or less; and in a case where the sectional width SW of the tire is 165 mm or more, the sectional width SW and the outer diameter OD of the tire satisfy a relation expression OD≧2.135×SW+282.3 (mm); and when H1 is a tire radial maximum length of the side reinforcing rubber in a tire widthwise cross section in a reference state, a relation expression 10 (mm)≦(SW/OD)×H1≦20 (mm) is satisfied.

To provide a rubber compound for tires, a pneumatic tire and an airless tire capable of improving the steering stability of the tire while exerting excellent low fuel consumption performance. A rubber compound for tires characterized in that, of vulcanized rubber's physical properties, a complex elastic modulus E*.sub.70 (unit: MPa) and a loss tangent tanδ.sub.70 under initial strain of 10%, dynamic strain of 2% and temperature of 70 degrees C., satisfy 90<E.sub.70<250, and E*.sub.70/tan δ.sub.70>800. A pneumatic tire provided with a rubber member made of the above-mentioned rubber compound. An airless tire provided with a rubber member made of the above-mentioned rubber compound. An airless tire provided in a tread ring with a shear rubber layer made of the above-mentioned rubber compound.

A device and method for storing tire repair material in or around the wheel barrel of a tire. Also, a device and a method for repairing a compromised tire using tire repair material stored in or around the wheel barrel of a tire. In some embodiments, the means for storing the tire repair material in or around the wheel barrel may comprise non-interconnected bays. Device embodiments may also comprise a tire repair material applying means (for example, means utilizing some form of propulsion and/or spraying). Thus, in some embodiments, the tire repair material may be applied to a compromised section of the inside surface of the tire, originating from the direction of the wheel barrel. In some embodiments, the device may also comprise a means for detecting a compromised tire and the punctured section thereof, as well as a means for signaling commencement of application of the tire repair material.

The run-flat tire of this disclosure includes a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, bead portions, side reinforcing rubbers with crescent-like cross section, and a carcass formed of plies of radially arranged cords, wherein: when the tire is mounted to a rim, and an internal pressure of 250 kPa or more is applied to the tire, in a case where a sectional width SW of the tire is less than 165 mm, a ratio of the sectional width SW to an outer diameter OD of the tire, SW/OD, is 0.26 or less; in a case where the sectional width SW of the tire is 165 mm or more, the sectional width SW and the outer diameter OD of the tire satisfy a relation expression OD≧2.135×SW+282.3 (mm); and the relation expression 0.5≦WG/WB≦0.8 is satisfied.

A loading station for forming a fiber mass for micronaire testing. The loading station has a hopper for receiving an unformed fiber mass. A forming chamber receives the unformed fiber mass from the hopper. The forming chamber includes a non-movable back wall and a non-movable bottom plate with ports formed therein. The ports draw an airflow from the hopper into the forming chamber. A selectively movable isolation plate isolates the forming chamber from the hopper, and a selectively movable horizontal forming wall horizontally compacts the fiber mass into a desired horizontal cross-section. A selectively movable vertical forming wall vertically compacts the fiber mass into a desired vertical cross-section. A selectively movable plunger presses axially along the shaped fiber mass.

The run-flat tire of this disclosure includes a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, bead portions, side reinforcing rubbers with crescent-like cross section, a carcass formed of plies of radially arranged cords, wherein: when the tire is mounted to a rim, and an internal pressure of 250 kPa or more is applied to the tire, in a case where a sectional width SW of the tire is less than 165 mm, a ratio of the sectional width SW to an outer diameter OD of the tire, SW/OD, is 0.26 or less; in a case where the sectional width SW of the tire is 165 mm or more, the sectional width SW and the outer diameter OD of the tire satisfy a relation expression OD≧2.135×SW+282.3 (mm); the bead portions have bead cores, and further have bead fillers; and the relation expression 1.8≦H1/H2≦3.5 is satisfied.

A pneumatic tire includes a tread, sidewalls extending from edges of the tread, clinches extending from the edges of the sidewall, beads positioned on axially inner side of the clinches, a carcass bridging the beads along inner side of the tread and sidewalls, and load support layers positioned on axially inner side of the carcass such that the layers are positioned between the tread and beads. Each bead includes core and main apex, the core has radially outer side surface facing radially outward, the carcass includes carcass ply turned up around the core from inner side toward outer side in axial direction of the tire such that the main portion and turn-up portion are formed in the ply, the turn-up portion has core laminating portion laminated on the radially outer side surface of the core, and the apex is extending radially outward from radially outer side of the laminating portion.