A pneumatic tire includes a pair of bead portion, a pair of bead cores, a carcass extending between the pair of bead cores, and a pair of bead apex rubbers. Each bead core includes a core inner surface on an inner side in the tire radial direction of the bead core. In a pre-assemble state, each core inner surface has an angle of 20 degrees plus/minus 2 degrees to the tire axial direction, and is inclined outwardly in the tire radial direction toward an outer side in the tire axial direction. The bead apex rubber includes a first rubber portion arranged so as to cover a circumference of the bead core and having a circular or substantially elliptical outline, and a second rubber portion tapering outwardly in the tire radial direction from the first rubber portion. The first rubber portion is greater in hardness than the second rubber portion.

Provided is a heavy-duty pneumatic tire in which not only occurrence of a damage of CBU but also occurrence of pulling-out of a carcass ply can be inhibited, and which has excellent durability. In the tire, beads each include a cover enclosing at least a part of a core. The cover is located, between the core and the carcass ply, in a portion at which the carcass ply encloses the core. The cover is composed of one cover ply including a large number of aligned cover cords and a cover topping rubber covering the cover cords. A ratio of a distance between the cover cords to an outer diameter of a carcass cord is not lower than 0.35 and not higher than 0.85. A difference between a hardness of the cover topping rubber and a hardness of a carcass topping rubber is not less than −5 and not greater than 5.

A heavy truck tire is provided with a bead design that has a bead core and a reinforcement ply that wraps around a section of the bead core and has a return casing ply. Bead filler is present that has a portion radially outward from the bead core and axially inboard from the return casing ply. A stiffener layer is present that has a portion located outboard from the return casing ply. The bead has a first bead layer with a portion between the return casing ply and the stiffener layer, and a second bead layer that has a portion outboard from the stiffener layer. The stiffness of the first and second bead layers is 8 MPa to 14 MPa. The stiffness of the bead filler is less than the stiffness of the first and second bead layers.

A load-based tire inflation system for a heavy-duty vehicle comprises at least one source of fluid pressure, suspension structure of the heavy-duty vehicle, a tire and wheel assembly and a system to control fluid pressure in the tire and wheel assembly. The suspension structure is located between a frame member and an axle and has a condition indicative of a weight of the heavy-duty vehicle. The tire and wheel assembly is operatively mounted to the axle and is in fluid communication with the source of fluid pressure. The control system controls fluid pressure in the tire and wheel assembly in response to the condition of the suspension structure.

A heavy duty pneumatic tire in which occurrence of uneven wear is inhibited is provided. In the tire, each shoulder land portion includes a groove wall portion forming a wall of a shoulder circumferential groove, and a cap portion located outward of the groove wall portion in an axial direction. A wear resistance index of the groove wall portion is lower than a wear resistance index of the cap portion. A ratio of a distance in the axial direction from an outer edge of the shoulder circumferential groove to a boundary between the groove wall portion and the cap portion on an outer surface of the shoulder land portion, to a width in the axial direction of the shoulder land portion, is not less than 20% and not greater than 30%.

A tread (12) for a heavy truck tire is provided that has a bottom surface (14), a shoulder rib (16), and a sacrificial rib (20) located outboard from the shoulder rib (16) in a width direction. A decoupling void (30) is located between the shoulder rib (16) and the sacrificial rib (20). A decoupling void sipe (32) is in the shoulder rib (16) and opens at the shoulder rib upper surface (18) and at the decoupling void (30). The decoupling void sipe (32) extends in the thickness direction and is closer to the bottom surface (14) than the decoupling void (30) in the thickness direction.

Commercial vehicle tire of radial design with a tread with circumferential grooves formed to a profile depth, which divide the tread into at least two profile ribs (1) running in the central region of the tread with profile blocks (2) separated from one another by transverse grooves (3) and into shoulder-side profile ribs, wherein at least one of the circumferential grooves (4) adjoining a central profile rib (1) has, in cross section, a radially outer sipe-like narrow section (6) and a channel (8) adjoining this in the interior of the tread which is configured to be wider than the sipe-like narrow section (6) and which is delimited by two channel walls (8b) and a channel bottom (8a) forming the groove bottom, and wherein this circumferential groove (4) is interrupted in its course by entry points of transverse grooves (3).

Opposite the entry points, a projection (9, 9′) is formed locally in each case on the channel wall (8b) located opposite the entry points of the transverse grooves (3).

A pneumatic vehicle tire, in particular utility vehicle tire, having a tread which has a directional profiling with shoulder-side and middle profile ribs running in a circumferential direction, wherein at least one of the middle profile ribs (1), which is in particular a profile rib running along the tire equator, is traversed in an axial direction by sipes (4) with a width (b.sub.1) of 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm, each of which has a central portion (4a), in which the sipe (4) runs with an undulation in the direction of extent thereof, and two lateral portions (4b). The sipes (4) extend, in plan view, in an arc shape and symmetrically with respect to the centerline of the profile rib (1), and, in the lateral portions (4b) and in the central portion (4a), have a uniform undulation running in the radial direction, on which the undulation present in the extent direction of the sipes (4) is superposed only in the central portion (4a) of the sipe (4).

The invention concerns a device and a method for detecting a tire on a vehicle to determine whether there is a single or twin tire on an axle. The device has an optical sensor for this purpose, the sensor detecting at least one region of a rim on which a tire to be determined is mounted. An evaluation unit is also provided which is designed to determine a shape of the area of the rim from the sensor signals and to generate a signal from the shape which represents the type of tire.

A central tire inflation system configured to monitor and maintain an air pressure on the tires of a vehicle includes a housing, a central processing unit, a controller, and a valve. The housing has a plurality of walls and a bottom forming an interior volume. The central processing unit has the necessary electronics to receive, store, transmit and manipulate data. The controller has a plurality of modes of operation wherein the modes of operation include default parameters for air pressure within the tires of the vehicle. The valve is configured to direct air flow as required into or out of the tires, the valve being operably coupled to the controller. The central tire inflation system is configured to monitor air pressure of the tires and provide inflation or deflation thereof based the mode of operation.