Provided is a pneumatic tire which comprises a pair of left and right bead portions, sidewall portions continuous from the bead portions, and a tread portion that couples the sidewall portions. The pneumatic tire has a carcass layer mounted between the left and right bead portions. The sidewall portions each have a foamed rubber layer disposed outside the carcass layer and a side rubber layer disposed outside the foamed rubber layer. The density of the foamed rubber layer is from 0.5 to 0.9 g/cm.sup.3 and a tan of the foamed rubber layer at 20 C. is not greater than 0.17. A rubber composition for sidewalls that forms the side rubber layer is obtained by blending from 1 to 20 parts by weight of a thermoplastic resin and from 10 to 65 parts by weight of a carbon black in 100 parts by weight of a diene rubber.

In a tire 2, each of sidewalls 6 includes a first layer 36 disposed axially outward of a corresponding one of beads 8, and a second layer 38 extending outward from the first layer 36 in a radial direction. When Pc represents a position of an axially outer end of an interface between a carcass 10 and the sidewall 6, an outer end 40 of the first layer 36 is disposed radially inward of the position Pc. A hardness H1 of the first layer 36 is greater than a hardness H2 of the second layer 38. A ratio (H2/H1) of the hardness H2 to the hardness H1 is preferably not less than 0.70 and preferably not greater than 0.95.

A tire 10 includes a decorative portion 15 formed by using paint on a surface of a side portion 12. The decorative portion 15 includes a white-paint layer 16 and a color-paint layer 17. The white-paint layer is formed by using a white paint in at least a portion of the decorative portion 15. The color-paint layer is formed on the white-paint layer 16 in an overlapping manner by using a color paint in color different from the white paint. A ratio of a paint area of the white-paint layer 16 per unit area of a paint surface is at least 68%. The ratio of the paint area of the white-paint layer 16 is greater than a ratio of a paint area of the color-paint layer 17.

The present invention provides a pneumatic tire that is excellent in electrical conductivity, fuel economy, handling stability and crack growth resistance. The pneumatic tire of the present invention has a specific structure, including: a sidewall portion formed by laminating two or more rubber layers including (1) an outer sidewall layer constituting an outer surface of the tire and (2) a conductive inner sidewall layer connected to a clinch and a breaker and located between a carcass and the outer sidewall layer (1); a tread portion; a bead portion including the clinch; the carcass; the breaker; and an electrically conductive rubber, wherein in the sidewall portion, the thickness ratio of the layer (1) to layer (2), the ratio of the storage modulus E(2) at 70 C. of layer (2) to the storage modulus E(1) at 70 C. of the layer (1), and the volume resistivity of layer (2) fall within specific ranges.

Provided is a tire and a tire surface printing method which are capable of reducing man-hours and cost required for application of printing on the tire surface. The tire and the tire surface printing method include, on an outer surface of at least one of side portions (3) thereof, a printed region (5) formed by printing. The printed region (5) includes: a dark-colored portion (7) having a black color, which is a base color of the tire; and a bright-colored portion (9) that has a color different from the black color and that is located to surround the dark-colored portion (7). The dark-colored portion (7) is not applied with any paint, and the bright-colored portion (9) includes a white-colored layer (11) that includes a white color paint and that is located as the lowermost layer being in contact at least with the outer surface (3a) of the side portion (3).

A pneumatic tire is provided with a carcass layer and a sidewall rubber disposed on an outer side in a tire width direction of the carcass layer. Additionally, the pneumatic tire is provided with a resin coating applied on a predetermined region of a sidewall portion. Additionally, a minimum value of a wall thickness t of a rubber of the sidewall portion in the region applied with the resin coating is in a range of 0.05 mmt4.0 mm. Additionally, a thickness of the resin coating is in a range of 20 m or more and 300 m or less.

A tire is provided with a tire frame member that is made from resin and includes: a bead portion; a side portion that is connected to an outer side of the bead portion in a tire radial direction and that has hole portions formed at intervals in a tire circumferential direction; and a crown portion that is connected to an inner side of the side portion in a tire width direction and that has a tread disposed thereon.

A pneumatic tire has a carcass layer, a side wall rubber which forms an outer surface of a side wall portion, and a rim strip rubber which forms an outer surface of a bead portion. The rim strip rubber extends in a tire radial direction between the carcass layer and the side wall rubber. A height of the rim strip rubber on the basis of an outer diameter position of a bead core buries in the bead portion is equal to or more than 70% of a height of a tire outer diameter position. A thickness Tw of the rim strip rubber at the tire maximum width position is smaller than the maximum thickness Tm of the rim strip rubber which is closer to an outer side in the tire radial direction than the tire maximum width position.

A pneumatic tire has a rim strip rubber. A height of the rim strip rubber on the basis of an outer diameter position of a bead core is equal to or more than 70% of a height of a tire outer diameter position. An upper end of a side reinforcing layer is arranged closer to an outer side radially than an upper end of a bead filler. A distance from a tire maximum width position to the upper end of the side reinforcing layer is equal to or less than 5 mm. The maximum thickness Tw of the rim strip rubber between the upper end of the bead filler and the upper end of the side reinforcing layer is greater than the maximum thickness Tm of the rim strip rubber closer to the outer side radially than the upper end of the side reinforcing layer.

A pneumatic vehicle tire has a nominal tire cross-sectional height H of at most 110 mm, bead regions with bead cores, a radial carcass which runs around the bead cores in the bead regions axially on the inside to axially on the outside forming carcass turn-ups, and side wall regions, which each have a wing profile and a side wall profile. The wing profiles are the only rubber components extending in contact with the radial carcass in the radially outer region of the side wall region. The carcass turn-ups end at a radial height (h.sub.1), determined from a base line, of 15 mm to 65 mm. At least in a region between a radial height (h.sub.2) of 29% of the nominal side wall height and a radial height (h.sub.3) of at least 80% of the height H, the wing profiles are the only rubber components that extend outside the radial carcass.