In a tire 2, in a normal state, a profile of a tread surface 22 includes a crown circular arc as a circular arc representing a profile of a portion including an equator PC, and the crown circular arc has a radius of not less than 1600 mm and not greater than 2000 mm. On a ground-contact surface 52 obtained when a load is applied to the tire 2 in the normal state and the tread surface 22 is brought into contact with a flat road surface, an ultra-light load shape index F30 is higher than a light load shape index F60, the ultra-light load shape index F30 is not less than 1.10 and not greater than 1.20, and the light load shape index F60 is not less than 1.04 and not greater than 1.14.

A tire 2 has a nominal aspect ratio of 65% or less. The tire 2 includes a tread 4 and a reinforcing layer 20. The reinforcing layer 20 includes a belt 38 including a large number of belt cords 44 aligned with each other, and a band 40 including a spirally wound band cord 52. The belt 38 includes a plurality of belt plies 42 aligned in a radial direction. The band 40 includes a full band 48 having ends 48e opposed to each other across an equator plane CL, and a pair of edge bands 50 located outward of the ends 48e of the full band 48 in the radial direction. In an axial direction, each end 48e of the full band 48 is located outward of a shoulder circumferential groove 28s formed on the tread 4.

The invention is a tire comprising a crown comprising at least one layer of reinforcing elements. The radially outermost layer comprises at least one undulation (512). The undulations (512) in the radially outermost layer (5) are such that the points of the undulations are radially on the outside of the points of said layer (5) that are vertically beneath the centre of the bottom face (243) of the closest major groove (24) by at least a radial distance of 1.5 mm. The undulations (512) in the radially outermost crown layer make up at least 10% of the radially outer surface (ROS) of said crown layer (5). A rubber compound with a dynamic modulus G*, measured at 40° C. at 10% peak-to-peak strain at 10 Hz, that is at most equal to 3.25 MPa, makes up at least 30% of the rubber compounds vertically above said undulations.

A pneumatic tire is provided with a belt in which reinforcing cords are embedded in resin. A graph shows proportional belt chamfer height BWH values on a horizontal axis X and proportional tread chamfer height TWH values on a vertical axis Y. The proportional tread chamfer height TWH and proportional belt chamfer height BWH are specified so as to fall in a region of this graph that is bounded by a straight line expressed by the formula Y=−2.43X+17.9. This region is at the side of the straight line at which the proportional tread chamfer height TWH and proportional belt chamfer height BWH are smaller.

A tire 2 includes a tread 4 on which at least three circumferential grooves 24 continuously extending in a circumferential direction are formed, and a belt 14 located radially inward of the tread 4. A ratio of a center stretch, at a center portion of the belt, indicated by the follow/Mg formula (2) to a shoulder stretch, at an end portion of the belt, indicated by the following formula (1) is not less than 1 and not greater than 3, and the shoulder stretch is not less than 1%.

(Shoulder stretch)

100×(Rsa−Rsb)/Rsb  (1)

(Center stretch)

100×(Rca−Rcb)/Rcb  (2)

A heavy duty pneumatic tire 1 has provided in a buttress region 10 thereof a protrusion 11 extending in the tire circumferential direction. In a tire meridian cross-section, the maximum protrusion height h.sub.max of the protrusion 11 from an imaginary buttress surface J is 3.0 mm or greater and is in the range of 0.025-0.050 times a half tread width Wt. The cross-sectional area Sa of the protrusion 11 protruding from the imaginary buttress surface J is 20 mm.sup.2 or greater.

A method of forming a belt structure for a tire includes providing a drum having a center section. A first drum edge is near a first edge of the center section and a second drum edge is near a second edge of the center section. A first end surface extends from the center section first edge to the drum first edge and a second end surface extends from the center section second edge to the drum second edge, and a radius of each end surface is smaller than the center section radius. A rubber strip reinforced by a plurality of cords includes an outer edge and an inner edge. The strip is wound about the drum, turning from a first winding angle to a second winding angle on an end surface to reduce the tension and length differential between cords at the outer edge and inner edge of the strip.

In a tire 2, in a normal state, a profile of a tread surface 22 includes a crown circular arc as a circular arc representing a profile of a portion including an equator PC, and the crown circular arc has a radius of not less than 1600 mm and not greater than 2000 mm. On a ground-contact surface 52 obtained when a load is applied to the tire 2 in the normal state and the tread surface 22 is brought into contact with a flat road surface, an ultra-light load shape index F30 is higher than a light load shape index F60, the ultra-light load shape index F30 is not less than 1.10 and not greater than 1.20, and the light load shape index F60 is not less than 1.04 and not greater than 1.14.

A tire 1 for motorcycles comprises a carcass 6, a belt layer 7, and a tread rubber 2G. The belt layer 7 includes at least one reinforcing cord coated with rubber and spirally wound. In a meridian section passing through a tire rotational axis of the tire 1 in a standard state, a width BW of the belt layer 7 in a tire axial direction is in a range of from 60% to 80% of a tread width TW. The tread rubber 2G has a thickness at a tire equator (C) in a range of from 70% to 90% of thickness at tread edges (2t).

A tire 2 has a nominal cross-sectional width not less than 355 mm and a nominal aspect ratio not greater than 70%, and includes a tread 8 having a tread surface 4 that comes into contact with a road surface, and a belt 18 located radially inward of the tread 8. A ratio of a width of the tread surface 4 to a camber amount of the tread surface 4 at an end of the tread surface 4 is not less than 20 and not greater than 30. Regarding a thickness from the belt 18 to the tread surface 4, a ratio of a thickness at an equator plane to a thickness at an end 36 of the belt 18 is not less than 0.95 and not greater than 1.05.