A method of assembling a tire having one or more reinforcements or supporting inserts in the sidewalls is provided. The reinforcements are positioned onto one or more air impermeable layers. One or more reinforcing plies are positioned over the reinforcing supports and suspended therebetween. A gas pressure is used to expand the one or more air impermeable layers away from the forming drum and against a reinforcing ply. As such, the creases or wrinkles in the one or more reinforcing plies can be avoided along with other non-uniformities such as deradialization and/or an uneven overlap where the ends of a ply are joined.

A method of assembling a tire having one or more reinforcements or supporting inserts in the sidewalls is provided. The reinforcements are positioned onto one or more air impermeable layers. One or more reinforcing plies are positioned over the reinforcing supports and suspended therebetween. A gas pressure is used to expand the one or more air impermeable layers away from the forming drum and against a reinforcing ply. As such, the creases or wrinkles in the one or more reinforcing plies can be avoided along with other non-uniformities such as deradialization and/or an uneven overlap where the ends of a ply are joined.

A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of said intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of said pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.

Edge separation in a turned-up end portion (5E) of a carcass ply (5) is suppressed. In a pneumatic tire comprising a bead core (4) embedded in a bead portion (3) and a carcass ply (5) turned up and locked around the bead core (4), a rubber sheet (10) is prepared using a wet masterbatch containing natural rubber and/or polyisoprene rubber and carbon black, and the rubber sheet (10) is arranged on at least one of front and back sides of the turned-up end portion (5E) of the carcass ply (5).

Edge separation in a turned-up end portion (5E) of a carcass ply (5) is suppressed. In a pneumatic tire comprising a bead core (4) embedded in a bead portion (3) and a carcass ply (5) turned up and locked around the bead core (4), a rubber sheet (10) is prepared using a wet masterbatch containing natural rubber and/or polyisoprene rubber and carbon black, and the rubber sheet (10) is arranged on at least one of front and back sides of the turned-up end portion (5E) of the carcass ply (5).