The present invention relates to self-supporting tyres for vehicle wheels having sidewall reinforcement inserts (113) with reduced rigidity. These tyres have a good mileage in flat running conditions, greater comfort and significantly reduced rolling resistance compared to known self-supporting tyres, with higher modulus sidewall reinforcement inserts.

The present invention relates to a self-supporting tire for vehicle wheels comprising a carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply having a plurality of hybrid reinforcing cords (10) each comprising at least two strands (20) twisted to each other with a predetermined stranding pitch (P), wherein each of said at least two strands (20) comprises at least one monofilament textile thread (21) at least partially embedded in the filaments (22a) of at least one multifilament textile yarn (22) and a pair of sidewall reinforcement inserts (113), where at least one of said sidewall reinforcement inserts comprises a vulcanised elastomeric compound which has a dynamic shear modulus value G equal to or less than 1.25 MPa measured at 70° C., 10 Hz, 9% deformation according to the RPA method reported in the present description.

A tire fitted with a transponder comprises: a crown comprising a crown reinforcement having an axial end at each of its edges, connected at each of its axial ends by a sidewall to a bead having an interior end; a carcass reinforcement layer formed of parallel reinforcers, which is anchored in each bead around a bead wire to form a main part and a turn-up; and the transponder comprising a dipole antenna consisting of a spring defined by a pitch P and a diameter D. A ratio between the pitch (P1) and the diameter (D1) for a loop of a first region of the spring is greater than 0.8, and the transponder is situated axially on the outside of an interior end of the bead and radially between the upper end of the bead wire and the axial end of the crown reinforcement.

Provided is a run flat tire comprising a side reinforcing layer on a sidewall part, wherein a rubber composition of the side reinforcing layer has a complex elastic modulus at 100° C. (E*.sub.100) of 5.0 to 17 MPa and a loss tangent at 60° C. (60° C. tan δ) of 0.020 to 0.100 MPa, and wherein, where a tire cross-sectional width is defined as Wt (mm) and a tire outer diameter is defined as Dt (mm), Wt and Dt satisfy any of the following inequality (1), (2), and (3):

Wt<225 and Dt≥59.078×Wt{circumflex over ( )}0.460  (1)

225≤Wt<235 and Dt≥59.078×Wt{circumflex over ( )}0.620−967.673  (2)

235≤Wt and Dt≥Wt{circumflex over ( )}0.6+750  (3)

A run flat tire having a side reinforcing rubber part is disclosed. The side reinforcing rubber part is formed by a rubber composition having a ratio (M50H/M50N) of tensile stress (M50H) in 50% elongation at a measurement temperature of 100° C. to tensile stress (M50N) in 50% elongation at a measurement temperature of 23° C. of from 1.0 to 1.3. A cushion rubber layer interposed between the side reinforcing rubber part and a bead filler is provided, and tensile stress in 50% elongation at a measurement temperature of 23° C. of a rubber composition forming the cushion rubber layer is larger than tensile stress in 50% elongation at a measurement temperature of 23° C. of the rubber composition forming the side reinforcing rubber part, and is smaller than tensile stress in 50% elongation at a measurement temperature of 23° C. of a rubber composition forming the bead filler.

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.

A run-flat tire includes a side reinforcing rubber layer, a first bead filler on an inner side of a carcass turned-up portion in a width direction, and a second bead filler on an outer side of the carcass turned-up portion in the width direction. A first bead filler height is 30% or less of a tire cross-sectional height SH. A second bead filler height is 50% or greater of the height SH. A cross-sectional area of the second bead filler is from 150% to 400% of a cross-sectional area of the first bead filler. A relationship (0.16×SH×LI−1100)≤S.sub.ALL≤(0.16×SH×LI−800) is satisfied, where S.sub.ALL represents a sum of cross-sectional areas of the side reinforcing rubber layer and the first and second bead fillers, and LI represents a load index.

In a tire 2, load support layers 20 extend, in portions inward of a carcass 10, from portions inward of beads 8, respectively, in the axial direction to portions inward of a tread in the radial direction. When a reference point P represents a point, on an outer surface of the tire 2, which is distant from a bead base line by 25 mm in the radial direction, a distance D1, at the reference point P, from the outer surface of the tire 2 to an outer side surface of a main portion 36 of a carcass ply 34 is greater than or equal to 3 mm and not greater than 10 mm.

A method of preparing a sidewall support, the method comprising the steps of (i) providing a vulcanizable composition including an elastomer, a filler, a curative, and a eutectic composition; (ii) fabricating the vulcanizable composition into a green sidewall support; and (iii) subjecting the green sidewall support to curing conditions.

A bias tire includes two or more carcass layers, at least one belt disposed outward from the carcass layers in a tire radial direction, a reinforcing rubber layer disposed between carcass plies included in a carcass layer of the carcass layers. A belt width of a widest belt with the widest width of the belts is 110% or more and 150% or less of a tread developed width, and a position of an upper end portion of the reinforcing rubber layer located outward in the tire radial direction is apart 3 mm or more from an end portion of the widest belt.