Patent ID: 8474498

Claim:
A pneumatic tire comprising a tread portion provided on each side of a tire equator (C) with an axially inner crown main groove and an axially outer shoulder main groove which extend continuously in the tire circumferential direction so that the tread portion is axially divided into one crown land portion between the crown main grooves, two middle land portions between the crown main grooves and shoulder main grooves, and two shoulder land portions between the shoulder main grooves and tread edges (Te), wherein the crown land portion is circumferentially divided into a row of circumferentially arranged crown blocks by crown axial grooves, each of the middle land portions is circumferentially divided into a row of circumferentially arranged middle blocks by middle axial grooves, and each of the shoulder land portions is circumferentially divided into a row of circumferentially arranged shoulder blocks by shoulder axial grooves, wherein each of said crown axial grooves is circumferentially aligned with one of the middle axial grooves on one side of the tire equator (C) and the middle axial grooves on the other side of the tire equator (C) such that said each crown axial groove is positioned within a middle-axial-groove range (Mc) which is defined by said one middle axial groove as being between 1st and 2nd axial straight lines (Z a and Z b ) which are drawn passing through 1st and 2nd extreme circumferential end points of said one middle axial groove, respectively, wherein the circumferential length of the middle-axial-groove range (Mc) is not less than 25% but not more than 50% of a pitch length (P) of the middle axial grooves, the pitch length (P) defined between said 1st extreme circumferential end point and that of the middle axial groove next to said 2nd extreme circumferential end point, and said middle-axial-groove range (Mc) defined by said one middle axial groove does not overlap with any of the shoulder axial grooves formed on the same side of the tire equator (C) as said one middle axial groove, and wherein the tread portion is provided with a unidirectional tread pattern having a designated tire rotational direction (R), and towards one circumferential direction corresponding to the designated tire rotational direction (R), all of the middle axial grooves are curved concavely to have generally V-shape configurations.