Patent ID: 6923233

Claim:
A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire having a tread, a carcass structure comprising at least one radial carcass ply, and two sidewalls comprising: a single circumferentially-disposed wedge insert disposed on an inner surface of each sidewall, each wedge insert having a saw-tooth shaped cross-section comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments each of which is separated from one another, during normal-inflated operation, by a plurality of intervening circumferential grooves; wherein each groove is bounded by an outer surface of a given segment and an inner surface of an adjacent segment; and the outer surface of a given segment and the inner surface of an adjacent segment intersect at a hinge point P, and the segments can therefore pivot with respect to each other; the outer surface of a given segment is convex; and the inner surface of an adjacent segment is concave; wherein during runflat operation, when the outer surface engages the inner surface, axial deflection is substantially prevented.