Patent ID: 8771447

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire comprising the steps of: winding an unvulcanized rubber sheet material with a thickness of 0.5 mm or more around a cylindrical thermoplastic resin film which is placed around a making drum; and splicing a first end portion directly onto a second end portion of the rubber sheet material while overlapping the first end portion on the second end portion to form a step part at an end surface of the second end portion, which is in contact with the thermoplastic resin film; wherein the first end portion of the rubber sheet material is spliced onto the second end portion with an auxiliary rubber sheet extending across the step part and interposed between the rubber sheet material and the thermoplastic resin film underneath the second end portion and an area of the rubber sheet material near the first end portion, the auxiliary rubber sheet being thinner than the rubber sheet material.