Steel-belted radial ply tires with 0° textile cap band

Claim 1

In the method of making a radial ply tire having between the crown region of the carcass thereof and the surrounding tread a belt composed of at least two superposed plies of high modulus belt cords oriented at an angle of between about 16° and about 30° with respect to the median equatorial plane of the tire, with the belt cords being parallel to each other within each belt ply and being crossed with respect to cords in each next adjacent belt ply, wherein the carcass is built in substantially cylindrical form, said carcass is then shaped to toroidal form, and the belt and the tread are thereafter applied to the crown region of the shaped carcass preparatory to the placing of the raw tire into the mold for curing; the improvement comprising the steps of incorporating between the radially outwardmost belt ply and the tread during the building operation a cap band having at least one layer which is at least as wide as the widest of said belt plies and has incorporated therein a plurality of textile cords oriented substantially parallel to one another and to said median equatorial plane, with said cap band in direct contact with the radially outwardmost one of said belt plies, placing said raw tire into a two-piece mold, and applying internal fluid pressure to said raw tire upon closing of the mold for expanding said raw tire fully into the mold contours and concurrently stressing said textile cords in said cap band to elongate by between about 1% and about 5% from their unstressed condition, said textile cords thereby exerting a restraining force on said belt plies to ensure substantially uniform pantographing of said belt cords during said expansion.