Pneumatic tire

A pneumatic tire, comprising:

• a tread portion that forms a ground contacting surface and that extends around an outer circumference of the tire and across a width of the tire, said tread portion having lug grooves;
• side portions extending radially inwards in a tire radial direction from opposite sides of the width of the tread portion;
• wherein a plurality of projections which differ in at least one of a shape and a size are arranged on the side portions in a plurality of rows which are displaced from each other in said tire radial direction, and
• wherein small lugs are positioned at outer diameter sides of the projections with small lug grooves extending in the tire radial direction to guide a tire chain by the small lugs,
• wherein a second row of the plurality of rows which is displaced in the tire radial direction further from the tread portion than a first row of the plurality of rows includes projections that are positioned radially aligned in the tire radial direction with the small lug grooves, and wherein respective ones of said projections in said second row are each sized so as to span entirely across a respective one of said small lug grooves in the tire circumferential direction such that a tire chain supported anywhere within the small lug groove and extending along a side portion radially inwardly in the tire radial direction will necessarily contact a respective one of said projections such as to be displaced from the side portion of said pneumatic tire,
• wherein the projections are formed into polygonal shapes when the side portion is viewed in a plan view, and wherein a number of segments which form the polygonal shapes that are positioned radially aligned in the tire radial direction differs between the first row and the second row.