Production method of pneumatic tire and pneumatic tire

A production method of a pneumatic tire which has a tread composed of a rubber composition for a tread comprising

• 40 to 120 parts by mass of silica which has a BET specific surface area of 70 to 250 m2/g and 2.5 to 6 parts by mass of at least one selected from the group consisting of:
• stearic acid, a metal salt of saturated fatty acid and a mold release agent comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a metal salt of fatty acid, a fatty acid amide and an amide ester, based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, the production method comprising:
• (A) a step of molding an unvulcanized rubber composition for a tread to obtain a tread shape unvulcanized rubber composition provided with a concave profile,
• (B) a step of laminating the tread shape unvulcanized rubber composition obtained in the step (A) with other unvulcanized rubber compositions for tire member to obtain an unvulcanized tire, and
• (C) a step of vulcanizing the unvulcanized tire obtained in the step (B) in a vulcanization mold, wherein the concave profile provided in the tread shape unvulcanized rubber composition is placed at a position where a convexity for the shoulder main groove provided in the inner surface of the vulcanization mold is pressed in the step (C), a sectional area of the concave profile perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the tire is 30 to 100% of the sectional area of the convexity for the shoulder main groove, when assuming that the distance from the center of the crown of the tread to the shoulder edge is 1, the center of the convexity for the shoulder main groove is provided at a position of ½ to ⅞ from the center of the crown, and a sectional area of the convexity for the shoulder main groove perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the tire is not less than 5% of the total sectional area of the groove.