Pneumatic tire

In combination, a pneumatic tire and a rim wherein said tire is designed to be mounted on said rim, said tire having a bead latch located in the lower sidewall area of each of its sidewalls, said rim having a drop center portion and two flange portions designed to receive the beads of said tire, said bead latch having a portion which extends axially outwardly and radially inwardly of said rim flange when said tire is mounted on said rim, said bead latch comprising a recessed portion adapted to fit said rim flange having a horizontal wall and a vertical wall, said rim flange contacting said horizontal wall along the entire outer periphery of said rim flange and not contacting said vertical wall when said tire is subjected to normal inflation pressure and load, said rim flange partially contacting said horizontal wall along said rim flange's outer periphery and not contacting said vertical wall when said tire is subjected to normal inflation pressure and not under load, said combination having the diameter of said bead latch less than the outer diameter of said rim flange so that said bead latch engulfs said rim flange when the tire is run uninflated and under load thereby preventing the tire bead from becoming unseated during said run-flat operation.