Method of mounting a tire

A method of mounting a tire on a rim, for both the situation where in the vulcanizing state the axial distance between the bead regions of the tire is considerably greater than the width of the tread, and the bead regions could even be capable of being shifted relative to the bead cores, and the situation where in the vulcanizing state the axial distance between the bead regions is at most approximately the same as the width of the tread;

• the rim has two seats along its inner periphery, each of said seats being adjacent to a radially inwardly extending rim flange and to a circumferential recessed portion, the diameters of the bases of which are greater than the diameters of said rim seats;
• said tire also has two seats, one on each bead region in the vicinity of the bead core thereof;
• said tire and said rim each have an axis of rotation;
• said method includes the steps of:
• providing a relative movement of said rim and said tire toward one another while keeping their axes of rotation at an angle to one another;
• introducing said rim into the interior of said tire in the direction of the axis of rotation of said tire, with at least one of said tire bead regions at this point having assumed an oval shape;
• rotating said rim in such a way that the axes of rotation of said rim and said tire are at least parallel to one another, and the rim is in the interior of said tire;
• with the seat of a given tire bead region, when viewed in cross section, approximately parallel to an adjacent seat of said rim, introducing a portion of said given bead region into the adjacent recessed portion of said rim;
• introducing the remainder of said given bead region, over its entire periphery, into said adjacent recessed portion of said rim;
• repeating said last two introducing steps for the other tire bead region;
• and
• inflating said tire with air to bring said seats of said bead regions onto said seats of said rim.