Method of producing a semi-pneumatic tire assembly

A method of forming a tire assembly for mounting on an associated rim, the tire assembly including a tire casing having a tread region, first and second shoulder regions, a pair of beads, and an inner concave surface, the tire assembly further including a lining adjacent the inner surface of the tire casing, the method being characterized by the steps of:

• positioning an annular molding member in an interior of the tire casing, the molding member having a first contoured surface spaced from the inner concave surface of the tire casing;
• mounting the tire casing and molding member onto a rim member, the rim member having a pair of spaced bead receiving areas, an annular rim band, and a rim valve;
• seating the beads on the bead receiving areas of the rim member by introducing air through the rim valve so that a first cavity is defined between the inner concave surface of the tire casing and the first surface of the molding member;
• injecting a flowable, curable material into the first cavity through the rim valve;
• and,
• forming the lining by curing the material, the lining filling the first cavity and including an inward surface mating with the first surface of the molding member and an outward surface mating with the inner surface of the tire casing the inward surface of the lining being substantially parallel to the tread region in a tread-underlying region, concave in first and second shoulder-underlying regions and convex in first and second bead-underlying regions, wherein the lining includes a first cross-sectional thickness T1 throughout the tread-underlying region and a second cross-sectional thickness T2 throughout the bead-underlying regions wherein T1 does not equal T2.