Tire with circumferential extending textile underlay for increasing the crown stiffness

Crown-stiffening underlay structure (238) for a radial ply pneumatic tire (200) comprised of a flat strip (240) of elastomeric material (244) reinforced with essentially inextensible cords (242). The cord-reinforced flat strip (240) is wrapped helically around the green tire carcass (400) prior to blowup into the characteristic toroidal shape of a tire carcass. In one embodiment, the underlay structure (238) is disposed between breakers (226, 228)and the radial ply structure(232). In another embodiment, the underlay is disposed between the radial ply structure (516) and the innerliner (518). In another embodiment, the afore described underlay structure has an additional and structurally contiguous beam (606) made of elastomeric material.