A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions with a bead core therein, and a carcass ply extending between the bead portions through the tread portion and sidewall portions and wound around the bead core in each of the bead portions from the axially inside to the axially outside of the tire so as to form a pair of wound portions and a main portion therebetween. The bead core has a cross sectional shape elongated in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom of the bead portion so that the width thereof measured in this direction is in a range of from 1.5-2.5 times the height thereof measured perpendicularly thereto. The bead core is covered with a high modulus rubber layer having a complex elastic modulus E*1 of from 20-100 Mpa and a thickness of t1 of from 0.5-3.0 mm.