Road noise!

[05whttc]

OK, I've got a road noise problem. Sounds like I'm running mud tires! It's especially loud when turning left. Wasn't sure where to put this post so I rolled the dice and threw it in this section. Any ideas? Sounds like it's coming from the front, but the tires aren't wearing poorly. I noticed the inner front right tire wear to not very smooth. They are somewhat new though.. They are goodyear eagles. Any ideas? It's my girlfriends car, and I don't want her to get stuck on the side of the road. Didn't find out until I drove it because she failed the mention it! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Ian

[navylife59]

The tire(s) might be out of round. It will make more noise at certain speeds based on the resonance of the road (yes, roads have frequencies). The uneven wear will cause a a wavy feel to the tire which can be over the entire tread pattern or in specific areas based on tire pressure, toe, and camber settings. You can have the tires rebalanced that might take care of it. If the wear pattern is severe, you will either have to rotate to the rear or replace. Check your tire pressure as a low tire can make for some bad drive feel. It should be 32PSI.

Usually, out-of-round tires don't make any difference when turning unless the asymmetrical wear is severe. This might make the problem related to the CV joint or the wheel bearing. The CV joint will usually go out way before the wheel bearings, unless, the axle nut has been loosened and re-torqued improperly.

[mtnbk]

Start with
(1) a good on-the-rack assessment of the wear patterns on the tires, especially the rars
(2) a good (1/2 the tolerances) 4-wheel alignment.

And, by the way, how many miles do you have on the car?

If you have high mileage your rear shocks may be getting soft, even though you can't tell with a "bounce test". Last spring, with my car at about 150,000 miles, I was hearing the same or similar sound to the one you're describing. We put the car on the lift and hand spun the tires. The wear was not regular, chunky actually, although it didn't appear to be when I'd run my hand over it earlier. Even though my colleages (certified ASE Master Mechanics) felt I was being a bit too pro-active, I had them replace the shocks. The difference was noticable, especially on the highway. I then had them do a good 4-wheel alignment. Then,, I replaced the tires.

And then, still having the rear interior panels out to access the top mounts, I started adding sound insulation. Structural dampin on the sheetmetal covered with carpet padding. It made such a big difference that I continued the project until I'd done everything aft of the B-pillars. It made an enormous difference. I literally don't even turn up the radion on the highway anymore.