rawbhp Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I have reasonably new Dunlop tyres fitted to the standard Rays at the front of my Z. At 60-70mph there is a strange rythmical droning sound coming from the front of the car (no it's not the other half in the passenger seat). It is quite loud and sounds bit like when you drive over the rumble strip on the motorway, although not as severe. It also comes and goes in waves randomly. The weird thing is as soon as I go over 70mph is disappears and everything is smooth. The tyres have loads of tread and don't seem to be wearing unevenly, and the steering wheel itself doesn't vibrate. Despite this could it be the tracking? It was checked last year but I guess one pothole could have knocked something out? Is my car possessed by a speak-freak ghost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummybird Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I had a similar noise years ago in a vectra. At 50mph it sounded like the wheel bearing had gone with this really horrible sound, after 50moh the car sound was gone and everything was ok again. The problem was the tyre. It had an egg shape on its inner side wall. Changed the tyre and the noise went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawbhp Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 It does sound like it could be the front right tyre, but as I mentioned they are pretty new and visually it looks fine. It also passed an MOT a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummybird Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 If the tyre is out of shape then just have a good feel around, you should be able to feel for any problems. If not then I am not sure what the problem would be. If it was a wheel bearing then you would expect the noise all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Definitely check your tyres first. Also I'd be checking the rim/s to make sure they're still perfectly round. Although with rims the noise tends to be there all the time, obviously varying according to speed and how damaged the rim is. Another though, although probably not so likely. If a tyre has an unusually thick spot where the join is, that can produce noises too (most would probably miss it though). To be able to pick that though, you need to find a perfect smooth surface, go very, very slowly, keeping both hands on the wheel so you get the feed back, and if there is a point where it is thicker than it should be, you should be able to feel a slight lump on the offending tyre. Try a few times to be fairly sure. Had a "thick tyre" 2 sets back, and when we took the tyre off the rim, it was quite noticeable. Tyre shop were very good as the tyres hadn't done much mileage, and swapped them over for a totally new set. I've spent a lot of money with that tyre shop and send them a lot of business, so that may have some bearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawbhp Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Maybe a wheel weight could have dropped off on the motorway? This may be more noticeable at certain speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Maybe a wheel weight could have dropped off on the motorway? This may be more noticeable at certain speeds. + 1 on that too. Easy to have checked too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zDan Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Maybe a wheel weight could have dropped off on the motorway? This may be more noticeable at certain speeds. +2 - typical symptoms of a wheel balancing problem. Check it at a tyre garage, should be a 5 minute job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 sounds like feathering on the tyre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 sounds like feathering on the tyre This link gives you the info - it was a regular issue but rarely surfaces now http://www.bonell.plus.com/350z/tire%20 ... lletin.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 sounds like feathering on the tyre This link gives you the info - it was a regular issue but rarely surfaces now http://www.bonell.plus.com/350z/tire%20 ... lletin.pdf agree, it was an issue with the Bridgestones and not Dunlops. But thats not to say Dunslops won't suffer from the same problem if the tyre pattern allows it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawbhp Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 Well this continues to confuse me. Took the car to Kiplings this morning, and ended up giving 2 different mechanics a ride to try and find out what the noise is. They agreed it seems to be coming from the front right wheel, so removed it, checked the tyre wear and tread depth across the width, and the balancing, which were all fine. They looked over the suspension strut etc and everyhting seemed in order. The only other thing they could think of is a knackered wheel bearing but as they said that should be audiable at all speeds, getting worse as the car speeds up. This starts at about 45mph and then suddenly disappears above 80mph. Has anyone else had anything like this? Could it be a wheel bearing, and if so, are they easy to change? I'd rather do it myself than pay a garage mega bucks to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I had similar on mine but was definitely the tyres. Sounded horrendous at low speed but disappeared as soon as you went faster. My tyres had noticeably feathered and the fronts were worn on the inner edges. Got new tyres and had it laser aligned and been fine since. Seems not to be the case on yours but like you say, if it was a wheel bearing would the noise go away at higher speed? Odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 No tiny stones caught at all? They can make a bit of a noise and cause vibration, depending where they're stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanski Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Got something similar on mine - Falkens fitted Lockwood and Greenwood put a spare set of wheels with the factory Bridgestones on and the noise was a lot less, again they thought feathering of the front tyres and also the patterns on the tread causing the noise - I am not 100% convinced but will take it back to Westway Oldham to check while in for some warranty work. Maybe worth a test though - put another set of wheels on (if you have access to do this) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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