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Tire Noise Problem

Ambalanche

Ambalanche

Full Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2002
Messages
1,328
Location
Pensacola, Florida
I have a tire that sounds like it's out of balance. It makes a womp, womp, womp sound when driving. I have had them all balanced and rotated, and there's no pulling but I have almost 26,000 miles on it now. I think it's the front left tire. Any ideas? :B:
 
:)
Got to be Goodyear!LOL

Take a good look at your front tires, if they have lite and dark tread blocks after a short drive , they are cupping. I see this a bunch here in Houston. Soo many people buy trucks with all terrain tires but never use them off road. An allterrain tire has large tread blocks that will cup out if not rotated religiously.

If yours are cupping try and cross rotate the fronts to the rear and they will get better, but it will take awhile. Be sure and have them balanced no matter how much weight they take, once they begin to smooth out get them rebalanced.

Hope it helps
:B: :B:
 
Check for bulges or other clues of tread-carcass separation.
 
Thanks, I'll check the tread, but mine is a Z-66 with original tires. Do on road tires do the same thing? and yes, they are Goodyears, do they typically have this problem? If so, they will be my last set since they are So expensive for 17" tires. Thanks!! :B:
 
Ambalanche,
I have the same problem. It has to do with lack of rotating the tires. Look at the outer and inner of the front tires and you will see the uneven tire wear. I rotated my tires at 6K miles and then at 16K miles. I was going to wait till 26K miles but looks like I need to rotate them more often :( I have 24K miles right now, so I will try what Tiregod recommends and see if they will get better. I have the 16" Firestones. I hope they make 40K miles before replacing.
 
I had the same tire noise problem on my left front tire.
I just had it in for service and the dealer rotated the tires front to back and I don't hear it anymore. He said it was due to cupping of the tires from normal wear. He said the tires should be rotated every 6000 miles.
 
Guys - I tried taking my Z71 out to 6K between tire rotations and I capped them. i.e. not a good thing.

I now get my tires roated every 4000k miles or earlier - I have been told by a couple of tire dealers, that the more agressive tread on the Z71 stock tires should be rotated every oil change or 3K miles.
 
I haven't noticed any cupping or anything like that. I will have them cross rotated next time, but since I just had them rotated, I'll put up with the noise until next time. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have a problem that could cause the tire to fail, since the tread is still very good. I rotate them about every 5k miles, but time before last I went about 7k :cautious: That must've been the problem. :8: Oh well, live and learn! Thanks for all the responses!! :B:
 
Just had my tires cross rotated today so hopefully that will correct the bad tire. I can still hear it slightly, since it's in the rear now, but at least it's not so bad anymore. I wonder how long I should leave it in the back, or would it be ok to go ahead and rotate it to the front in 5k miles. Remember, it's rotating in a different direction now, so If I cross rotate them next time it will still be on the other side. :B:
 
I, too have the Goodyears on mine. Had them on the 97 F-150 I sold to get the Avalanche.

The secret is this..... at about 15,000 miles, take them off and throw them away and buy Michelin. No more groaning and cupping and growling. Buy the M+S LT. You can get the WOL or blackwall.

Never have had a problem since then.

As far as the tires not meant for the road but just off roading..... exactly what percentage do YOU run your truck off road? Maybe .5%......maybe?

Do yourself a favor and buy Michelin.

My nickel's worth.

Trophyman.
 
I put Michelin LTX M/S on our Tahoe a couple of years ago and have never regretted it. Awesome tire, quiet and smooth.
I noticed the Good Years on my AV got 'noisy' at about 3500 miles.
 
Trophyman,
Not a problem for me at all since I never take mine off road. Mine is a Z-66 and has the on road tires anyway. I'm not going to throw them away, the tread is too good. Plus I already have 27,000 miles on it. When it comes time to replace them, I've already been thinking of Michelins, but I can't justify spending that kind of money when the tread is still good. Actually, I'm kinda suprised at how well the tread has held up, but I have mostly highway miles on it so I guess that's the reason. :B:
 
It's been a few years since I was a TIRE EXPERT but regardless of the changes to tire technology here is THE BEST tire rotation you can do... ?This applies to 2 wheel driving.. ?Doing a lot of driving where all four wheels are engaged doesn't really apply here... ?ALWAYS CROSS THE NON-DRIVE WHEELS.. ?There is a long winded reason for this and I'll try to state is quickly.. ?You'll see the benefit on big truck tires more but it works for car tires too.. ?Remember, cross the NON-drive wheels.. ?This means on a front wheel drive you'll be crossing the rear set. ?The reason - drive wheels are pushing forward so the wear is in the opposite direction of your AV's front tires. ?The front tires are being pushed against and with a lot less friction. ?You'll notice more in large tread tires that the blocks will wear more on the leading edge (the edge touching the ground first) looking like little ramps from one block to the next. ?If you cross the rears then you're drastically changing the wear of the tires and you'll hear and feel the difference (if the wear is really bad).. ?Move the DRIVE WHEELS straight up and the wear will even out before putting them back to the rear on the opposite side. ?You'll see this wear noticable on heavy duty trucks where they are constantly carrying heavier loads. ?The same wear is happening to light duty trucks just not as noticable. ?The ramps are due to misalignment.. ?Also if the RAMPS are wearing at a diagonal then you're really having an alignment problem. ?Rotating this way does get all the tires to all four corners. ?Remember, you can do this to a car too but if it's front wheel drive you cross the rears up.. ?In Missouri it's hard to keep an alignment because I think we're the pothole capital of the world... ?but keeping up on rotations will help the wear between alignments.

Hope that helps...
 
Thanks JTYE01, I have already had them cross rotated with the fronts crossed to the rear. My dealer tried to tell me they do that every time, but I told him I knew better. Anyway, I've only been about 1000 miles since and I can still hear it, only It's comeing from the rear now so it's not as bad. Hopefully it will straighten out. I will be changing the Goodyears to probably Michelins when they get bad, but for now the tread is too good still to warrant the expense. :B:
 
:) Ambalanche

Wait until 3-5000 miles for your next rotation. Then every 3000 thereafter. It won't hurt to rotate them too soon, but it can really mess them up if you wait too long. I talk to people every day who say that the owners manual for their vehicle says 7-10000 for rotation and they usually have some really bad wear by that time.

As far as the tires, the stock Z66 Goodyear is a good combination of off road traction and on road comfort. But the tread blocks are still larger than most purely street tires. If you are going to try the Michelin, check out the new Michelin Cross Terrain. They are available in the 265/70R17 size. Also, a switch to a 18" rim will bring a larger choice of tires, without much of a difference in price, as well as an improvement in handling.

Good Luck with the Goodyears
:B: :B:
 
My tire guy sys the main problem with my tire noise is the fact that the tires are Goodyear. It seems that Goodyears larger tire has an out-of-round problem. And yes my guy sells Goodyear tires so I know he's not just trying to up-sell me to a different tire. I've tried the cross rotate and all but still have a feel like the tires are not balanced correctly. I have watched them balance the tires and they are on the money!!! I think it will be time to change to 20" wheels and tires.
 
jtye01 said:
It's been a few years since I was a TIRE EXPERT but regardless of the changes to tire technology here is THE BEST tire rotation you can do... ?This applies to 2 wheel driving.. ?Doing a lot of driving where all four wheels are engaged doesn't really apply here... ?ALWAYS CROSS THE NON-DRIVE WHEELS.. ?There is a long winded reason for this and I'll try to state is quickly.. ?You'll see the benefit on big truck tires more but it works for car tires too.. ?Remember, cross the NON-drive wheels.. ?This means on a front wheel drive you'll be crossing the rear set. ?The reason - drive wheels are pushing forward so the wear is in the opposite direction of your AV's front tires. ?The front tires are being pushed against and with a lot less friction. ?You'll notice more in large tread tires that the blocks will wear more on the leading edge (the edge touching the ground first) looking like little ramps from one block to the next. ?If you cross the rears then you're drastically changing the wear of the tires and you'll hear and feel the difference (if the wear is really bad).. ?Move the DRIVE WHEELS straight up and the wear will even out before putting them back to the rear on the opposite side. ?You'll see this wear noticable on heavy duty trucks where they are constantly carrying heavier loads. ?The same wear is happening to light duty trucks just not as noticable. ?The ramps are due to misalignment.. ?Also if the RAMPS are wearing at a diagonal then you're really having an alignment problem. ?Rotating this way does get all the tires to all four corners. ?Remember, you can do this to a car too but if it's front wheel drive you cross the rears up.. ?In Missouri it's hard to keep an alignment because I think we're the pothole capital of the world... ?but keeping up on rotations will help the wear between alignments.

Hope that helps...
Click to expand...

So let me see if I got this right.

Left front tire would go to right rear
Right front tire would go to left rear
Left rear would go to left front
Right rear would go to right front

Is that correct or am I confussed ???

I already cross rotated my tires and the noise is still the same. I am going to try to wait about 4K miles and try the other rotation.
 
I didn't pay as close attention as I should've from your first email. ?If it were a constant whine cupping is more likely (doesn't mean your problem is not... Just more likely). ?A hmmm with a rythym <<can't spell that word ?:cautious:, or a womp as you described it is more likely an out-of-round problem like SHADES noted or real bad out of balance. ?You can get a machine to balance total junk but it still won't run right on the road. It might correct with frequent rotation but I think that's the optimistic view.. ? :rolleyes: ?One more thing to try, Big tires do require more weight to balance and aren't designed as perfect as performance tires but... ?A lot of weight is bad... ?If a lot of weight is necessary I would recommend spinning the tire a 1/2 turn from the wheel. ?It is very possible that the heavy side of the tire and the heavy side of the wheel just happen to be on the same edge.. ?If I didn't explain clearly, you'll need to deflate the tire, break the bead, spin the tire 1/2 way, re-air it and rebalance. ?You've got 26k on them and that's really only 1/2 life but... ?If that doesn't work I would chuck'em and get a new set.. ?The sooner you get rid of 'em the more you might get back out of them in a garage sale. ? Might not be perfect tires but there is always some hard working guy that can't afford $500 in brand new rubber that will make good use of 'em (y) ?Good Luck..
 
I looked yesterday, quite by accident on my left front tire as I got out of the truck, it just kinda caught my eye, one of the tread blocks seemed to be sticking up some. It isn't cracked and there doesn't seem to be any kind of bulge there, so is that what capping looks like? That one will go on the right rear just like the last one that was makeing noise did, so both will be on the same side. I don't like these tires! I'm not rough on my truck either. :B:
 
:0: That's easy... ?If you're getting a lump in the tread you have a belt that has separated. ?Actually I'd be more sure if I could see it but usually you get a lump because the belt has come loose in a section and is overlapping another belt. ?This would definitely give you the noise you're discribing. ?You can probably get the tire warrantied but only on a proration basis.. ?1/2 wear, you'd get a new tire at 1/2 price.. ?It would be measured more closely than that of course. ?AGAIN, if it were MY AV.. (you're saying you don't like the tires.) I would chuck'em and get new ones. ?Because you've been putting up with this for a while (I'm assuming) you'll love your truck more and enjoy the road more with some good new rubber. ?Since I've only had an AV for 2 months I haven't even bothered to look to see what other brands 'I' personally like but... By default I do like Michelin (a little high priced but still good) ?BF Goodrich, and Bridgestone (in no particular order). ?

Good luck on that :D. ?See you around in the other postings!!
 
From the Goodyear site:

Should I rotate my tires?


Regular and proper tire rotation promotes more uniform wear for all of the tires on a vehicle. All season tires should be rotated in a "modified X" pattern, meaning only the tires being moved to the drive axle are crossed to the opposite side of the vehicle.

The remaining two tires are moved from the drive axle to the free rolling axle, remaining on the same side of the vehicle.
This method of rotation helps promote a more even and uniform treadwear pattern for all four tires.

The only exception to this would be the use of "directional" tread design tires such as our Aquatred II or some of our Eagle line high performance tires. These tires would remain on the same side of the vehicle and be rotated straight forward and straight back.

If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, we recommend crossing both pairs of tires to their new axle positions.We recommend tire rotation at least every 6,000 miles. Four-wheel drive vehicles may require rotation even sooner such as every 4,000 miles. Check your vehicle owner's manual for the manufacturer's rotation recommendations. If no rotation period is specified, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. The first rotation is the most important. When tires are rotated, inflation pressures must be adjusted to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations. Uneven tire wear may also be due to misalignment or mechanical problems. Many Goodyear retailers can provide expert diagnosis and repair.

 
Excellent add-on Bruno..
I would only have one comment about the 4X4 statement on crossing all 4. This is really what is recommended if you are actually 4-wheeling or running in 4 wheel drive because all 4 tires are being wore in the same direction. Otherwise, as I stated before the purpose of crossing the Non-Drive wheels is to wear the tread in the opposite direction because (on rear wheel drives) the back tires push and the front tires are BEING pushed. 4-wheel drives wear tread the same if the front hubs aren't engaged.. (not 100% true but for the most part it is). 4x4's by nature of the agressive tread, and stonger frontend do really wear tires hard. (y)
 
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