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sounds like rumble strips?

4K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  Robj80 
#1 ·
Well one day I was going off the off ramp and I hit the rumble strips on the side of the highway. You know those little cuts in the ground that make the loud noise when your drive over them! The next day I was getting off the highway and I got a very similar noise except this time I swear I didn't run them over! Yesterday I was able to repeat the noise by taking hard right turns! Left turns, straight, and soft right's no noise though? The noise is definately coming from the rear! I'm not positive which side but it seems to be from the passenger. I would think with hard right turns it would be the driver side though?

I have my theories as to what it is but I will let some of you chime in first. Here is a little background info, the car is a 99 with 186k miles. No rear suspension parts have been changed! Not that there is much on a p11! I'm riding on falken ziex 512's that are well past their prime! They were over inflated to 35psi in early winter and not checked since. They have to have 70-80k miles on them and the tread is very choppy on the inside. I mean I drove over wet ground and every other section of tread was wet?!? The others were bone dry? The car has had one allignment a few years ago, and two sets of tires ago! That was back when the car was well under 100k! Can you even allign the rears in a p11? So tell me your thought please!
 
#2 ·
Wow! No suggestions?!!? Where the hell is everyone?

Well I think it's my rear wheel bearing. I'm going to do the tire shake today at lunch. Now I see that everythingg20 has the rear hub for $100 or so. Does anyone know if that comes with the studs? They have a seperate price for studs?

I might have a problem though! I put on some cheap rotors in the rear and they didn't have the holes so you can pop the rotor off! How the hell can I get those off without destroying them? I'm sure they aren't going to just fall off! I usually have to smack rotors with a hammer but I didn't want to buy new rotors. These only have about 10k on them!
 
#3 ·
Bearings sound like a good place to start. The only other thing I can think of is loose or worn suspension components. Bushings, shocks, or other things.

I don't know of any other way to get off stuck rotors other than with a hammer. Of course, if they have that threaded screw hole you can do that and pop the rotor off. If you keep rotating the wheel as you hammer it, it should be reusable. Maybe start off with a rubber mallet see if that give you enough force.
 
#4 ·
well I just jacked the car up and did the pull test. The right rear bearing is fine. I almost pulled the car off the jack, that's how hard I was tugging. That thing doesn't have a mm of play! I rotated the wheel and got no strange noise or anything. I'm going to check the other side when I get home. I only have the scissor jack on my and that took forever to get the tire off the ground! I do think the noise is coming from the side I didn't check now!

Still could be tires because they are shot! But my money is on rear driver side bearing! Which if it is I'm going to try the rubber mallet to get the rotor off!
 
#5 ·
OK someone please help me out! I jacked the car up and tugged the shit out of the wheel. No play whatsoever! I had my bro tug as well. He and I both looked over the suspension components! Everything looks great! WTF is this stupid noise? Can it still be a bearing even though I have no wheel play? I feel my rims after driving and everyone of them is cool to the touch! I'm stumped!
 
#22 ·
my rims get real hot after driving, could that be a sign of bearings going out or AZ heat?, also i remember a strange thing when i was changing the oil couple weeks ago i felt the axle and it was still very warm, not hot but warm,. the car was parked proly for like 30-45 minutes, the motor wasnt even that hot....did i find something new to fix??
 
#7 ·
I'm riding on falken ziex 512's that are well past their prime! They have to have 70-80k miles on them and the tread is very choppy on the inside. I mean I drove over wet ground and every other section of tread was wet?!? The others were bone dry? The car has had one allignment a few years ago, and two sets of tires ago! That was back when the car was well under 100k!
You have answered your own question. Your tires are shot. As stated by cwolv you most likely have a bad tire(s). Choppy tread is an indication of bad alignment and/or bad balance. A separated belt inside the tire can create the kind of noise you are talking about.
Here is what I would do. Get new tires. Have the front end aligned and inspected. Also have them check the alignment on the rear and compare that to the factory tolerance limits.
 
#8 ·
I just posted and it didn't show up?!?!?!? Basically I said the same thing you said. I'm going to get new tires and if the noise continues then investigate more!

I will get the alignment but I don't understand what your saying about the rear? I don't see anything that can be adjusted or changed back there? Seems like whatever it is it is! If it is out of spec how would it have gotten that way and what could you do about it?

I'm ordering tires today probably! Kumho kr21's or falken 912? I'm still undecided!
 
#11 · (Edited)
well I know nothing is bent and what is there to wear out? The strut? Those are fine.

edit: Well I just ordered the tires! 195/60/15 falken 912's! $216 to my door! Best I could find!
 
#12 ·
How do you know nothing is bent? It might be something that is hard to see and not that obvious. There are many bushings in the rear suspension that can wear and change the geometry. Remember your old tires were telling you that something was wrong. Could be just the tires, but you certainly do not want to ruin your new set of tires. Pay the extra money to have the rear alignment checked.
 
#13 ·
There are many bushings in the rear suspension that can wear and change the geometry
are we looking under the same cars? What bushings do you see? I'm no master mechanic but the system back there looks pretty simple.

My tires have close to 80k miles on them! The uneven wear is not even visible to the eye. You need to feel it to know it's different then the outer part of the tire! These have never been rotated! Is there the possibility that this is just what happens when you ride a tire way past it's prime! If the new set gave me 80k miles on the back and looked like this I would be happy!

I'm definately getting it all checked though! Your right, if something is wrong now I don't want to eat up a new set of tires in a few months.
 
#14 ·
are we looking under the same cars? What bushings do you see? I'm no master mechanic but the system back there looks pretty simple.
There are bushings in the front mounting point of the trailing arms that are part of the rear beam. There are also bushings in the multi link center section of the rear beam axle.

You are most likely correct that the tires just failed. I had the same thing happen on my tires that went 70,000 miles also. They just internally and externally fell apart. Still, with the miles on your car I would check the rear alignment.

Best of luck.
 
#16 ·
Well there is a new update here! As I usually do when I can't figure out a problem I attempt to uncover it by breaking it totally. In other words I got frustrated and was taking every turn I could at a higher speed and much sharper. I was doing this in hopes of actually breaking something so that I can know what it is and fixing it. I know not very smart but I lose patience sometimes. Too my surprise no noise at all? Now I was stumped. But later the noise did come back. It was as I am ever so softly touching the breaks. It doesn't happen every time. Actually it only happens a couple of times a day if that. I guess it's time to take the tires off and inspect the breaks. The rotors and pads are only a couple months old. One rear caliper was being a bitch to turn in and actually te break job before that the piston siezed. It later freed itself but it always had me worried.

I'm a little upset if it is brakes because I never replaced a hub before and was looking forward to doing something new. Oh well, I'll update my findings. I'm going to rip it apart this weekend.
 
#17 ·
update: Well since I last posted I didn't get the noise for a bit. I finally got it twice yesterday. It can be described as sort of a howl or someone blowing over the top of a glass bottle. It gives the car a vibration as well. Not a shake or anything violent more of like that feeling you get when your cell is in your pocket and on vibrate.

I put the new tires on and it helped tremendously with other noises. My car is extremely quit now. I am loving it. My howl happened after the tires were put on so I know it's not them. I still need and alignment I guess even though the car drives pretty straight and I'm not getting any steering wheel shakes. I'm still betting on breaks. My guess is the pad is getting stuck on the slider or something?
 
#18 ·
Dude, I feel for ya. I have chopped tires that have progressively gotten worse. As I wait for an eternity for the P11 suspension deal to materialize my car sounds worse each time I drive it. If you are familiar with the *voop voop voop* noise that chopped tires make, increase that tenfold and that is what I deal with. It has become so bad that I cannot hear myself think while driving at speed. The radio has to be deafening and forget taking a phone call. Matter of fact the few times I have talked to my s/o while driving she says the noise is overpowering our conversation. Add insult to injury now any deviation of the steering to the right and it feels like something is just barely slowing down the car, enough that I can feel it but not like you tapped the brakes. Sucks balls, I have never had a car do this and I don't even know where to start other than the suspension is fucked and I need new tires. Good luck to you man!
 
#19 ·
demonR6 just change your tires. I'm loving how quiet my car is now. If yours was worse then mine I don't know how you do it. Mine was louder then the freakin engine. Even if your suspension is no good, tires are cheap enough.
 
#20 ·
I know tires are probably the reason for this horrible sound.. but the suspension is the root source of all evil so if I do not replace the suspension, in three or four months I will be needing those headgear that airport employees wear when they are working on the ramp. :)
 
#21 ·
Here is a little late update on this one. I know it's late but it was just brought to my attention that I didn't clarify what happened. About a month after this ordeal my rear caliper froze up. I swapped out the caliper and put on a fresh rotor and pads and the noise was gone. So it was my caliper sticking, dragging or freezing up that caused this noise for me.
 
#23 ·
a hot wheel has always been a frozen caliper for me. I've had the problem with various nissans and a fresh rebuilt caliper cured the hot wheel issue. I guess it could be wheel bearing but that was never the case in my experience.
 
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