Wheel/tire noise

[Powerslide]

I recently had a wheel alignment and new PS2's put on the rear tires only. The other day while driving at very low speed in a parking lot and also on a side street (below 15 mph) I noticed a barely perceptible wheel rumble/noise that seemed to increase/decrease in frequency as the car increased/decreased speed. It almost sounds like a very slight but barely noticeable rubbing sound - it is not noticeable at all at times, and when it is it is so subtle that I am not sure if I'm actually hearing something or if it's my imagination.

When I took my car in the SA said he noticed some slight "feathering" of the front tires, which prompted him to recommend a wheel alignment (and which I agreed to). My car has over 14k miles on it. The SA did not specifically recommend new front tires - instead I only asked to have the rears replaced, since the tread depth indicators were even with the contact surface of the tires, whereas there was still extra tread depth on the front tires beyond the tread wear indicators.

After getting the new PS2's on the rear wheels and wheel alignment, I noticed this rubbing, rhythmic sound referenced above. Does anyone think that it may be related to the fact that the front tires wore in a specific pattern before the alignment, and now after the alignment has been done, the tires are hitting the pavement in a different "pattern" than before the alignment (thus creating this barely noticeable sound)? Is it possibly a wheel balancing issue?

Either way, I'm going to take it back in soon to have an SA ride in the car with me to try and see if there is a problem (or if this is normal or just my imagination). Either way, any feedback (pun not intended) in the meantime would be appreciated. Thanks,

[AMPowerJ]

Originally Posted by Powerslide

Does anyone think that it may be related to the fact that the front tires wore in a specific pattern before the alignment, and now after the alignment has been done, the tires are hitting the pavement in a different "pattern" than before the alignment (thus creating this barely noticeable sound)?

I think this is the most logical explanation. After a couple hundred miles or less they should wear in again and the sound should go away if this is indeed what it is.

[danielbreese]

Before my E92, I had a e46 M3 for 5.5 years- and tire wear is seemingly the same. I would go thru 2 sets of rears (17,000 miles) for every one set of fronts (34,000 miles). Even when the fronts had plenty of tread left, they were noisey at LOW speeds. But there was too much life in them to replace. It would go away when I eventually got new fronts. I have 14,000 miles on my E92 and the fronts are starting to get a little noisey. If that is what is happening to you, I would live with it.

Dan

[john@wickedparts]

Just curious how bad the feathering is to cause this much noise. Quick pic?

[Powerslide]

Thanks for the input - I'll try to send a pic. I might try to live with it, assuming it is not going to cause any issues with the performance of the car (I do not track it, which probably comes as no surprise since it's a vert) or issues with the rest of the car's chassis, alignment, etc.

[GT3 Tim]

Diff noise? Just a thought....

[Powerslide]

Good question - but no - the diff is a much more rapid "clicking" sound that I only hear when taking tight corners with a little speed. The sound I'm hearing now is when I'm going in a straight line at lower speeds - about 10-15 mph. Above that speed I don't hear anything.

[john@wickedparts]

only familiar to bmw, porsche, audi and vws but out of all of them BMWs have the worst tire wear IMO. My 5 series had some major weird feathering and terrible road noise as well after 7-10k miles. Reason I ask for a picture is because you can actually see the feathering even though an alignment was done. Swapped out the stock Contis for Sumitomos and man what a pleasant surprise. So loud the car just sounded broken when taking people in it.

[JCtx]

It's normal to hear a bit of differential noise (NOT the 'clicking' associated with tight corners, but normal gear noise) with the windows open at slow speeds; wind/road noise drowns it out at higher speeds. Also, PS2s are noisy as hell on certain roads; could be that too. If it's not something annoyingly loud, I wouldn't even worry about it.

Want annoying? The road noise inside my car over rough asphalt is deafening. And now that states have tight budgets, that's all I'm seeing recently. My next set of tires will be 'ultra high-performance all-season', so they last longer and are quieter (I never track my car, plus it gets cold here).