V70: Wheels/Brakes Tyre Noise?

[capt jack]

My V70 has developed a faint-but-there whine at between 65 and 70mph. My first thought was a noisy wheel bearing, but I've spun all four wheels in turn, with finger tips on springs (at the front) and shockers (at the rear) and there's no discernible vibration. Rocking the wheels top and bottom and side to side elicits no movement. None of the hubs get hot, and the usual diagnostic test (driving at 40mph on a quiet road and steering left and right) produces no noise, let alone any variation in noise.

It started after last weekend when I swapped the tyres front to rear to even out the wear, and I'm wondering if that might have caused the issue. The now-front tyres are Nexen, with a good amount of tread on, but they do exhibit a bit of what I term feathering - run your hand one way round the tread it feels smooth, but the other it feels rough.

The tyres now on the rear are matched Goodyears, one almost brand new, the other half worn, again it has that characteristic "feathered" feel, and is worn a little more on the outer edge. I had to have a new tyre recently thanks to an unrepairable puncture.

I have known tyres make an awful droning noise, on my Saab, which had some really awful cheap Chinese tyres on it when I first got the car.

I run all the tyres at the recommended 38psi.

So my question is, how much feathering does it take to make a tyre drone, and does the fact that the tyres are Nexen, rather than a more expensive brand, suggest that fault is a combination of cheaper tyres and a bit of uneven wear - because they are cheaper tyres!

I'd be really interested in any thoughts and comments.

Thanks

Jack

[Georgeandkira]

Try restoring to the previous positions.

How many miles on this car? SE Lux....Is that AWD or FWD?

[capt jack]

Thanks.

The car is a 2012 D5 FWD auto SE Lux, with 155,000 miles up now.

I think I probably will swap the wheels back again, just to see, but it would be interesting to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Jack

[GrahamBrown1]

My S80 has terrible tyre noise at the moment especially at 70mph. The front tyres were on the back and have worn how you describe your feathering, a bit like a saw tooth on the inside. The back tyres are about worn out hence there on the back and I’m trying to get as much out the fronts before winter.

Im certain the tyre noise is down to the fronts uneven wear on the inside. They hum down the road especially if it’s smooth.

Once winter comes I’ll stick my winter wheels on and all will be well and next summer I will treat her to 4 new summer tyres.

It’s only my tightness that is trying to inch this set of summer tyres out for as long as possible haha.

I should add the tyres that have worn odd are Michelin. I’m thinking a full set of Pirelli next spring.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by capt jack

My V70 has developed a faint-but-there whine at between 65 and 70mph. My first thought was a noisy wheel bearing, but I've spun all four wheels in turn, with finger tips on springs (at the front) and shockers (at the rear) and there's no discernible vibration. Rocking the wheels top and bottom and side to side elicits no movement. None of the hubs get hot, and the usual diagnostic test (driving at 40mph on a quiet road and steering left and right) produces no noise, let alone any variation in noise.

It started after last weekend when I swapped the tyres front to rear to even out the wear, and I'm wondering if that might have caused the issue. The now-front tyres are Nexen, with a good amount of tread on, but they do exhibit a bit of what I term feathering - run your hand one way round the tread it feels smooth, but the other it feels rough.

The tyres now on the rear are matched Goodyears, one almost brand new, the other half worn, again it has that characteristic "feathered" feel, and is worn a little more on the outer edge. I had to have a new tyre recently thanks to an unrepairable puncture.

I have known tyres make an awful droning noise, on my Saab, which had some really awful cheap Chinese tyres on it when I first got the car.

I run all the tyres at the recommended 38psi.

So my question is, how much feathering does it take to make a tyre drone, and does the fact that the tyres are Nexen, rather than a more expensive brand, suggest that fault is a combination of cheaper tyres and a bit of uneven wear - because they are cheaper tyres!

I'd be really interested in any thoughts and comments.

Thanks

Jack

Even inflating the tyres to 38psi will minimise tyre wear, but it doesn't completely stop it. I think its to do with the weight of the car personally. For example, my Dad's V70 has literally had a suspension overhaul, which included; New front and rear shocks, new mounts, drop links, track rod ends, lower control arms (front), rear trailing arm bushes and the alignment was done after all this.

Yes the handling is tighter, but when you go around a roundabout, it still handles like a barge. I know its not a sports car, but these cars do have a tendency to wallow around bends. I think, over time, that shift in weight just eats the rubber. My Dad's tyres are also wearing on one edge slightly, despite being properly inflated and there's definitely nothing wrong with the suspension or the alignment because its only been done. It tracks perfectly straight, no wandering or anything like that. There's still plenty of 'meat' left on the tyres though, but the wear is there.

It would appear, in my experience, that some tyres are worse than others at wearing on the edges/feathering... Michelin being one. If your tyres are feathered, its highly likely that that's the cause of the wheel bearing sound. The only fix is new tyres, until eventually the same thing happens again. I've been told by a Volvo mechanic that he sees it all the time on Volvo's... nothing can really be done about it. They just like tyres more I guess.

I would suggest getting the alignment checked though, just to be sure.

[capt jack]

To conclude the story, this evening I got chance to swap the wheels round again, and the noise has vanished.

So, the moral of the story is, it's surprising how noisy tyres can be!

Jack

[Broadbandylegs]

Just experienced exactly this problem. Loud drone from the rear offside started at 40mph and disappeared around 50.
Replacing the offending wheel/tyre with a spare one cured the problem completely.
Close examination of the tyre showed 3 small undulations along the inside tread. Only a couple of mm in it - initially found by running my finger along the tyre.
I assumed some internal damage - anyway, tyre now binned and the driving experience back to normal.