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  #1  
Old 02-25-2003, 03:41 PM
svxstl
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tire noise from cupping

had a subie dealer check out some annoyingly loud tire noise a few months ago and they told me my tires were cupped. had them rotated and balanced and was told the noise would go away after a few thousand miles once the tires had worn down.

>3K later and the noise isn't much different, so i took it to an independent shop that told me i'd need new tires to get rid of the noise. they said they couldn't find anything wrong (suspension, wheel bearings, etc). i figure the previous owner just didn't rotate/balance them...

anyone else have problems like this? i'm considering new tires b/c the noise is driving me nuts.
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  #2  
Old 02-26-2003, 07:27 AM
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Thumbs up New tyres

Yes, new tyres is the way to go.

Most advice on here is avoid Pirellis, they seem to be really loud. Check out the posts about tyre noise, there are a few. Rest of the car is so quiet, tyre noise is worst culprit.

Do not forget also to get a 4 wheel laser track done with the new tyres. If they are dragging diagonally at any point, then they affect fuel consumption, wear the tyres and make noise all in one go!

Joe
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  #3  
Old 02-26-2003, 08:52 AM
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Re: tire noise from cupping

Quote:
Originally posted by svxstl
had a subie dealer check out some annoyingly loud tire noise a few months ago and they told me my tires were cupped. had them rotated and balanced and was told the noise would go away after a few thousand miles once the tires had worn down.

>3K later and the noise isn't much different, so i took it to an independent shop that told me i'd need new tires to get rid of the noise. they said they couldn't find anything wrong (suspension, wheel bearings, etc). i figure the previous owner just didn't rotate/balance them...

anyone else have problems like this? i'm considering new tires b/c the noise is driving me nuts.
Cupped tires will never wear down to round again. When they're cupped, they're cupped.

Weak struts/shocks will cause uneven wear, as will misalignment. Worn struts can be hard to diagnose.

Another option - take the tires to a shop that can shave tires and have that done (similar to having brake rotors turned - takes off the high spots). You've got to balance the cost of this over the remaining life of your tires vs the cost of new tires.
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Old 02-26-2003, 02:31 PM
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Re: tire noise from cupping

Quote:
Originally posted by svxstl
had a subie dealer check out some annoyingly loud tire noise a few months ago and they told me my tires were cupped. had them rotated and balanced and was told the noise would go away after a few thousand miles once the tires had worn down.

>3K later and the noise isn't much different, so i took it to an independent shop that told me i'd need new tires to get rid of the noise. they said they couldn't find anything wrong (suspension, wheel bearings, etc). i figure the previous owner just didn't rotate/balance them...

anyone else have problems like this? i'm considering new tires b/c the noise is driving me nuts.
Its quite possible that the cupping is due to poor tire maintenance. However, its also possible that its due to suspension misalignment (either due to worn components providing lots of free play or just simple bad alignment) or worn struts as sfsvx said. Before buying new tires, I'd look at the tread on the current tires to see if the wear pattern can be used to determine if there is an alignment or wear problem.

As an example, when I bought my SVX about 5 months ago, the rear tires were in good condition except there was a rather large amount of edge wear but not enought to justify replacing the tires. My initial assessment was that the edge wear was due to underinflation perhaps combined with spirited driving habit. However, after a few tire rotations, it became clear that there was an alignment issue because the problem was getting steadily worse and I was not driving the car hard and the tire pressure was good. I took the car in for an alignment, and sure enough, the rear wheels had 0 deg of camber and nearly 1/2" of toe-in. (Spec is about -1 deg neg camber and 0" of toe.)

Even if you do decide there are no alignment issues or wear problems based on the tread wear, I recommend spending the $50 (Sears) for a good four-wheel alignment. If you take it to Sears, they will let you out on the garage floor to watch the alignment process. This way you can see the numbers and ask them to tweak the alignment even if the numbers are within spec.
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  #5  
Old 02-26-2003, 03:15 PM
svxstl
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Re: Re: tire noise from cupping

Quote:
Originally posted by mbtoloczko


Before buying new tires, I'd look at the tread on the current tires to see if the wear pattern can be used to determine if there is an alignment or wear problem.
thanks for the input everyone...i plan on getting an alignment done when i buy the new tires (which i'll do AFTER some of the potholes around here are patched). the shop told me the suspension was ok, so hopefully i won't spend $500 and then have the same problem in 6 mos
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