Hi folks,

I recently had four new tyres on my Octavia TDi. Long story short, I took a chunk out of one of the rears in a multi storey car park, and seen as they were all getting low (2mm at the front, 3mm at the back) I had them all replaced with Michelin Pilot Primacy HPs. I won't tell you how much they were because you'll laugh and tell me I should have gone to .

Anyway, two odd things.

* One of the front wheels needed a 70g weight on the outside to balance it. They ran it twice to double check. Is that a lot? It certainly looks big!

* It's started to produce a dull whine which changes with road speed (and continues if I push the clutch in, so it's not engine related). It's not always there and sometimes its quiet and sometimes its quite loud. Any common problems? Driveshafts? Wheel bearings? I can't afford to fix anything on top of the tyres, insurance and road tax this month!

Cheers

J

The whining isn't caused by the tyre tread pattern is it? When I bought my car, the tyres it had on made a very strange/loud noise (I thought a wheel bearing was on the way out), in the end I swapped wheels with a friend to see if it made a difference and the noise vanished.

70g of balance weight is a lot, but not unknown.

I'd agree with Phil that the tread pattern has to be a suspect. Since getting my Octy I've changed from a mix of Dunlop and Michelin to Toyos all round, and one of the benefits was a reduction in road noise.

I've had it suggested to me that Michelin tyres are not uniform in weight around the circumference - they have a slightly lighter patch and this is to be placed over the valve. Sure enough, three of my tyres have the valve under the Michelin logo, and one of them (with the big weight on it) has it under the '0' in 205/55R16.

Next time I pass an ATS with half an hour spare I'll see if they concur and cash in on my free wheel balancing while I'm at it.

J

Nice peice of design as far as it goes, but what would be wrong with moulding a "valve here" marker onto the sidewall?

I've got these tyres too. Mine were slightly noisy to start with, but they settled down and became quieter. After 20K miles I dont think they are any louder than the tyres they replaced.

sorry a bit non PC and OT, mine whines from the front left, but only when wife is on board!!!

when the factory balances the tyre,they usually mark the lighter location of the tyre with a red dot on the sidewall.When the tyre is fitted ,the red dot should align with the valve .The wheel then should not need any balance weights and if it does ,then they are usually 10-20g.

My 06 TDI has Dunlop sport 01's which create a lot of road noise and will be replaced as soon as I can decide on a quieter tyre. Any suggestions appreciated.

As above, Toyo Proxes T1-R, which seem IMO/E to have more wet and dry grip, better wear rate and are quieter. Win all round!

Well ATS Euromaster Northampton had a look at the tyres and said there was nothing wrong with them (well they would say that, wouldn't they?). Their first guess was the turbo, as it had done 140,000 miles. Somewhat surprised I got a second opinion, who concluded it was probably driveshafts or wheel bearings.

They also said the tyres simply have an inside and an outside and don't have to be fitted in any particular orientation.

So, driveshafts or wheel bearings ... common?

J

How hard did you hit your tyre?

I brought a car a while ago and I was getting the same Whining noise which turned out to be a buckled rear alloy!

The outside was fine but when the wheel was off you could clearly see a bend in the alloy from hitting a kerb or likewise!

Can you tell if the whine is from the front or rear?

Does the whine start at about 35mph+ and change when you turn the steering wheel from left to right at speeds above 35mph?

Actually, another thought is occurring. Run your fingers round the edge row of tread blocks on the back tyres both ways. If they feel different one way from the other, and presuming the tyres aren't directionals, swap both rears to the other side and see if that makes a difference.

sorry a bit non PC and OT, mine whines from the front left, but only when wife is on board!!!

First bloke: My wife doesn't understand me.

Second bloke: Why? Is she a bit thick?

First bloke: No, she's Greek! :P