[Ch0c0lat]

Hi all,

I've had an issue with my 2018 i30 CRDI tourer for about 6 months with a rumbling sound coming from the back of the car.  Sounds like a worn bearing or something similar and has been to the local dealer 3 times now (for that and other issues), but each time they say its tyre related.  I think i am now being fobbed off but any advice would be appreciated.

Initially they said the noise was down to worn front tyres which were at 2mm, I had those replaced but the sound was still there and clearly coming from the rear (as it always had been.....).  They are now saying that the rears are 'squared off' and therefore the the tyre is too flat on the road (its running 225/17's) and this is creating a resonating sound.  The noise is obvious from barely 20mph on a smooth road and gets worse the faster the car goes.  They're not denying that there is some kinf od sound that is unusual.  They last suggested that I now replace the rear tyres even though they have an average of 4.5mm tread on them, but not sure I want to fork out for new tyres as I really don't think this is the issue.

I wonder if I've just got one of those 'bad' cars that comes off a production line every so often, as it's had many problems but so far all were repaired/replaced under warranty



Since lockdown I have not used the car much, but took it out recently and the noise is more noticeable than ever. 

Am concerned that it is a bearing issue and they don't want to replace them under warranty.  The car was only 18 months old and had done 17,000 miles when I first told them about it.

Thanks

[tw2005]

If the sound is in the rear, and you have new tyres on the front, then swap the front to the back and monitor.

If the tyres are squared off, and that noisy running your hand over the inner circumference may expose there is an issue.

Very surprised if it's fairly new and low k's though.

may be worth getting the suspension geometry checked by a specialist.

I've had this issue on my FD which also has independant rear end, but I replaced the shocks as well as I fell th eshocks were getting tired causing the tyres to skip and flatten off. Both were 100000K plus in distance though. Had no further issues since in either.

The other thing is , it's a good idea to rotate the tyres regularly, say every 10000K

[Surferdude]

It's very easy to tell if the tyres are at fault which is a fairly common cause of that rumble. If you have access to a tyre shop, ask them to spin them on the balancer and watch the tread surface, particularly around the shoulder area.
If there's any noticeable movement it'll be obvious.

You can do the same at home by jacking up one wheel and placing a tool against the tread and rotate the wheel by hand.

While you're doing that at home, if there's no apparent movement in the tread area, spin the wheel as quickly as you can.

If it's the bearing you'll hear the rumble.
Repeat on both sides.

If the tyres are worn unevenly,  there's probably a problem with the rear alignment.

I'm assuming that, at 17,000 miles,m the shock absorbers are OK. In an older car they would be the third possible cause.

[Ch0c0lat]

If the sound is in the rear, and you have new tyres on the front, then swap the front to the back and monitor.

If the tyres are squared off, and that noisy running your hand over the inner circumference may expose there is an issue.

Very surprised if it's fairly new and low k's though.

Thanks, I'll try swapping them over and see if there is any noticeable difference. 

If there is, then I guess they still need to look at it as with time the same will happen to the new tyres.  As you say, could be a geometry issue also which has caused it (the tyres are at the correct pressure so am happy its not incorrect pressures that has caused any uneven wear).

[Ch0c0lat]

It's very easy to tell if the tyres are at fault which is a fairly common cause of that rumble. If you have access to a tyre shop, ask them to spin them on the balancer and watch the tread surface, particularly around the shoulder area.
If there's any noticeable movement it'll be obvious.

You can do the same at home by jacking up one wheel and placing a tool against the tread and rotate the wheel by hand.

While you're doing that at home, if there's no apparent movement in the tread area, spin the wheel as quickly as you can.

If it's the bearing you'll hear the rumble.
Repeat on both sides.

If the tyres are worn unevenly,  there's probably a problem with the rear alignment.

I'm assuming that, at 17,000 miles,m the shock absorbers are OK. In an older car they would be the third possible cause.

Thanks also. 

I've got a friend who works at an independent garage so will ask him to do a check and as tw2005 suggested get the tyres swapped over too.

[The Gonz]

Every time I've had noise concerns and suspected worn bearings and transmission dramas, it always came back to tyres. Even modest wear can get some to sound like you're about to lose half a car.

[tw2005]

Every time I've had noise concerns and suspected worn bearings and transmission dramas, it always came back to tyres. Even modest wear can get some to sound like you're about to lose half a car.

Not the Diamonds are forever!

[Surferdude]

Every time I've had noise concerns and suspected worn bearings and transmission dramas, it always came back to tyres. Even modest wear can get some to sound like you're about to lose half a car.

Not the Diamonds are forever!

[Shambles]

Not the Diamonds are forever!

 

[The Gonz]

Not the Diamonds are forever!

 

Gentlemen, please, let me state this for the record: the Diamonds have been the ONLY quiet tyres so far.

[tw2005]

Not the Diamonds are forever!

 

Gentlemen, please, let me state this for the record: the Diamonds have been the ONLY quiet tyres so far.

So are mine, darn COVID, ,can't go anywhere

Actually, I think my tyres are about to be rebadged flinstones due to lack of rotation

[The Gonz]

So are mine, darn COVID, ,can't go anywhere

Yes, nice touche there, but I am travelling to work about 4 times a week - damned classified systems 

... and in all honesty the Diamonds are the best tyres I've had including the original factory set.

[mickd]

Could be tyre noise.  On previous Mitsu Challenger,  I asked my guy twice to check bearings -all good  . Bridgestone dealer said yep they can make s racket, just depends on the set. At 95,000 km they were finished.  Put Firestone Destination AT's on, really quiet.

[Ch0c0lat]

Could be tyre noise.  On previous Mitsu Challenger,  I asked my guy twice to check bearings -all good  . Bridgestone dealer said yep they can make s racket, just depends on the set. At 95,000 km they were finished.  Put Firestone Destination AT's on, really quiet.

It's still on its original Michelin Primacy 3's at the back which are now at 25k miles (what's that, about 40k km?). Is it more noticeable on lower profile tyres as never really noticed it on other cars I have owned but they all had larger sidewalls. 

If it turns out to be just weird tyre noise, then will live with it until they need replacing or turn the radio up more, don't want to chuck away tyres with half their life still left in them!

[The Gonz]

Yes, it's certainly easier to tolerate when you know it's only the tyres.

[BrendanP]

I had problem with my partners 2011 diesel, where I could hear a drumming sound from the rear, not long after fitting new Hankook Ventus Prime 3 tyres. I suspected wheel bearings, but couldn't feel slop or roughness with the wheel jacked up. As it was almost due for its MoT, I thought I'd wait and see what the inspector found. He commented that the inner edges of the tyres were getting 'scalloped' and this could be due to rear shock absorbers, or the tyres, which may just not be suited to the car suspension geometry. I replaced the shockers - the car had done over 120,000 miles by then - which eliminated the drumming, but the tyres were still wearing on the inner edge. I replaced them when all the inner blocks of tread had scrubbed off, even though there was plenty of tread everywhere else.

I was considering having the rear axle alignment checked, but since the rear tyres were replaced by Goodyears, they are showing no signs of uneven wear after 20,000 miles. The Ventus Prime 3 on the front were fine.

[Surferdude]

I had problem with my partners 2011 diesel, where I could hear a drumming sound from the rear, not long after fitting new Hankook Ventus Prime 3 tyres. I suspected wheel bearings, but couldn't feel slop or roughness with the wheel jacked up. As it was almost due for its MoT, I thought I'd wait and see what the inspector found. He commented that the inner edges of the tyres were getting 'scalloped' and this could be due to rear shock absorbers, or the tyres, which may just not be suited to the car suspension geometry. I replaced the shockers - the car had done over 120,000 miles by then - which eliminated the drumming, but the tyres were still wearing on the inner edge. I replaced them when all the inner blocks of tread had scrubbed off, even though there was plenty of tread everywhere else.

I was considering having the rear axle alignment checked, but since the rear tyres were replaced by Goodyears, they are showing no signs of uneven wear after 20,000 miles. The Ventus Prime 3 on the front were fine.

This makes sens6 because if the worn shocks were causing the wear, even replacing them won't replace the missing rubber.
So the previously worn section will wear out first even though the wear rate returns to even right across the tyre.
When you replaced the tyres  they had an even tread and should continue to wear evenly.
However, a precautionary alignment check might be a good investment anyway.

[BrendanP]

Just to clarity the timeline, the Hankook tyres on the rear were fitted in January 2018. The scalloping on the tyres was spotted 5 months later, at which time the rear shockers were replaced. At this time there was still plenty of tread across the entire width of the tyre. They were replaced in October 2019 - after about 40,000 miles in total - because the inner blocks of tread had disappeared completely. I could still see the outline of where the tread blocks used to be on the carcass of the tyre, it's almost as though they'd been ripped away rather than just worn away by abrasion. I checked the state of the Goodyears today and they show no sign of uneven wear, which makes me think the rear alignment is correct.

[Surferdude]

I get what you're saying but if there was scalloping, there was some rubber missing. Which ties  in well with the photio above.
Unless there was tread separation, which would have been very rare if it was right around the tyre  and even less common on both at once,m the only way the rubber can wear like that is from external forces like shocks or alignment.

[BrendanP]

If there was anything wrong with the shockers or the alignment, I'd expect to see uneven wear on the Goodyear tyres that were fitted afterwards, but they are wearing just fine, nice and even, and they've done enough miles for any uneven wear to show up. The tyres that were fitted before the Hankooks had no problems either. Whatever it was, I won't be buying the Ventus Prime 3 again.

[Surferdude]

If there was anything wrong with the shockers or the alignment, I'd expect to see uneven wear on the Goodyear tyres that were fitted afterwards, but they are wearing just fine, nice and even, and they've done enough miles for any uneven wear to show up. The tyres that were fitted before the Hankooks had no problems either. Whatever it was, I won't be buying the Ventus Prime 3 again.

That's cool.

I'm a Goodyear man through and through. All I'm saying is that, with 36 years in the tyre industry at all levels and in a wide range of roles, including assessing claims at a national level, i have never seen a tyre with the wear in your pic caused by anything other than external factors. There is nothing in tyre construction which can cause that wear. I'm making one assumption here and that is the wear shown is all around the tyre.

I'm happy your Goodyears are wearing well.

BTW. Apologies for the "edit" on your post. I didn't change anything. Just hit the wrong button on a small screen.

[mrexcitement]

I have an i30 FD CW and was positive i had worn rear wheel bearings , i know what worn bearings sound like.

I replaced the rear bearings over a year ago and it made no difference to the rear noise , my shocks are good (bilsteins ).

The rear fully checks out ok , everything is in good condition.

Interesting you mention the Michelin Primacy 3's as that's what i have on the car and now i wonder if it's just them.

Now that i have replaced the bearings , the noise doesn't bother me as much because i know i won't have a bearing failure ( i have had one lock up on me while driving on an older car).

So maybe tyres , guess i won't know unless i try a different brand.

Oh and i have clocked over 100,000 kms on my rear Primacy 3's (no rotation , and still going) so you might be waiting a while before wearing them out..

[The Gonz]

I have an i30 FD CW and was positive i had worn rear wheel bearings , i know what worn bearings sound like.

I replaced the rear bearings over a year ago and it made no difference to the rear noise , my shocks are good (bilsteins ).

The rear fully checks out ok , everything is in good condition.

Interesting you mention the Michelin Primacy 3's as that's what i have on the car and now i wonder if it's just them.

Now that i have replaced the bearings , the noise doesn't bother me as much because i know i won't have a bearing failure ( i have had one lock up on me while driving on an older car).

So maybe tyres , guess i won't know unless i try a different brand.

Oh and i have clocked over 100,000 kms on my rear Primacy 3's (no rotation , and still going) so you might be waiting a while before wearing them out..

Precisely my experience. A specific type of tyre that has me convinced of serious bearing problems and inside edge wear completely solved by nothing more than replacing them with the cheapest Chinese tyres I could find.

[Ch0c0lat]

Quick update, its definitely the tyres.

Swapped the fronts and the rears over and sure enough the noise is now coming more from the front of the car.

Does anyone know what tyres are being fitted to new i30's now, if there have been enough reports of this I wonder if they no longer fit the Primacy 3's as standard?  Shame I didn't know about that before as when the fronts were replaced earlier they were done so with another set of Primacy's!

Hopefully they will now scrub out on the fronts and I will have peace and quiet for a while until the 'new' one son the rear go through the same process as the set before.

[BrendanP]

Look on Autotrader and see if you can spot the tyre make on photos. They seem to be either Michelin Primacy or Hankook. I also noticed that there are very few diesels for sale. Only 2 brand new diesels on the site compared with 59 petrol. Used cars 2019-2020, only 22 diesels c/w 226 petrol. Sign of the times I suppose.