Noisy tyres.........or something else????

[J Walter]

Dull thump thump thump which increases in frequency with wheel speed. Very noticeable at low speeds e.g. 40kph and also there (at higher frequency) as speed rises. No vibration through steering wheel or anywhere else. Seems worse when boot loaded. Purchased new 09 build GTI 5-door DSG now 30,000 kms. This noise has been there for ages. Did not have any such noise with Mk 5 GTI over 60,000kms. Dealer confirms definately tyre noise, one or more "feathered". Not apparant to me on uneducated look and feel. Standard rims and original Bridgestones wearing well and evenly. Am I going mad??????

[Ozram]

Dull thump thump thump which increases in frequency with wheel speed. Very noticeable at low speeds e.g. 40kph and also there (at higher frequency) as speed rises. No vibration through steering wheel or anywhere else. Seems worse when boot loaded. Purchased new 09 build GTI 5-door DSG now 30,000 kms. This noise has been there for ages. Did not have any such noise with Mk 5 GTI over 60,000kms. Dealer confirms definately tyre noise, one or more "feathered". Not apparant to me on uneducated look and feel. Standard rims and original Bridgestones wearing well and evenly. Am I going mad??????

I have exactly the same problem with the same tyres. Mine is June 09 build with 44,000kms. I am going to ask at next service (3 weeks) about wheel alignment. Anyone recommend a good wheel aligner in south west Sydney? The noise is very annoying, I prefer to drive my daughters 8 year old MK4 at the moment. I have done 2 wheel rotations and have experimented with different pressures all to no avail.

Are yours 17"?

[Mr_Bob]

If it's not tyre related, it sounds like a wheel bearing...
Surely not on such a new car though?

Ozram, I have used gordon leven in penrith area... Might be a bit far for you though

[MiiLos]

it will definatelly be the tyres, ive got 225/40/18 tyres and they went after about 35-40k done on them. sound was very annoying, very noticable at slow speeds especially when slowing down and was a constant whine at highway speed. chaged the tyres the other day and noise has gone completely, and yes it was due to 'feathering' - get a wheel alignment when you change your tyres, im going to get one any day now - just trying to find somwhere cheap - quoted at $120 by Pedders atm :| (all 4 wheels).

sound i got was more of a deep whine though at slow speed and higher pitched whine at higher speed.

[MkVIGTI]

I would also suggest getting a 4 wheel alignment. I recently got one done by Kmart auto for around $70

[J Walter]

My wheel alignment is OK and tracking and tyre wear is good, and the wheels are standard. Thanks for the info guys. I am now persuaded that it is the feathered tyres and won't be fixed until I replace them. Any suggestions for replacement tyre brands? You may be wasting your money on a wheel alignment Ozram. If you can put some other wheels/tyres on and see if the noise goes away. My dealer said he did that with mine and the noise went, but I was not sure I believed him. Maybe it was the truth!!!!

[MiiLos]

the noise wont go away with only the wheel alignment done alone, worn tires will need to be replaced also. getting the wheel alignment done will just prevent the same happening to your new set of tires. my tyres were worn only on the inner loop, rest of tread was fine! thats my understanding of it anyway

[Someone]

Are you sure it's not a bolt/nail embedded in the tread? Not always obvious from just a simple inspection.

Open your windows, drive slowly in a quiet place - see if you can narrow it down to one tyre. Then have a good look at that tyre.

[AdamD]

I am now persuaded that it is the feathered tyres and won't be fixed until I replace them. Any suggestions for replacement tyre brands?

Check out the http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/f112...ead-28107.html - loads of good info in there.

[brad]

My wheel alignment is OK !!!!

How do you know that your alignment is OK?

Try swapping the tyres left to right so that the direction of rotation changes. Even better if you can go front to rear at the same time.

Increase the pressures to at least 36psi - 38psi is better still. Give it a few thousand km & you might find the noise will reduce a bit.

I find Bridgestones to be generally quite resistant to saw-toothing & Dunlops are usually shockers. Either way, I always prefer to pay a bit extra & fit Michelin.

For ongoing maintenance, you should be cross-rotating your tyres every 10,000-15,000km.

[Corey_R]

Try swapping the tyres left to right so that the direction of rotation changes.

I'm not sure what model Golf you have, or what model tyres you have, but you'd want to make sure that your tyres are not directional before doing this! Many performance tyres these days are only designed for left OR right use, and cannot be swapped to the other side.

At least on my last 3 VW's, cross-rotation of the tyres is not possible with the standard tyres

[J Walter]

Cross rotating? I thought that was a No No...........

[J Walter]

The dealer confirmed the wheel alignment was fine at the recent 30,000km service and I have no tracking or pulling (left or right) issues and there is minimal scrubbing of the inside tyre edges. The pressures are usually 38 psi, but I will try to isolate the offending tyre(s) and have a good look for something like a stuck bolt or screw. I like the idea of Michelins upon replacement.

[brad]

I'm not sure what model Golf you have, or what model tyres you have, but you'd want to make sure that your tyres are not directional before doing this! Many performance tyres these days are only designed for left OR right use, and cannot be swapped to the other side.

At least on my last 3 VW's, cross-rotation of the tyres is not possible with the standard tyres

Have a Skoda Octavia. Similar Chassis to the Golf & they suffer the same saw-tooth problem on the rears. It had CSC2 as OEM but Bridgestones & Dunlops were also available. The CSC2 was Assymetric, as was the BS IIRC; the Dunlop was a "fit it however you want".

The upper spec Golfs had which directionals? Dunlop Sport Maxx & the non-A RE050?

Thanks for pointing it out. I assumed that most people would have a clue but then again, you do see a lot of directionals that are rolling the wrong way

[brad]

Cross rotating? I thought that was a No No...........

All good these days. Was a problem with steel belt radials back in the 80s/90s but not an issue anymore. What would happen is the belts would "slip" around the tyre; changing the direction of rotation (esp on a drive axle) would force them the other direction. This back/forth movement would cause the tread to delaminate from the steel belts. Production methods have improved since then & it isn't the issue it once was.

My preference is to leave the drive tyre rotating the same direction & cross the tyre of the lazy axle. eg: On an FWD put the fronts direct to rear; the LR to the RF; RR to LF. Not quite as simple on an AWD but generally most AWD are front bias so you can do the same pattern.


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