'97 Explorer XLT sounds like it's in 4WD all the time.

[joeyd71]

Recently I had a new noise come out in my explorer. At cruising speed (25mph-ish and up) there is this droning sound coming from somewhere. It doesn't sound proportional to my speed either. The best way I can describe it is the sound it makes when it is in 4WD, or if I had an aggressive tread pattern on my tires, and I don't (Goodyear Wranglers)....know what I mean? As far as I can tell, it drives normally still (and in fact, I have been getting better gas mileage. Unrelated to the noise, I'm sure)

I know this is a very broad description of what is going on, but I am away from it right now and cannot investigate further. When I get back I will be able to dig deeper.

Can you throw some ideas around as to what to look for?

 

[my98nnj]

Most likely it's the Wranglers. They suck big time. Mine looked fine but made a lot of noise, heard mostly around town. They started out quiet, but got pretty loud as they wore down a bit. I put the Michelin LTX on and the ride is nice and quiet.

 

[joeyd71]

Most likely it's the Wranglers. They suck big time. Mine looked fine but made a lot of noise, heard mostly around town. They started out quiet, but got pretty loud as they wore down a bit. I put the Michelin LTX on and the ride is nice and quiet.

I have about 14k miles on these tires now. They have done great for me so far. And I really hope it's just the tires- which is fine with me. The noise doesn't bug me. I just fear that something else is about to go on it, and I'd like to catch it before it leaves me stranded if thats the case.

 

[bilzy7]

My BFGoodrich got me through 25k miles on my ranger and about 7-8k on my explorer so far. One is bald cause i never rotated. Other then that they about 1/3 tread left.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

You could try rotating the tires. Be sure to inspect the tread when the tire is off looking for any flat spots or bulging. Check for any play in the hubs as you are changing the tires. If noise is unchanged afterward, try driving some on and off ramps so you can get a long turn at speed to see if the noise changes with direction.

 

[joeyd71]

You could try rotating the tires. Be sure to inspect the tread when the tire is off looking for any flat spots or bulging. Check for any play in the hubs as you are changing the tires. If noise is unchanged afterward, try driving some on and off ramps so you can get a long turn at speed to see if the noise changes with direction.

I did rotate the tires a few months ago, and come to think of it...the noise starting happening a few weeks after that I think.