Excessive tire noise or?

[Team Chepsk8]

Once I get my 2001 ST rolling, I get what sounds like excessive tire noise. Rotating the tires does not help. Tires have done thier usual funny wear pattern, insides worn first, uneven "cleats?, unhappy tires. New Shocks, ball joints, or alignment has had no effect.

So, just another set of ruined tires, or is there something else? :scratch:

 

[Markaprice73]

do you have your front and rear sway bars on?

 

[colintrax]

What would the sway bars have to do with noise?

 

[swshawaii]

What type tires and are you lowered? Inside tread wear is usually caused by negative camber.

 

[Team Chepsk8]

Stock height and tires. At one time did have a set of 235's on it, but same wear pattern.

Yes, sway bars? Trock has stock front & rear. Probably original bushings in 188,000 miles of daily use.

 

[swshawaii]

Don't know if this TSB applies to your 2001 ST. Do you have Goodyear RT/S tires?

http://www.revbase.com/BBBMOTOR/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=128166

 

[Team Chepsk8]

No Goodyears, or they were off when I got my ST

TSB nakes sense, I should check at my dealer.

 

[sport97]

If its not tires look at wheel bearings. I had what sounded like tire noise, it was a wheel bearing. How many miles do you have? My passenger side went around 90k and again around 113k miles and my drivers side went around 113k

 

[Team Chepsk8]

If its not tires look at wheel bearings. I had what sounded like tire noise, it was a wheel bearing. How many miles do you have? My passenger side went around 90k and again around 113k miles and my drivers side went around 113k

189,000

Every time I have the tires off, I check, shake, yank, push, all seems tight.

 

[sport97]

189,000

Every time I have the tires off, I check, shake, yank, push, all seems tight.

Do it with the tire on, provides extra leverage. I spun my wheel and I could feel the difference between the good side and the bad side.

 

[Team Chepsk8]

Did that too, all tight

 

[03 Limited 4.6]

Maybe the brakes are hanging up. I have the same noise going on and i think it's gonna be a wheel bearing or something to do with the brakes,slider pins froze needs greased or the e brake inside the rotor.

 

[Markaprice73]

I was referring more to the "funny wear pattern" Without sway bars(some choose to remove the rear for off road purposes) you can get uneven wear. Though mostly excessive wear on the outside from body roll. I was asking if your sway bars are installed because if someone had removed them/or put on different sizes for whatever reason this can cause an under-steer or over-steer condition causing uneven tire wear-and noise. Now, if the sway bars are in anyway damaged, cracked, loose(ie. bushings), worn out, stressed, bent or so on, this can cause a vibration/uneven wear. Can be a unnoticeable vibration. This vibration will cause a "funny wear pattern"-and possibly noise. This vibration can also come from any part of the suspension.
Colintrax- I hope this helps with your question.
Team Chepsk8- Since we cannot see this tire wear or hear the noise, maybe a little more info would be helpful. This is a tough one to answer over the internet.
Have you asked the alignment shop for any insight?
Do you get this excessive noise with the different tires you have had? or is the noise something new?
What speed are you hearing this?
noise from all tires? or just some? or one? or only with the rear window down?
new ball joints? uppers or lowers or both?
What type tires? ratings?
How many miles are you getting on these sets of tires?
insides worn first? front, rear, or both? badly?
How often do you rotate?
Have you tried different alignment shops?
Has it ever been in an accident?
Maybe the noise and tire wear are unrelated as well.
Sometimes what folks hear as tire noise can actually be something else(ie differentials/bearings..)
Sorry. A lot of factors. I am not a mechanic. Just trying to help. The more info the better folks can try to help.

 

[Team Chepsk8]

If I apply some of the thoughts in this thread, plus some of the suspension theory I use in setting up my race car, I'm thinking along the following lines:

Alignment - At toe problem, and in my case having toe-out, since it wears the insides.

Uneven loading of front suspension. Possibly from sway bar, something bent, uneven torsion bar adjustments. something to put a n uneven load on the suspension. How can this be checked, short of a 4-wheel scale like I use on my race car. I will change sway bar end links before the next set of tires.

Front bearings - if they are loose (I will re-check), they will have an adverse affect on everything. I am discounting them right now, they are tight and quiet.

Tires - these trucks do use a big, heavy tire. Could the ST's just be "tire killers"?

Also of note to answer the post above:

The noise starts above 40, and grows as highway speed increases. Above 80 it actually diminishes. It also diminishes as I turn the wheel more, such as in corners or turns.

There is no shake at any speed, smooth. This is rare, as the truck usually shakes above 75, no matter what tires are on it.

Has there ever been an issue with the rims? It has the stock poly-casts 16" rims.

Everyone keep posting, a good informational thread.

 

[03 Limited 4.6]

If I apply some of the thoughts in this thread, plus some of the suspension theory I use in setting up my race car, I'm thinking along the following lines:

Alignment - At toe problem, and in my case having toe-out, since it wears the insides.

Uneven loading of front suspension. Possibly from sway bar, something bent, uneven torsion bar adjustments. something to put a n uneven load on the suspension. How can this be checked, short of a 4-wheel scale like I use on my race car. I will change sway bar end links before the next set of tires.

Front bearings - if they are loose (I will re-check), they will have an adverse affect on everything. I am discounting them right now, they are tight and quiet.

I might be taking my truck to the shop this coming up week to have my noise looked at as i will be putting on new struts upper control arms and tie rods. If you dont find anything out by time i have mine looked i will let you know what they find. My noise seems to get louder as i drive for awhile and is present until the truck comes to a complete stop not off and on when i apply the brakes.
Tires - these trucks do use a big, heavy tire. Could the ST's just be "tire killers"?

Also of note to answer the post above:

The noise starts above 40, and grows as highway speed increases. Above 80 it actually diminishes. It also diminishes as I turn the wheel more, such as in corners or turns.

There is no shake at any speed, smooth. This is rare, as the truck usually shakes above 75, no matter what tires are on it.

Has there ever been an issue with the rims? It has the stock poly-casts 16" rims.

Everyone keep posting, a good informational thread.

 

[Markaprice73]

Maybe try another alignment. Tell them your issues. In detail. Ask them to check everything related. Be very nice but also show your concern and let them know this has been an on going issue. I have read that sometimes just "within specs" isn't always perfect. Install(or they can) a camber/caster bolt kit(moog) to be more "dead on" with everything. When you do the end links also do new sway bar bushings. ...This a a long shot and most likely nothing to even think about but, I read a thread on here somewhere that a guy took his explorer in for service of some sort and saw that they had lifted it up directly on the torsion bars! Oh my! I don't recall the results. But, that really scared me. Again, that would be worse case scenario.

 

[05dakotatrac]

between alignment issues i.e. toe that you already believe in what about the shocks i have had many vehicles both strut and shock styles get "choppy" un-even wear that causes vibrations due to tire being out of round.

 

[Markaprice73]

YES! Good catch! forgot that one. Tires can easily get unbalanced. curbs/potholes... Quick story. My wife recently had a blow out. (veered off the road). My mechanic didnt have her tire in stock. So I stopped at one of those shady used tire places on the side of the road. After trying to sell me one with a nail sticking through it(I asked to SEE it before mounting on the rim I brought. Anyway, got a funny feeling then didn't trust them for a sec. Then I saw they just added some weights right next to the old ones. there were like 4+ weights on that thing. old used rusty ones at that. Took the tire to my guys to re-check balance...them came and pulled me into the bay..3 techs where standing there pointing and laughing at how outrages the tire balancing job was. Anyway, check your tires for balance.

 

[Pickupman_69]

I had a similar problem before I bought new tires,changed one wheel bearing with a timken it was fine, later that year after putting new duratracs on the passenger side started doing it. that time I put a cheapo bearing in it and two years later the noise is back . no play in the tire or anything but that god awful noise sure is there.

Dont buy cheap bearings unless you enjoy changing them often 45,000 km's shouldnt require a new bearing