Goodyears are thumping

[drake437]

My Goodyear RT/S’s have developed a loud "thumping" sound between 30-50 mph, it is barely noticeable at highway speed. There is no associated vibration and a recent suspension check turned up nothing. They have about 40k on them and still have good tread left so I’m a little apprehensive to replace them now even though I don’t like them. The shoulders are a little rounded but not scalped and I can see no visible tire defects. Anyone else have this problem with his or her Wrangler’s? The rhythmic “thump” is driving me crazy. TIA

 

[pughman]

are them the wal-mart ones ? cus if they are mine suck a$$ ! cant wate to get them off ! and there only 2000 miles old...

 

[pughman]

 

[briwayjones]

One or two of my Wrangler RT/S recently started humming and thumping a little bit. They may need balancing though. There is somewhere around 15,000 miles left of them.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I wonder if a belt has seperated -- those can be very dangerous

It's what holds the tire together really.

-Drew

 

[drake437]

Well I had them rotated today and the noise is still there but now coming from the other side, but is just as loud. There are no visible defects…except slight cupping. I’ve been reading a lot of complaints about the RT/S cupping and the thumping noise they develop.

I wonder if Goodyear will prorate me into a new tire because they still have good tread?

 

[JasonF]

I had them on my old Ex and had a bad vibration with them at one point. I thought I had a bent rim. Since I thought I knew which tire was doing it, I tried a little experiment and swapped in the spare for that tire. What do you know- noise gone. The guy at the tire place told me that a belt might have "shifted". Either way I swapped out the bad tire for one with equal wear that i happened to have laying around. I would definitely not buy those tires again- the michelins on my new Ex have been superb.

Jason

 

[james t]

Pretty sure one of them has a broken belt. Eventually the tread will separate from the carcass in a rather dramatic blowout (think big-rig tread laying on the side of interstate).

 

[drake437]

You might be right; anyhow I can't stand the noise (it's worse than a mud tire), even though they still have tread life its not worth the risk of a blow out. Especially since it drives my wife and 4-year-old son around. Guess I’m looking for new tires…anyone tried the new Uniroyal Cross Country or Pathfinder SUV?

TIA

 

[MikeB677]

I have 30,000 on my 3 year old RTS Wranglers.....with thumping! Very typical of this tire. Only solution is to replace.

 

[Green98XLT]

Mine do it! They have unknown mileage on them but appear just over 1/2 worn. They thump like hell, I actually think thats part of the reason I got my 99 Ex so cheap... the dumbass at the dealership thought it was something in the front end.

I just rotated them as I thought it was my right front but it actually got worse sense... time for the BFG M/T's!

 

['97 V8]

there should be a tire warrenty, take em back and ask for a new set, explaining whats going on, that is if all else fails. You paid for a product that should operate flawlessly, and heck you better get what you paid for.

 

[mosinman]

Goodyear Rt/S

Yep!
Mine had about 30K on them when I started hearing a Waa-Waa sound that increased with speed and was most noticeable at about 30 mph. Had the tires rotated and the suspension checked. Everything was perfect and the tires had no visible defect. However, the Goodyear guys said they were "hard to balance" They also said the warranty won't cover noisy tires.

Took the Ex to a Firestone Store and the tech said, "Its the tires. I've seen tons of this ever since Goodyear ramped up RT/S production to meet the Ford Explorer/Firestone recall issue."
Bought some new Firestone Destination LEs and my Ex is like new again- only better. The Destination Le is the best truck tire I have ever owned hands down. Not a mudder, but a great daily driver tire that is capable of tackling light trails. Quiet, handles great, and doesn't slip and slide in the wet like the Goodyears did.

 

[96limitedX]

those goodyears suck so bad..get something half decent on there!

 

[Fish Man]

mine didnt thump but they did cup...at about 50k miles

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

next time get some Supersport HT's

they are loud brand new , so then you don't have to worry about them starting to make noise cause they normally make noise all the time

 

[arsoul]

First, the picture pughman posted is not an RT/S, its a Wrangler Radial that has been discontinued for a number of years. Second, the Wallmart Goodyears are not the same tire that you would buy at a goodyear store, they are called co-branded goodyears. third, if you guys are having problems with the tires, there is a warranty......during the first 12 months, 12k or 2/32nds of wear, the tires are replaced for free. after that time they are prorated...if the tire shop disagrees with you, they are full of crap and you shouldnt be going there.

 

[poulandogblue16]

who makes the super sports?

 

[arsoul]

super sports? not sure without looking it up at the office...its not a goodyear main brand, so either wallmart or cosco....or one of the many other co-brands...

 

[james t]

Futura has a Super Sport which is made by Cooper.