Wurring sound from front tires?

[terestron]

I get a wah...wah...wah....wah...wah sound from what I assume is my front tires.....Are they wearing out? I bought the XLT used (its a 98) and it did not make the noise until I hit around 105K miles and seems to get worse slowly..I looked at the front end and all seems tight...I did rotate the tires front to back nd it kinda actually got worse.....there looks like the inner tire has a slight cupping......any clues?

 

[VBVA]

If its a deeper HUMMMMM sound, then its your wheel bearings. Some tires, including mine, have a slight humm to them when driving, but thats natural from the tread design. If your tires are cupping then they could be underinflated. Do a search for "Chalk Test" and see if thats your problem.

Good Luck!

 

[Bronco638]

I have a cupped tire and that's what makes the noise on my truck. Mine is actually cupped bad enough that I can feel it around 35 mph. Try driving with the windows down to see if you can pinpoint the direction the noise is coming from. Now, swap the wheel with the cupped tire to a different location on your truck (diagonal whould be ideal). If the noise now comes from that corner, you know the source. Cupping is caused by under-inflation (I think) and there's no way to fix the tire. Either live with it or buy a new set.

Good Luck - Dave.

 

[james t]

Cupping is usually caused by bad shocks and/or bad front end alignment. Underinflation causes the outside edges of the tire to wear smooth while overinflation causes the center of the tire to wear smooth.

 

[mosinman]

Cupping is usually caused by bad shocks and/or bad front end alignment. Underinflation causes the outside edges of the tire to wear smooth while overinflation causes the center of the tire to wear smooth.

What James T said!