# really bad tire noise



## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

I realize this has probably been beaten like a dead horse. I did a search and couldn't find anything newer than '04 though. 
I have an '06 v6 Touareg. When I first bought it, it had a nasty vibration in the wheel, they rebalanced, and rotated the tires. It went away.
NOW, with about 20K on the vehicle, and having rotated religiously, I have the MOST annoying HOWL!!! OMG!!! The tires have become SO noisy. Has anyone else had this issue? If so, what in the heck did you do? It's driving me crazy and I just don't have time to pop by the dealer every time something annoys me.
Thanks.


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## Jimbuffalo (Sep 1, 2005)

*Re: really bad tire noise (Embo_9)*

I suspect your tires might be cupped...time for some new ones.
Mine were like that at 17k miles...look at individual tread blocks...see if either the leading edge or trailing edge is worn more noticeably than the other...then look at the other tread blocks and you may detect a pattern. Bet they're quiet under 10mph and get louder as speed increases.
It shouldn't affect handling or safety or performance, but the noise can drive you crazy


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## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: really bad tire noise (Jimbuffalo)*

Hey Jim. 
I'll take a look at them. And you're right regarding the noise. Particularly they are noisy from anything over twenty to about 75ish, then they get somewhat quieter.
What causes tire cupping?
Bruce


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## rlkeen (May 15, 2006)

*Re: really bad tire noise (Embo_9)*

Mine sound like your grinding something on a grinding wheel. Loudest from 10 to 40mph. Sounds the same even on wet roads.(dealer said it was the tires after a test drive.) Im not to sure . I have ceramic kpads in front with 10k on them I thought maybe they were the culprit? I have plenty of tread 9/32 and 12k on them with no noticeable cupping.


_Modified by rlkeen at 8:28 PM 9-21-2008_


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## Jimbuffalo (Sep 1, 2005)

*Re: really bad tire noise (Embo_9)*

cupping just makes loud noise due to uneven contact of tread blocks...not a grinding noise...have a dealer take another look...bad bearings? 
I have no idea what causes cupping...bad alignment, heavy weight of vehicle on top of soft tread compound (good for grip, bad for wear characteristics)...as I had always rotated/aligned (or tried to) per spec.
The Nokian WRs I replaced the stock Pirelli Scorpion Zeros with have almost 2x miles..noise is no different. If I look closeley, I can see some uneven tread wear, but nothing that gave a scalloped look to the tread bocks...so who knows. I figure I can get 40k miles out of the Nokians. They've done alright for me.


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## rlkeen (May 15, 2006)

*Re: really bad tire noise (rlkeen)*

I talked to a good mechanic of foreign cars today and he said my tires are slightly cupped so that is most likely the noise Im hearing. Thats really too bad because they have plenty of tread left on them.


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: really bad tire noise (rlkeen)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rlkeen* »_I talked to a good mechanic of foreign cars today and he said my tires are slightly cupped so that is most likely the noise Im hearing. Thats really too bad because they have plenty of tread left on them.

You might take them to a good tire shop and see if they can be shaved slightly to remove the cupping. But there would have to be plenty of tread depth on them for it to be worthwhile.


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## DicknNancy (Nov 6, 2004)

A good tire shop can shave the tires to remove chopping or cupping. it usually takes off less than 1/32 on an inch of tread, make the tire very round and can restore all of the tire back to the exact circumference to relieve the pressure on the transfer case system. We get $30 per tire + a balance of $8.50 Much cheaper than a new set of tires and it will ride so much quieter.


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## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (DicknNancy)*

thanks DicknNancy, et. al.
now just out of curiosity, what causes tire cupping and how does one know FOR SURE that you have tire cupping? I've be so busy, I can't even think straight and my other car was darn near totaled a couple of weeks ago in a crash.....so I'm down to one vehicle for myself and my wife (she can't drive for a bit due to the crash anyway. She'll be OK soon as her broken arm heels) so taking it to the shop is tricky.
PLUS....one of our 3 or 4 local KC VW dealerships stopped selling and servicing VW's. So a ton more cars are coming to my dealer making it virtually impossible to get an appointment for the next couple of weeks.
Thoughts???


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## DicknNancy (Nov 6, 2004)

if you could take a few pictures of the tread cupping and send them to [email protected] I may be able to help identify the cause. Could be poor alignment, incorrect tire rotation, incorrect air pressure, etc., etc. Hope I can help. Our 04 V10 now has 42000 on the Nokian WR's and they should make it ot close to 60,000 miles. We only rotate about every 15k and I keep the air pressure front and rear at 50 PSI


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## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (DicknNancy)*

Hey Dick.
I just sent you an email directly. It'll be from Bruce.
Thanks for your offer to help.
Bruce


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## Paul1977 (May 12, 2004)

I just bought a '04 with this problem. This is just a wild guess but couldn't the cupping be caused by low tire pressure? I have the problem on only two tires. The tire pressure between the front and back set of tires is 6lbs different according to the sticker on the B pillar. I assume at some point the tires were rotated and the stealership didn't verify the tire pressure or re-learn the TPMS so the car didn't know it was low on air and the customer made the wrong assumption the tire pressure was checked.


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## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (Paul1977)*

OK.
So.
I ended up buying Michelin Latitudes. They are very quiet and seem to ride better and handle a bit better than the Dunlops. I know one thing. For the first time I can actually hear the nice little growl the 'eg puts out when I accelerate and not just when I stomp on her.
The tires were NOT cheap. Ouch.
In the end, I saw the old tires off the vehicle, it appears my front end was somewhat out of alignment as both front tires were pretty much down to the wear indicator on the inside edge and ok on the outside. The rear tires still had a bit more life left in them.
This AM I quickly checked the pressure front to back. They had the front pressure right, but not the rear. So I popped by there on the way in and they fixed that. You'd think they'd at least get that right....
Oh well. Rolling again. Quiet and happy, though much lighter in the wallet. Thank goodness I won't need brakes for awhile.









Thanks for all of your help and advice, with a special nod to Dick.


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## r32autoxer (Aug 12, 2005)

*Re: (Embo_9)*

My new tires did this as well...
Since, I rotated and bumped up the front pressures to 42. No more uneven tread blocks...


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## Embo_9 (Dec 29, 2004)

*more tire stuff*

Hey all.

I'm back. It's now almost three years later and my michelins are about ready to be replaced. I believe the dealer said we're at 3/32nds and just above the wear indicator on all but one tire. That one is at 4/32nds or 1/8 I guess.

The wear this time around was MUCH more even as I rotated religiously at 5K intervals. So my next question is.........

What tires should I buy this time? The three years and 38K I got out of this set is about double the last set, but as I recall the Michelins were rated at 60 or 70K or something like that.

Thoughts are much appreciated.

Thanks for all your help!

Bruce


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## Jimbuffalo (Sep 1, 2005)

I just installed my third set of Nokian WRs. 

I replaced OEM Pirellis at 17k, replaced first gen WR at 64k, and recently ditched those with another set of WRG2s at 104k.

In each instance I could've stretched the use a few thousand miles, but figure replacing early is better than replacing late. In each case I had 1000 mile+ roadtrips coming up, and I tell you I love rolling on new tires. I have been pleased with the Nokian....this latest set was 197 a piece.

Another choice I looked at were Continental DWS...they seemed similar to Nokians, but were more expensive. I've heard people like them on Touaregs too. 

We get a little snow from time to time up here and the Nokian gives solid summer, wet, and snow performance. so far so good. (side note: spoke to a knowledgeable installer and he had some tips re: mounting Nokians....the last time, I had some issues that got sorted when I went to a different shop. He said you really need to set the bead and over-inflate them when mounting...otherwise, you can get some shimmy. I believe him.)


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## silenthkr (Jul 25, 2014)

*loud wheel noise*

I have an 05 touareg, and no matter what tire i put on its LOUD.... ( had Pirelli, Michelin Latitudes, goodyear. all NEW ) nothing seems to stop the loud tire noise, it like sitting in a plane next to the engines,,lol
it has 255/55R18 109H had a mech look it over at VW, said everything is fine underneath,,, so what is it going to take,, short of selling it,, to bake that noise go away ???

recommend a certain tire ?


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