Eagles are loud

I have spent some time reading about other people's experience of worn tire noise. I found a guy on a motoring forum who described my noise and the circumstances which produce it to a tee. He changed wheel bearings and CV joints. Turned out to be his worn tires!

The general consensus seems to be that if a tire has a sharp edged feel when you run your hand around it against the direction of rotation, it may whine. All my Goodyear F1 Eagles feel like this. One way you can feel the sharp edge but not the other.

Anyone else had this?

Here's the link to my recording of the whine again, coasting down hill in neutral with the roof and windows up. The mic was held near my head.

View My Video

Marty (UK) 1999 Boxster 2.5 manual

Sounds like cupping--the rear of the block is worn more than the front--which will make some noise and possibly vibration through the steering wheel.

suspected wheel bearing. The tech diagnosed the problem as front tire alignment. (On a dark and stormy night a day or two before I had pulled into a hotel parking lot parking space too far and bumped -- gently, to be sure, but it doesn't take much of a bump -- the front tires against a low sidewalk curb. This knocked the front toe out of spec.

The tires had obvious signs of feathering -- well obvious to me after the tech told me (I should have felt for this before taking the car in but I didn't) when running one's hand over the tread face. After I got home from the trip to kill the noise I had the car aligned. This cut down on the noise but it took a while as the tires had to wear the feathering away.

Another time with my Boxster tire noise was so bad it was masking a bad wheel bearing.

I will try and find a big, smooth dirt or grass carpark (parking lot) and see if I still get the noise at 30mph.

Marty (UK) 1999 Boxster 2.5 manual

RPMs and appears to be present on a variety of road surfaces it is likely tires. How many miles on the tires? Brand? (Pirelli is based on my experience the noisiest tire as it wears/heat cycles.) If you feel feathering of the tread blocks then alignment is likely involved.

They are Goodyear F1 Eagles. I replaced them 7 years ago and they have done approx 22.5k miles.

Marty (UK) 1999 Boxster 2.5 manual

Quote
marty
They are Goodyear F1 Eagles. I replaced them 7 years ago and they have done approx 22.5k miles.

on time (6 years is considered by Porsche to be tire replace by date).

When you replace the tires have the car given a proper alignment -- get a printout of the before and after numbers/settings -- then drive the car. If the noise is still present it is in the drivetrain. But I suspect there will be no noise, unless it is the new tires crying about the boring next 7 years they have coming...3K miles per year? Heck I can do that in under a week and have.

It would easily confirm whether or not that is the problem.

Unfortunatly I don't know anyone I could borrow a set of wheels from. I did consider swoping the wheels from side to side. I wouldn't drive in the wet, as the tires are directional. As any feathering would then be rotating backwards the wear pattern of the rubber shouldn't make the same noise?

Marty (UK) 1999 Boxster 2.5 manual

I have them on my car, and when I switch to Dunlop winter tires, although I miss summer very much, the relief from the tire noise is substantial. Tom

Is to drive by an observer (or let someone drive your car by you). It's much easier to hear where the sound is coming from from outside the car.

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