Droning noise when off load - 2009 s3 sportback

dave_ph · Jul 13, 2015

Hi all

Back in Dec 2014 I changed my front tyres to Michelin PS3's. Straight after doing this I got a droning noise which was audible from 12mph upwards, getting higher pitched as speed increased. I put the half worn rears (can't remember what they were) on the front and new PS3's on the back and the noise went. I've just changed my the other 2 tyres and the noise has come back but only when offload/decelerating. I swapped the wheels around but makes no diff.

The noise disappears at around 20mph however the faster the car is going, the higher pitched it gets (and a bit noiser). As soon as I press the accelerator, the noise goes away and is fine no matter how hard I accelerate.

I've got an s-tronic gearbox. I've put it in netrual however doesn't make any difference. Also doesn't seem to make any difference whether I am turning or braking. There isn't any vibration at all

Has anyone got any ideas what it might be or had similar issue?

Cheers

ahtcap · Jul 13, 2015

Are both sets directional tyres,I read somewhere that they shouldn`t be mixed .
I personally wouldnt think it would matter!

Bazzle · Jul 13, 2015

Ive had PS3's for a few years on a couple of cars with nill noise issues.
Run your hand along the inner tread blocks and feel for feathering.
If so an alignment is needed.

dave_ph · Jul 13, 2015

It's got asym Michelin PS3's on all round now which is when the problem reared up again. I had PS3's on my old s3 and was never a problem!

I'm guessing it's the greater rolling resistance of the PS3's highlighting an issue that may have already been there as I can't see why the tyres alone would cause it

dave_ph · Jul 13, 2015

Bazzle said:
Ive had PS3's for a few years on a couple of cars with nill noise issues.
Run your hand along the inner tread blocks and feel for feathering.
If so an alignment is needed.

I wondered if it would be alignment but the tyres that came off were fine and it only happens when off load

dave_ph · Jul 13, 2015

I should probably add that the guy who did the tyres for me stood on the side of the road while I drove past and couldn't hear the noise from the outside, just said it was normal tyre noise

dave_ph · Jul 14, 2015

Further to the above, on my drive home I tried sharp turns and braking which didn't make any difference to the noise. I also stuck the gearbox in netrual and turned the engine off while moving along and the noise persisted

Bazzle · Jul 14, 2015

So if not tyres may be a mount, driveshaft donut, rear diff, etc

Sayam · Jul 14, 2015

I'd add wheel bearing to the above list

dave_ph · Jul 14, 2015

I was thinking wheel bearing but I'm assuming the noise is coming from/caused by the front axle as when I did the front tyres originally and the noise started, putting the older rear tyres on the front stopped it. I then did some sharp turning yesterday which didn't effect the noise which I thought it may have done if it's a wheel bearing as it would have been loading the weight on each wheel in turn?

dave_ph · Jul 14, 2015

I had dad drive the car earlier and I sat in the back and had the seats down and listened in the boot area. The noise is definitely coming from the rear and sounds central to passenger side. There's quite a bit of vibration coming from there as well. I went round a roundabout at speed to load that wheel up and it didn't make a difference. I jacked the car up and check the wheel for wobble and also the drive shafts which were all fine. Also checked for any leaks around the rear diff and haldex which all looked fine

Sayam · Jul 14, 2015

Sounds like you've been very thorough in your search for the problem.

One thing I will say from experience - when my front passenger wheel bearing was knackered and noisy, it was 'fine' when the mechanic was doing the wobble test.

Same thing when I changed front wishbone bushes. That leads me to believe the Audi tolerances are too tight to check manually.

Tfsi gone · Jul 14, 2015

Are the 'noisy' tyres brand new? Sounds like one or both are feathered. That can give the noise your describing. Run your hand back and forth over the tread for rough/sharp areas. I had this occur and my previous BMW and on my current A4...

dave_ph · Jul 14, 2015

Sayam said:
Sounds like you've been very thorough in your search for the problem.

One thing I will say from experience - when my front passenger wheel bearing was knackered and noisy, it was 'fine' when the mechanic was doing the wobble test.

Same thing when I changed front wishbone bushes. That leads me to believe the Audi tolerances are too tight to check manually.

Heh thanks, I like to give as much info as possible as it could be so many things. I've heard the same about the wheel bearings not wobbling so could still be the problem.

Mike J said:
Are the 'noisy' tyres brand new? Sounds like one or both are feathered. That can give the noise your describing. Run your hand back and forth over the tread for rough/sharp areas. I had this occur and my previous BMW and on my current A4...

The front tyres are brand new, but the rears are 8 months old now. I've swapped front and rear over a couple times and the noise remains the same and in the same location. If anything, it's starting to get worse.

It's a strange comparison, but as the car slows down and the droning gets lower pitched, it's a similar sound to when a tube train is slowing down and coming to a stop. My mind works in weird ways lol

Tfsi gone · Jul 14, 2015

Check for a sticking caliper/warped disc. Are the alloys/tyre hot after a drive?

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Droning noise when off load - 2009 s3 sportback

dave_ph

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