I've got about 30k miles on my tires and just rotated them for the first time (I know, way too long..) a few days ago. Immediately after leaving the mechanic, I noticed a helicopter sounding noise from the front wheels when I hit about 40mph.

Took the car to Costco (where I bought the tires) for a free balancing and they said the wheels didn't need balancing but that my front tires where slightly cupped. The tread on these tires is still very good and I don't really want to buy new ones yet so I'm wondering whether I should just rotate them back again or live with the noise for a while and hope it will lessen as the tread wears down a bit.

I've driven nearly 300 miles in the last few days since rotating them and wondering if putting them back is even an option for me now.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

noise is one thing; a shaking steering wheel is another. If this is just a noise issue, I would learn to live with it. If you bought the tires at Costco, you have lifetime free wheel balance, rotation and nitrogen refill. Take advantage of what you already have paid for.

 

you still have hubcaps?

take them off and re install one by one, driving between, til you find the one making noise.

Make sure they (costco) didnt break any of the clips/tabs holding the hubcap's stiffening ring
EDIT also check air pressure. read sidewall of tire, lets say it says 40psi max. Try running at least 34 or 36 psi

Honda's PSI recommendation is for STOCk tires for comfort. NOT for wear and tear

 

I believe it could be these tiny little weights on your rims that are causing the unbalanced. Might want to look at those , are you sure the fronts dont have a nail in them?

 

He took it back and they said they were balanced. Im sure they would have told him if something was stuck in the tires.


30k miles is way too long for a tire rotation. Im sure he will simply have to wear out the grooves made from overdue rotation

 

Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned it's more than just noise. The car doesn't seem to feel as smooth as it did before the tire rotation and my daughter said she can feel a vibration sitting in the passenger seat that wasn't there before. Even on a smooth road, the ride feels a bit bumpy.

For the record, the tire rotation was a last minute add-on to a brake job that was being done. Mechanic replaced pads and rotors. The Costo guy said he noticed the shields were rubbing a bit on the rotor so he bent the shield back a bit. However, that didn't have any effect on the increased road noise and helicopter sound.

Like I said, I'm torn between rotating fronts to back again or hoping that as the tires wear, the noise will lesson and the ride will smooth out a bit.

 

gfrobe (OP). the tire wear will not even out (from my experience). Cupping is usually caused by worn shocks. Once your rears start cupping (former fronts) then you should have surround sound.

You will just eventually end up with the same results if you just replace the tires. Just a note of caution though that since your cupped tires are on the fronts now, it might affect (wear out) other front suspension parts. Rotate within the 5-7k window is what I do. Good luck with your helicopter pilot's license.

 

Just drive it and it will go away. this is the result of waiting a long time between rotations. Tires wear in a pattern and "take a set" from the position they were in. The cords "get used to" which way they were running and the thread wears out differently front and back.

When you drive it and they start to wear in their new position the noise will go away. And Cupping can result from this same phenomenon.

 

balanced incorrectly

 

Did this problem ever go away? If so, did it go away on its own?

Sorry to reincarnate such an old thread, but some time has passed and your problem sounds exactly the same as mine.

 

Do you have directional tires?

 

If your tires are old (30K miles in the case of the OP) they have a lot of heat-cycles in them. Now, the rubber is hard, and with the feathering, that is a recipe for the noise.

You could rotate the tires back to the original positions, and when the fronts get down to an unacceptable tread depth (which they will, a lot faster than the rears), you could just replace the two fronts.

(Yeah I know what everyone says, newest tires on the back are safer. Tire stores also try to get you to replace tires at double the depth of the wear bars...)

Directional tires introduce another complication. Yet, I have read that the directional tread promotes 10 - 15% better water/snow evacuation...so I have been known to run 'em 'backwards' for one or two rotations, usually during the summer. No issues yet!

 

No, the problem did not go away on its own. I eventually bought new tires and that fixed it. Also had an alignment when I put them on so they wear evenly now with no cupping.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys..

In my case, I ordered 4 tires from an online site.. got the new tires, looked at the current tires.. and realized 2 were still really good. So I decided to keep 2 around and have 2 put on. Not directional, BTW.

Of course, the tire place, my wife and the Internet.. against my better judgment, convinced me to put the new tires on the back and move the back to the front.

Like the OP, I also had about 30K on those back tires since they had last been rotated...

Many forums suggest overdue rotations that cause these noises will eventually work their way out. Although, it's been about 1600 miles or so, and the noise is still there.... I feel like it's gotten better at some speeds, but not others. It's not a vibration you can feel in the wheel, but a rotating noise.. sorta like a helicopter, that you feel mostly at deceleration around 15-20mph.. and picks up again around 50-55.. then goes away again. It's not a bearing noise, or an out-of-balance shimmy/noise... I know what those are like.

So I'm thinking of moving the original rears back to their original position.. hopefully 1600 (or well, probably 1800 by the time I get around to it) miles will NOT affect those new tires the same way.. or else I'll just get the other 2 replaced.

 

Rear shocks are toast. Need to replace b4 the new tires are cupped. Have a freind drive beside you on the hiway and if your tire is jumping up and down like a basketball game over replace the shocks!

Had this happen on a friend's 07 gd3.

 

Don't spend any money unless you do this test! There are several causes of tread cupping, worn shocks are just one.