Excessive road noise - Help!

[mike1337]

Hoping someone can help!

I've got a very loud road noise problem coming from the rear of the car (Seat Ibiza). Sounds like I've got a massive hole in the exhaust and can feel some vibration in the steering wheel. It only happens when I reach 40mph and over and its completely unbearable on motorways - had to turn my radio up as far as it could go to drown it out.

ATS reckon the problem is the tyre on the rear driver side but they don't know for certain, when in the car the noise seems to be coming more from the passenger rear. I've ordered a new tyre so I want to be sure they replace the right one.

One thing I've noticed is that the noise disappears altogether when I'm driving around a right bend. If I'm driving on a left bend or a straight road then the noise is still there. I'm not sure what this means, does it confirm the drier side is the problem?

Any advice appreciated

Cheers

[Bigcarper]

Bearing

[marshalla]

Sounds more like wheel bearing to me.

[s p a c e m a n]

That would be a wheel bearing then, did they give the wheel a wobble when it was in the air?

[s p a c e m a n]

All together now!

[C.A.R.]

There were no replies when I read this on my phone a minute ago.

Wheel bearing!

[Superhoop]

It does sound like a bearing, but....

Heal and toe wear on the inner or outer tread blocks give a similar noise/symptoms

[HustleRussell]

Why not fit the spare onto a rear corner, test it and then move it to the other corner to identify if it is a tyre and if so, which one?
I don't think it's definitely a bearing, I think it could well be a tyre.

[henrycrun]

Have you checked the wheelnuts on each corner ?

[nickfrog]

Get the car on a ramp and listen to the bearings (starting with the left side), with a stethoscope if need be.

[mike1337]

Thanks for the replies,

I took it to ATS last week to diagnose and they did check the bearings and said it was likely to be tyre noise. Would wheel bearings make noise all the time? Or can they also start making noise at certain speeds?

[jon-]

Bear Ring

[Jimmytno1]

My money is on one or both rear tyres being out of shape, what brand and how old are they?

[schmalex]

Jimmytno1 said:

My money is on one or both rear tyres being out of shape, what brand and how old are they?

I once had a set of Avons on one of my cars and upon taking them off and rolling them along the Tarmac, they bounced along like 50p pieces.

However, I reckon it's a bearing in this instance

[fttm]

Does sound like the bearing , and if it's as bad as you say then you should not be driving it and ATS want a kick up the arse .

[TVR1]

Have you been to Europe recently? And gave you checked for Roma Gypsies hiding under the wheelarches? They make a helluva racket. That's the problem right there.


Or it could be bearings.

[muley]

Wheel bearing

[schmalex]

mike1337 said:

Thanks for the replies,

I took it to ATS last week to diagnose and they did check the bearings and said it was likely to be tyre noise. Would wheel bearings make noise all the time? Or can they also start making noise at certain speeds?

Bearings tend to make a noise when travelling over a certain speed. What is leading everyone to the conclusion of it being a bearing, though, is your statement that the sound disappears when you go round a right hand bend. That is a classic symptom of wheel bearing failure