[xj40] Noisy defective tyre

XJ40
1

Last time I asked a tyre question, it spawned a thread that went to over 130 messages, so I ask this with caution…!

Has anyone encountered a defective tyre that makes a cyclic noise, but no vibration?

Strictly speaking, this is a generic question, as it involves my mother’s front-wheel-drive non-Jag, but the rear of her car makes a cyclic wheel-rotation-speed noise that I swore blind to the dealer was a wheel bearing.

They examined it and said the bearings were great, but swapped the rear wheels with a pair from an identical model, and the noise went away. With the normal wheels back on, the sound is back. They’ve told me to replace the rear tyres (they do not sell tyres themselves).

But before I get Mum to spend her retirement dollars, has anyone else encountered anything like this? Both tyres are evenly worn with about 5mm tread.

(Jaguar content - Mum adores Jaguars, and used to watch them racing in the 1950s, and would buy me an XKR if she didn’t need her money to live on.)

Regards,

Adrian

2

Two things come to mind. Something stuck in the tire tread(rock,bolt,
etc.)or a cracked rim that flexes when rotated under load.
Jim Moore(88 XJ40)

3

At risk of trying to describe a sound in words, it’s sort of a muffled “whum…whum…whum…” sound where each “whum” sound lasts for about half of each revolution of the wheel. It really does sound like a bearing. The rims are alloys that appear to be OK.

Regards,

Adrian

Gasshauler@aol.com 03-Jun-02 12:28:45 PM >>>
Two things come to mind. Something stuck in the tire tread(rock,bolt,
etc.)or a cracked rim that flexes when rotated under load.
Jim Moore(88 XJ40)

4

I have heard this type tire noise countless times and sometimes after
bearings have been replaced. The tires especially in the rear on a front
wheel drive car can get out of round or choppy and cause a noise that
for all the world sounds like a bad bearing. I would replace the tires
and have the alignment checked for all four wheels.

Matt 88 XJ6
90 VDP

Adrian Lane wrote:>At risk of trying to describe a sound in words, it’s sort of a muffled “whum…whum…whum…” sound where each “whum” sound lasts for about half of each revolution of the wheel. It really does sound like a bearing. The rims are alloys that appear to be OK.

Regards,

Adrian

Gasshauler@aol.com 03-Jun-02 12:28:45 PM >>>

Two things come to mind. Something stuck in the tire tread(rock,bolt,
etc.)or a cracked rim that flexes when rotated under load.
Jim Moore(88 XJ40)

5

Thanks Matthew. You’ve said the magic words “out of round”. That’s exactly what the dealer said, but I didn’t put it in my original email to avoid any assumptions.
I just didn’t believe 'em!

I’ll get the tyres replaced before she comes back from holiday. What a resource of information we share!

Regards,

Adrian

“Matthew S. Conard” mconard@bellatlantic.net 03-Jun-02 2:13:31 PM >>>
I have heard this type tire noise countless times and sometimes after
bearings have been replaced. The tires especially in the rear on a front
wheel drive car can get out of round or choppy and cause a noise that
for all the world sounds like a bad bearing. I would replace the tires
and have the alignment checked for all four wheels.

Matt 88 XJ6
90 VDP

Adrian Lane wrote:>At risk of trying to describe a sound in words, it’s sort of a muffled “whum…whum…whum…” sound where each “whum” sound lasts for about half of each revolution of the wheel. It really does sound like a bearing. The rims are alloys that appear to be OK.

Regards,

Adrian

Gasshauler@aol.com 03-Jun-02 12:28:45 PM >>>

Two things come to mind. Something stuck in the tire tread(rock,bolt,
etc.)or a cracked rim that flexes when rotated under load.
Jim Moore(88 XJ40)

6

Just to expand on the ‘out of round’ tyre. This happened to a car that we
owned a few years ago and I deduced that the reason that the tyre went ‘OoR’
was because the rotor on that wheel was not a consistent thickness and so
was trying to slow the tyre/car down more in certain positions and therefore
wearing the tyre out more so in that area.
When the tyre was rotated on a jack one could see the tread rise and fall!
The moral of the story is to ensure that there is not an underlying reason
that the tyre/s have developed an out of round.
Regards, Robin O’Connor.----- Original Message -----
From: “Adrian Lane” Adrian.Lane@team.telstraclear.co.nz
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Monday, 3 June 2002 14:16 p.m.
Subject: Re: [xj40] Noisy defective tyre

Thanks Matthew. You’ve said the magic words “out of round”. That’s exactly
what the dealer said, >
Regards,

Adrian

“Matthew S. Conard” mconard@bellatlantic.net 03-Jun-02 2:13:31 PM

I have heard this type tire noise countless times and sometimes after
bearings have been replaced. The tires especially in the rear on a front
wheel drive car can get out of round or choppy and cause a noise that
for all the world sounds like a bad bearing. I would replace the tires
and have the alignment checked for all four wheels.

Matt 88 XJ6
90 VDP

Adrian Lane wrote:

At risk of trying to describe a sound in words, it’s sort of a muffled
“whum…whum…whum…” sound where each “whum” sound lasts for
about half of each revolution of the wheel. It really does sound like a
bearing. The rims are alloys that appear to be OK.

Regards,

Adrian

Gasshauler@aol.com 03-Jun-02 12:28:45 PM >>>

Two things come to mind. Something stuck in the tire tread(rock,bolt,
etc.)or a cracked rim that flexes when rotated under load.
Jim Moore(88 XJ40)

7

Hi!

Be aware that almost any tyre on a road wheel that has just been jacked up
after standing will have a flattish patch and the tread will rise and fall
when the wheel is rotated. This can be very misleading !

Norman Watkins

Just to expand on the ‘out of round’ tyre. This happened to a car that we
owned a few years ago and I deduced that the reason that the tyre went
‘OoR’
was because the rotor on that wheel was not a consistent thickness and so
was trying to slow the tyre/car down more in certain positions and
therefore> wearing the tyre out more so in that area.
When the tyre was rotated on a jack one could see the tread rise and fall!
The moral of the story is to ensure that there is not an underlying reason
that the tyre/s have developed an out of round.
Regards, Robin O’Connor.
----- Original Message -----

8

Adrian,
I hear LOTS of tires with problems.
Sometimes new tires are bad.
The guy across the street had a bad one on his car
from day one.

Strangely, it did not bother him till I pointed it out.
His car made a loud wow wow wow at speed, with a slight
vibration in time with the noise.

I assume the tire had a bad belt problem, as they were balanced
and did not wear oddly.
New tires transformed the car into a smooth quiet ride.

I hear lots of cars with the same noise, and many
of the firestone tires that were noted for blowouts
sound like this.

I suspect its a very cheap brand of tires that normally
has the problem, and some firestones.
Belt separation or something.

I suspect the hunter road force balance machine
would pick these problems up easy, as it loads the
tire as it spins it, checking for tire stiffness
along with out of round and overall balance…

Someone I work with bought a new mazda little suv thing,
and that has the same noise, along with a bad bearing
in the driveline someplace…horrible ride, and the dealers
wont do anything for him.
It had firestone tires on it…

I told him it was so bad, I never would have accepted the vehicle
the way it rides.
The all wheel drive chevy astro I have rides like
a Rolls Royce compared to his new mazda.

Brett
1990 XJ6>

Last time I asked a tyre question, it spawned a thread that
went to over 130 messages, so I ask this with caution…!

Has anyone encountered a defective tyre that makes a cyclic
noise, but no vibration?

Strictly speaking, this is a generic question, as it involves
my mother’s front-wheel-drive non-Jag, but the rear of her
car makes a cyclic wheel-rotation-speed noise that I swore
blind to the dealer was a wheel bearing.

They examined it and said the bearings were great, but
swapped the rear wheels with a pair from an identical model,
and the noise went away. With the normal wheels back on, the
sound is back. They’ve told me to replace the rear tyres
(they do not sell tyres themselves).

But before I get Mum to spend her retirement dollars, has
anyone else encountered anything like this? Both tyres are
evenly worn with about 5mm tread.

(Jaguar content - Mum adores Jaguars, and used to watch them
racing in the 1950s, and would buy me an XKR if she didn’t
need her money to live on.)

Regards,

Adrian