GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

So I put snow tires on this weekend and I'm noticing a pronounced wooshing / howling sound coming from what seems like the front end. The sound is related to vehicle speed (not RPM or engine, etc) and is most noticeable at very low speeds when coming to a stop - the sound gets lower in pitch and sounds like a jet engine coming in for a landing (though not quite as loud). The noise does change pitch with speed, but doesn't seem to change when turning or applying the brakes. The sound also doesn't seem to pulse like I've heard in the past with bad bearings, but is a constant, almost wind-type noise.

I put the front end up and didn't notice any play when trying to move the tire in and out while holding it at 6 & 12 o'clock. Trying the same thing holding it at 3 & 9 o'clock I noticed some play on both sides, but the play appeared to be in the steering components, not the wheel (may be time for tie-rods eventually). If it were a bad wheel bearing, I assume I'd have play 6&12 o'clock and the sound would be most noticeable at high speeds, no?

I'm somewhat familiar with typical road noise from snow tires and this sounds different to me (particularly that howl at very low speeds) although it's the first time with these tires (Mastercraft Glacier Grip II). The tires are smaller than stock (205/50/R16) mounted on what appear to be stock steelies. I checked and there doesn't seem to be any rubbing I can see from the tires.

I didn't notice this sound before putting these tires on, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't there before. I suppose I can re-mount the regular tires and test drive to see if is directly related to the tires (bit of a pain where I live, but I may try later this week). I figured I'd solicit opinions from the crowd as to other things to look into in the meantime.

I bet it's the tires and nothing else. It may get a little better once they have done some miles. My guess is that the blocks near the shoulders cause the noise.

vibrologist wrote:I bet it's the tires and nothing else. It may get a little better once they have done some miles. My guess is that the blocks near the shoulders cause the noise.

That's my hope as well, though the sounds does sound more "mechanical" to me than contact-type tire noise I'm used to hearing. Inside the car it sounds just like blowing over the top of a large empty bottle. I just did another road test and turning either way doesn't impact the sound. Because the sound is readily apparent at slow speeds, I may try just try swapping my other tires in the front and take a short test drive.

Our Vibes don't have rubber bushings between the struts and the body. And the subframe is bolted up metal to metal. That's a major reason why road noise comes through so clear.

It seems the snow tires may in fact be the culprit. I switched 2 of my all seasons on front and the sound was seemingly lessened and seemed to be coming from the rear (I’m nearly deaf in one ear, so determining directional sound source is difficult). I then went ahead and switched out the other 2 and the noise was almost completely gone. I say “almost” because if I really listened, I think I could hear a similar sound while coasting in N at slow speed. That seemed to me to be a normal level of sound though.

I put the snows back on and the noise was back in force. At slow speeds it almost sounds like I’m driving on snow. Thankfully, you can’t really hear it at highway speed, which is most of my commute.

What’s interesting to me is that this “tire” noise is in addition to “road noise” I typically attribute to tires. The road noise changes its “rumble” with road conditions (fresh pavement vs old pavement, etc), but the tire noise doesn’t seem to. Perhaps the tires are scalloped or something from being run on a bad alignment (they look ok, but I’m no tire tech). The DOT date code is from 2014, so they’re not terribly old or worn out.

I did put the car up on jack stands, tested for play (none) and ran it in D1 to see if I could hear the sound, but didn’t really hear it. I also put it in D and poked around with a mechanics stethoscope, but didn’t hear anything incriminating - both sides sounded similar.

Noise from tires with a bunch of miles on them can sound like mechanical issues.

I thought I might have a wheel bearing going bad in the front.

Got a new set of tires and the noise went away.

Check the alignment...

I have Goodyear Ultra Grip 400 winter tires on my 09 Vibe. They are EXTREMELY loud, but that's what I get for mounting a winter tire with an agressive tread pattern that looks like it belongs on a monster truck.

I don't get stuck anywhere with these tires, though!

What’s interesting to me is that this “tire” noise is in addition to “road noise”

Road noise comes from two sources: the roughness of the pavement and the block pattern of the tires. When a rubber block hits the surface it is the same as a drum stick hitting the drum's membrane. Large gaps between the rubber blocks make for harder hits. That's your additional tire noise.