Rumbling/Drumming noise from the rear (of the car)...

[Pimped-Passat]

It's been a long time..!

Question: I'm sure I can hear a slight drumming or rumbling noise from one of the rear wheels when I reach about 60/70 mph.... I wouldn't say it's that obvious, but I have a tendency to notice things like this I and I wondered if A4 Avant's were prone to noisy wheel bearing, or similar...

Does anyone have a similar experience on a 33k miler Avant..? Is it common, or a known fault, etc...?

Cheers
Mark

[a8 tech]

Check the inner edge of the tyres for saw tooth wear

This normally occurs between 50 to 60 mph and sounds like a bearing

Front bearings are common on 8k platform a4 but not the rear

Normally the tyres on the rear


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers

[Pimped-Passat]

Thanks a8 tech.... I'll check the tyres tomorrow... They're actually the originals which have done OK I suppose with +33k miles on them.

If it is the tyres, that will be £460 for the a pair..........! Don't you just love buying tyres for Audi's...?!!!

[113brucey]

can be twisted tyre check round tyre with hands

[Hammy969]

It'll be the tyres I suspect. I had a similar experience prior to changing the rears on mine at about 35K.

[Pauls898]

I've had the exact same problem with my front and rear tryes, I was getting this awful noise even at low speeds sounded like I was driving a landrover with knobby tryes on, I took it to Audi thinking it was the wheel bearings going, the technician got my car lifted off the ground and said I think you need to look at this sir? He span one of the front wheel round by hand and it wasn't just a saw tooth wear on the tread the tyre wasn't ever round anymore?? it was covered with what looked like flat spots all around the tyres on all 4!!! he said I really needed to change them all, the car has done 27,000, but I said I could only afford to do two at a time @ £260 a corner, the rears still had 4-5mm tread on, the fronts were down to 1.5 -2.5mm so need changing anyway. So I got Audi to fit two new AO (Audi Only)ones to front with 8mm tread, I left the rears on for another time. The noise has gone now! But I still can't explain how they got in this state? The only thing I can think of is that this car had stood for 6 months not going anywhere? I think it was a show room car, I purchased it 6 months old with just 60 miles on the clock, now whether it just being stood in the show room for 6 months and moved around occasionally had put flat spots on the tyres from new, and the problem only then came to light once I had worn away the rubber? Want do people think? I hope there's not an underlying defect with the transmission that has caused this to happen to the tyres?, it is a Quatro all wheel drive system.

[Pimped-Passat]

Pauls898 - Thanks for the detailed reply.

Interestingly my car was stood in the showroom for 3 or 4 months before I bought it, but I'd like to think that this isn't the cause for the tyre wear issues.

I replaced my fronts at 27k miles, and they appear to be wearing OK, but the backs are now getting towards the end of their life (~34k miles), so I guess they are the cause of the increased road noise. Well I hope so anyway.

Just for reference, I bought 2 Dunlop SP Sport MAXX GT (AO) - 255 35 Z R19 96 Y from Audi York for £455 (all in, inc VAT), after pushing them to match the best on-line price. Initially they wanted to charge me £500 + VAT, so it just goes to show that you can drive a deal if you're cheeky. Being a Yorkshireman helps in these situations..!!

I'll get the rubber changed, and re-post an update when completed.

Cheers
YorkieMark

[Pimped-Passat]

UPDATE..!

I've just had the rear tyres checked, and as per the feedback already received, the tyres have worn quite bizarrely on the inner edge, where there's some pretty obvious 'flats'...!

I simply can not work out why tyres would wear in this fashion, and the only reason I can think why this would occur is possibly due to the wheel not running exactly true, perhaps a little bit like a bicycle wheel that's slightly buckled. I'll do a bit of research, but if anyone can offer an explanation as to why the tyres wear with flats, I'd be interested to hear more..!!!

Cheers
50pShapedTyresMark

[a8 tech]

In short

Pronounced saw tooth wear occurs

When toe in values are to high
When tyre pressures are incorrect
When the tread is course or open
On tyres which are fitted to none driven wheels
When the vehicle is driven very fast around tight corners


Sent from my iPhone using
My fat fingers

[markp306]

UPDATE..!

I've just had the rear tyres checked, and as per the feedback already received, the tyres have worn quite bizarrely on the inner edge, where there's some pretty obvious 'flats'...!



My 143 has a worn N/S/R outer edge only with no flat spots. Audi Camberley wouldn't look into it without replacement tyres being fitted first (which I did question the logic as I wanted them to "see" the symptom, especially after their engineer's "blindness" to my juddering clutch woes). Laser tracking was done and very small adjustments made a month or two back.

Anyway, a quick inspection didn't suggest anything was wrong to them. They simply recommended getting another laser tracking - but after the new tyres are fitted this time, not before. Maybe that is significant enough?

[Pauls898]

Thanks Pimped-Passat for this useful post, it sounds like you have had the exact same wear characteristics to what I had happen to my tyres? I'd be interested to hear if you find anything more out on this one? I am keeping a close eye on my new replacement ones to see if they start wearing in the same manor again???.

[Pimped-Passat]

UPDATE..!

New tyres fitted on Friday, and the ever increasing and annoying road noise has now disappeared.

I spoke to the guys at the tyre fitting place (Motorsport Wheels, Leeds. [Recommended!]) and they told me it was quite common for A4' Avant's to wear tyres with 'flats', or 'saw-toothing', and one theory was that there's not a lot of weight over the back wheel - Perhaps a couple of bags of sand might be a useful consideration..?!!!!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread - much appreciated

Cheers
Mark

PS - Good price on tyres, 2 x Dunlop SP Sport MAXX GT (AO) - 255 35 Z R19 96 Y = £440, and fitted with care....

[a8 tech]

Thanks for the feedback and glad its all sorted

[John140]

Every A4 I have had (and I'm on number 3) suffered from sawtooth wear on the rears with absolutely no obvious explanation especially as I do mostly motorway cruising.
On my last A4 (B7) I had vicious 'bearing-like' drumming from the rear whick turned out to be a common problem with the SP Sport Maxx tyres which when changed cured the problem. The sawtooth wear issue on VaG cars has never really been fully explained by anyone that I know of on any forum that I know of.

Assuming toe and other things like tyre pressures are correct, one theory is that it occurs when the suspension is not loaded, as the geometry is set up for a load.

[toffer]

'bearing-like' drumming from the rear whick turned out to be a common problem with the SP Sport Maxx tyres which when changed cured the problem.

I also had this issue. Mentioned it to my dealer when it was in for a service but the usual 'no fault found' answer with absolutely no suggestions as to what it could be. i.e. Tyres.

Was having new tyres fitted and wheel alignment on a Hunter machine at local tyre centre and the bloke told me it was a common and relatively well know issue with Dunlops. Mine were the SP3000 from the factory. New Goodyear F1's fitted and noise was instanly gone.

[danando]

I have a similar problem on my A4 B6 Avant. Noticed a sound similar to a rear wheel bearing on its way out, checked both rear wheel bearings which seemed fine. I suspected the tyres so I put the rears on the front. Noise then came from front prooving by my opinion that it is was the tyres. I´ve just driven down to Spain putting approx 1200 miles on them and I was convinced it was a front wheel bearing(i couldnt believe a tyre could make that noise). I took it to a garage in Spain and he jacked it up and checked all wheel bearings. He saw that both front tyres had a saw tooth pattern which is where the blocks on theinner edges of the tyres are worn more towards the back or front, I cant remember now, but he said this will certainly be the cause of the noise. Incidentally they are dunlop sportmaxx. Looking on other websites it seems its quite a common problem with these tyres.