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Noise after tyre change


Glen

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Hi All

I'm sure that this has been answered before but I need advice on what I think is tyre noise.

Just had 2 new Michelin Latitude tyres fitted on front to replace Michelin Synchrons. Synchrons had lasted really well but wore heavily on inside edges. Part worn Synchrons are on the back. Since the tyres have been fitted I've got a loud humming noise and buzzing type vibration which I think is from the front left. It peaks at about 55 mph. The car has just been serviced/mot'd and they found nothing wrong but suggested that I may need to put new tyres on the back as well.

I don't want to risk damage to the drive train but don't want to have to scrap 2 good tyres at the back and shell out another £200 if it's not a guaranted fix!! Has anyone had problems with Latitudes, could it be tyre mismatch or could there be a problem with a tyre. I need to get the tracking checked to sort out the tyre wear so that may help. I'd also thought of trying the spare Synchron in each position to see if I can isolate where the noise is from but that may not necessarily prove that the new tyre is a problem, just that it doesn't match the back!!

Any advice gratefully received. BTW, it's 55 plate TD4.

Cheers

Glen

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GET YOUR NEW TYRES FITTED TO THE REAR AXLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Failure to do so can result in severe damage to the transmission system and is almost certainly the cause of the noise and vibration.

This is as instructed by Land Rover in the handbook.

You do not need to buy 4 tyres, just always make sure that new tyres, or tyres with the greatest circumference are ALWAYS fitted to the rear axle.

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Not sure that tyre circumference is that much of a problem unless the Latitudes are very different in diameter to the Synchrons. A year (and 12K miles) ago I had two new Synchron tyres on my 04 plate TD4 for its MOT, I am pretty sure they went on the front and I have just measured the tread depth and got 7mm front and 5mm rear which seems to confirm it. So if I have covered 12K miles without a problem I doubt if putting new ones on the front is putting that much strain on anything. Similarly my previous TD4 which definitely did 80K (!) on the rears and definitely had new ones on the front didn't have any problems either. I always stick to the same tyres originally supplied when the vehicle is new. and the Michelin website recommends :-

Michelin strongly recommends that tyres on 4x4 vehicles are used in identical sets of 4 (same size, make, pattern, load index/speed symbol). The vehicle manufacturers' recommendations should also be followed.

If I were you I would

1. get the new tyres checked for "roundness" - I have had new tyres before with this problem

2. try to measure the circumference of the two tyre types and if they are very different start saving up for a couple of new tyres.

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Many thanks for all the replies. I've just been out on the drive in the dark doing a front to back swop as Llanigraham strongly suggested. It took forever as my trolley jack's packed up and then my spotlight blew so I was doing it all by head torch!! Took it for a test drive and all the noise and vibration have gone. There is a hint of high pitched whine which I think is coming from the back but I may just be being paranoid. I don't remember it before the new tyres but I'll have another listen on the flog to work in the morning.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply - it could have saved me a huge bill in the future.

Cheers

Glen

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Dorsetfreelander,

LAND ROVER's instructions are very plain in the Owners Handbook:

If fitted in pairs new tyres MUST alway be fitted to the REAR axle ONLY. Failure to do so can result in damage to the VCU and IRD.

Of course Michelin recommend you buy 4 tyres every time.....it makes them money. No other tyre manufacturer states it.

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I accept that I can't have followed the official advice (didn't know about it actually) but I suspect that there may be a different problem here. He has a lot of wear on the inside of his old Synchrones which sounds like he needs his tracking checked for a start and since it peaks at 55mph isn't that a sign of a dynamic problem? If the new Latitude tyres are very different in circumference to the original Synchrones then moving the imbalance to the rear may not cure the problem and might cause the same sort of transmission wind up that the advice is guarding against.

He should follow the scientific method and change one thing at a time possibly by starting with the Synchrone spare onto the front left.

If it should be proven that the tyres are incompatible he should use the spare and buy one more Synchrone and keep the Latitudes as spares or put them on ebay

Incidentally years ago I had a Citroen XM company car and at one point they put non standard replacement tyres on the front and the handling went to pot until they were replaced with the original type.

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GET YOUR NEW TYRES FITTED TO THE REAR AXLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Failure to do so can result in severe damage to the transmission system and is almost certainly the cause of the noise and vibration.

This is as instructed by Land Rover in the handbook.

You do not need to buy 4 tyres, just always make sure that new tyres, or tyres with the greatest circumference are ALWAYS fitted to the rear axle.

Wasn't this an issue with pre 02 models only ? :unsure:

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Oh dear! Looks like i spoke to soon. Took the car to work (65 miles) and as soon as the speed gets up to about 55 the noise and vibration are back. I thought the noise was from the front but it is now definitely from the back which would tend to indicate that it's a tyre problem. The noise improves to a above 60 but is still there. It's almost like a resonance stes up. It has quietened down a bit but is definitely still there. Unfortunately, I took it for a drive with the tyre dealer and it didn't really do much but he has agreed to change the tyres if it doesn't improve. I have noticed that they fitted reinforced (102 load rating) instead of the 98s that i ordered - is this likely to make much difference? In addition, the last couple of tankfuls since the new tyres have given 33 mpg, much less than the 38 I was getting and the car feels a bit like the brakes are partially all the time. It has just been serviced and they said the VCU was ok but I can't help thinking it is all connected.

Changing the tyres seems to be the obvious route but anyone got any other ideas or is it all coincidence!

Cheers

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did you put the left front tyre onto the left rear? if so, when you had a passenger it gave extra weight on that side and possibly levelled out the mis-mould in the tyre. try switching sides on the new tyres to see if theres still a prob. try it with and without a passenger

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So after all that you now agree that it's a tyre problem. Can I quote from my earlier post on this subject a few days ago?

He should follow the scientific method and change one thing at a time possibly by starting with the Synchrone spare onto the front left.

If it should be proven that the tyres are incompatible he should use the spare and buy one more Synchrone and keep the Latitudes as spares or put them on ebay

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Try a better brand of tyre is the best solution.

My 2005 HSE had 225/55 17 Michelin Synchrones as OE and when I purchased the vehicle at 19900 miles last July, I found them very noisy travelling home the 100 miles or so mostly motorway. Michelin tyres are well-known as being designed for higher mileage and consequently have harder compounding than others in varying degrees, but aside from the wear factor the demerrits I believe outway the merits. They have poorer wet road adhesion and noisier rolling attitudes because of the harder compound, so as with most things you pay your money and make your choice.

I have now fitted Falken FTZ01 235/55 17 reinforced tyres and got shot of the Michelins. The result is straight line accuracy, excellent state of balance, a quieter and more comfortable ride without the bumping and crashing of a hard compound plus some extra balloon effect for comfort with a wider section. They were fitted at 21010 miles and the Freelander has now done 26800, showing a perfect section on all four tyres without any shoulder wear, no feathering and no odd wear pattern whatsoever. I have just used my tread depth meter and I have 8mm on each tyre, so there is an excellent rate of use being indicated plus there is very good wet road adhesion and smooth driving.

The main secret with tye wear is to check your pressures every fortnight and maintain them at 31psi always. Pressures are the biggest factor by far with tyre wear and most people just never bother with them or use a garage gauge, which are nearly always all wrong. Go to Halfords and buy a Stirrup pump, sometimes called a Track pump (costing between £10 and £20), plus a pencil gauge and do your own pressure checks easily. Also DO NOT drive up and down kerbsides because they will always mostly likely affect your tracking, camber and castor angle settings, which collectively have an effect on optimum tyre wear if the wheels are not running straight. It's that simple.

Michelin tyres are like BMW cars in my experience: overated and overpriced.

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Big Tone,

I had a set of Michelin tyres on my Freelander X reg. They lasted 48K miles (mainly motorway)

Where as my wife's Disco SII ate tyres, GoodYear tyres every 20K miles.

The Michelin's are a noisy tyre .... but boy do they last.

As I said, choice always lays with the individual.

If you want a bumpy crashy ride with higher mileage then go for your Michelins but I prefer more comfort and grip than you’ll ever get with them. Goodyear is one of poorest comparisons against any brand in my experience added to which you’re lucky if you get a full set of perfectly round tyres, which then leads to vibration issues.

Highest mileage is not the only measure and if you have ever had high performance cars, as I have, then the differences mentioned above become distinctly important.

As I said, the most important element to obtaining optimum tyre life is to ensure pressures and condition are always maintained, which few people bother to do and then whinge about low mileage life without blaming themselves of course. My last Audi S8 was fitted with it’s OE set of tyres when I bought it with only 14K miles and they were Michelins, which were immediately ready to come off. I replaced those with Falken FK451 and they did 22.5K miles without any issues whatsoever.

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  • 2 weeks later...

hi fitted two latitudes originals being synchrone ,had very bad vibration on rear tried swapping to front still the same the vibration was that bad you have trouble keeping you teeth in ,decided to replace other two for latitudes and vibration cured now left with two part worn synchrone collecting dust on the garage floor.don't think you find any new synchrone tried every where ,emailed Michelin did not get any reply on the problem .next time I change tyres they will not be Michelin :(

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Had my 2003 TD4 from new, just passed MOT today with two of the original Synchrones on the front at 81k. The other two were swapped for Latitudes at 71k because one was holed too close to the sidewall to repair.

I've had a whining vibration at speed for a while but not sure whether this began with new tyres. Going to remove prop shaft this weekend and trial run it for starters, and check the support bearings.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi

I have just replaced the wheels on my wifes Freelander from the original 16" 3 spoke sports wheels to the later type 17" six spoke type. The newer wheels had tyres on them but two of them were rubbish while two were good. I replaced the two worn out ones with brand new tyres and had them fitted to the rear of the car as advised on this website (many thanks :)) and all seemed well. The car looked superb with the new alloys and wife was thrilled. We went out for a run of about 30 miles and as soon as the car got up to about 50 MPH there was a noise and a vibration. We came home from our trip out and I sat reading these pages on this forum and realised what was wrong. Next morning I went back to the local garage and had them measure the diameter of the front and rear tyres, there was a 15mm difference between the old tyres and the new ones, so out came the trusty card and we now have four brand new tyres fitted. I took the car along the A14 at speeds up to 70 MPH and not a sound could be heard and definitely no vibrations. So thankfully the new tyres have solved the problem and my wife now has good solid rubber under her for some time to come. I am left with a 17" Michelin on the spare and one in the garage so I hope that we never have to use the spare in case it causes the vibration to come back.....

Thanks to all your posts, which allowed me to resolve this issue without (hopefully) causing any long term ailments to my wifes car.

Keith

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  • 5 months later...

Just bumping this one back up to the top as I will soon be in exactly the same situation of having to change the rears while the fronts are almost new and the spare is brand-new (all five are the now unavailable Synchrone's in 225/55x17).

Will probably just replace the whole set and then sell the two good & one brand-new tyres afterwards.

Apart from the ones listed here, what other premium tyres do people recomend and what sort of ride & mileage do they experience? I swear by BFG AT's on my 90, they perform really well and last for ever (mine are on target to last 80K miles).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Apart from the ones listed here, what other premium tyres do people recomend and what sort of ride & mileage do they experience? I swear by BFG AT's on my 90, they perform really well and last for ever (mine are on target to last 80K miles).

We have BFG ATs on our Camel and they are brilliant, good on road manners and excellent off road. Little extra road noise and last an age - 90,000 out of one pair! At not much over £100 a corner, that's good value!

If your Freelander is mostly being used on road, BFG ATs would be over the top, and our TD4 is on Goodyear road tyres, but only because thats what came on it new. We had to replace the front pair after just 20,000 and the other original pair at 30,000 but since then they have been more satisfactory. We run them a little hard at 32psi.

Cheers

Blippie

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I would fit BFG's like a shot but I don't think they do them in the size required (225/55 R17).

Probably fit a set of five Michelin Lattitude, just had a quote of £132 each fitted & balanced which doesn't seem too bad at all.

Any one interested in one brand-new and two very good Synchrones?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bought a Freelander TD4 '06 about 11 months ago, during that time I fitted Michelin tyres to the front the vibration was terrible I immediately changed them to the rear as stated in the manual.

Car still had a slight vibration throughout and a whining noise.

Two garages I took the vehicle to could not find the fault although one of them a LR "specialist" fitted a gearbox mounting and charged me £250 for it.

Noise was still present after that.

Last weekend when i was reversing the car out from the drive with the steering on full lock the car almost stalled,I now have an Intermittent knocking noise from the gearbox / engine area when the clutch is disengaged, this also occurs when rolling to a stop either in neutral or with the clutch pressed fully down after using 2nd , 4th or reverse gear.

As I was putting it through its MOT the next morning I asked the garage to investigate it.

It was found that the VCU had failed, cost to replace VCU and support bearings £725 garage have also advised that the knocking may come from the dual mesh flywheel and clutch assy etc. Cost to replace all of these £1325.

I removed the props and VCU this morning while there is an improvement I still have the occassional / Intermittent knocking.

I'm now concerned that there is now a problem with the IRD and or gearbox.

To put it into perspective it could cost me £4000 apprx if the other components also have to be replaced which amounts to apprx 50% of what I paid for the vehicle!!! in one year!!!

I would advise anybody to get rid off at the first sign of these problems.Worst 4x4 ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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"I would advise anybody to get rid off at the first sign of these problems.Worst 4x4 ever made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A bit unfair as it is quite possible that you brought this on yourself by initially fitting the new tyres to the front in spite of the handbook saying this should not be done (how long were they on there by the way?). In addition, are all the tyres the same brand / pattern as if not then this could also have caused the problem (different tyres of the same size often have different dimensions)?

I agree, it does seem strange that the vehicle should be so sensitive to tyres & tyre wear but LR did cover this all in the handbook, I think that people just don't look into this and replace tyres as they would with a 'normal' vehicle.

I did some checking before my wife bought her Freelander (plenty of information out there in magazines, buyers guides, forums etc) and made sure that the one she bought was running the same tyres and that there were no unusual signs of wear, luckily it is still wearing the original tyres (including a brand-new spare) so I know this hasn't happened to her vehicle.

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