hi all,

i have recently put the GT2 twists on my turbo - 8.5J and 12J. I'm getting a noise from the front end and a small amount of vibration through the steering wheel. The front tyres are ok but fairly old - I have yet to have the alignment done.

The sound is as if the bearings have gone, but the noise came about v quickly recently so i'm not sure a bearing problem would have come about so quickly

can the tyres and alignment make a massive difference or should i be planning for a bearing job?

New tyres on order so will align after this, but am just curious.

many thanks

 

Did you have the tires road force balanced on a hunter 9700 (or equivalent)? Wheel run out and tire uniformity can cause vibration.

At the very least, did they rotate and check the wheels (without tires) for any defects??

The noise, can;t say...

A

 

Swapping wheels/tires shouldn't mess with the alignment whatsoever. If the alignment wasn't off prior to installing the new wheels, then it shouldn't be off afterward either.

 

My guess is that the wheels might need to be balanced.

 

Cupped tires can cause road noise that sound like a bad wheel bearing.

 

Thanks, so even with different widths and offsets the alignment stays the same?

Wheels were balanced at local tyre place on a digital balancing machine, not sure of the model. Will rebalance with new tyres.

I fear a wheel bearing. Is this an expensive fix?

 

I think the timing of the problem weighs heavily against a bearing. I agree that alignment and balancing should be examined first.
Still wheel bearing failures are a fairly common problem on these cars. I dont know the cost of repair but dont think it is disasterous.

Please report back with what you find out about the problem.

 

"it came on very quickly recently" meaning it wasn't there immediately after the swap?
what speeds is it vibrating at?

wider wheels or offset stance do cause more stress to bearings but in this case the change is minimal.

on the alignment, the settings don't change but the new set's characteristics for same alignment would be different than the old set. whether the size change is enough to cause vibration... this Im not sure

 

It's audible at low speeds then progressively worse as speed increases and you can feel a very small vibe through the steering wheel. The tyres are ok, but are worn on the inside edge, so first stop is to get the tyres replaced and wheels rebalanced i guess. If issues after that I may try putting the turbo wheels back on to see if the issue is the GT2 wheels.

If you had a wheel balance hitting a caliper, that is the type of feeling you feel at the front (have checked clearance etc, brakes are stock 4pot)

The noise is very wheel bearing like, but it seems strange how this has come on over a matter of weeks, and since i put the gt2 rims on.

The tyres are quite hard to the touch as if they are aged, so i'm hoping this is the issue!

thanks for the help...