Tire Noise?

[Gene]

I've had my 1994 LS400 for several years. I put maybe 4,000 miles a year on it. Presently around 120K. At purchased I had new Goodyear Viva tires installed. A couple years back I began hearing tire road noise. I had the tires re balanced and rotated. It didn't seem to help. I've just lived with the aggravation since.

I've had the tires check several times since. One person said one of my rims was bent. Recently I asked specifically for the bent rim to be moved from the LF to the RR and vise versa. Now the tire noise radiates more loudly than when on the front. Is that natural? A local used parts place has a rim for $75.00. Would I be throwing good money after bad? Thanks, Gene

[curiousB]

I've had my 1994 LS400 for several years. I put maybe 4,000 miles a year on it. Presently around 120K. At purchased I had new Goodyear Viva tires installed. A couple years back I began hearing tire road noise. I had the tires re balanced and rotated. It didn't seem to help. I've just lived with the aggravation since.

I've had the tires check several times since. One person said one of my rims was bent. Recently I asked specifically for the bent rim to be moved from the LF to the RR and vise versa. Now the tire noise radiates more loudly than when on the front. Is that natural? A local used parts place has a rim for $75.00. Would I be throwing good money after bad? Thanks, Gene

The noise is probably due to tread pattern and nothing can be done to change it. I went cheap on last set of tires and noticed a significant rise in noise. Will spend more next set. Out of balance or bent rim would give a shimmy at certain road speeds, typically 45-65 MPH range. If you're not getting that, rim and balance are ok and you can save your money.

[landar]

I've had my 1994 LS400 for several years. I put maybe 4,000 miles a year on it. Presently around 120K. At purchased I had new Goodyear Viva tires installed. A couple years back I began hearing tire road noise. I had the tires re balanced and rotated. It didn't seem to help. I've just lived with the aggravation since.

I've had the tires check several times since. One person said one of my rims was bent. Recently I asked specifically for the bent rim to be moved from the LF to the RR and vise versa. Now the tire noise radiates more loudly than when on the front. Is that natural? A local used parts place has a rim for $75.00. Would I be throwing good money after bad? Thanks, Gene

Gene..if you had the tires rebalanced and they did not see excessive wobble, then the rim is probably ok. When in doubt, I always get a second opinion

at another tire shop. Anyway, the noise is probably tire related. All tires make some noise. What is acceptable to one person may not be to another.

There are several threads in this forum that deal with many aspects of tires. If you type the phase "tire noise" or just "tires" in the search box, you will get lots of hits.

Then enjoy all the reading! Many differing opinions out there. :D

Heres a sample thread------> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ire+noise\

[billydpowell]

I've had my 1994 LS400 for several years. I put maybe 4,000 miles a year on it. Presently around 120K. At purchased I had new Goodyear Viva tires installed. A couple years back I began hearing tire road noise. I had the tires re balanced and rotated. It didn't seem to help. I've just lived with the aggravation since.

I've had the tires check several times since. One person said one of my rims was bent. Recently I asked specifically for the bent rim to be moved from the LF to the RR and vise versa. Now the tire noise radiates more loudly than when on the front. Is that natural? A local used parts place has a rim for $75.00. Would I be throwing good money after bad? Thanks, Gene

Goodyear Viva tires are Walmart specials, and WILL give you road noise. period.

I took mine off and replaced them.

get some michelin or bridgestone tires and enjoy the quite.

you can resell the takeoffs on craigslist to someone wanting out cheap,

cheers

[Brett in AK]

Next time you have the tires in for rebalancing ask them to show you the bent rim! If indeed it's bent it will be very obvious when they spin the wheel/tire on the balancing machine. If it is bent and one is available at your local salvage yard, then ask them to spin it before you purchase it or at least buy it with the understanding that when it's checked and not straight you can return it. If you can, try and buy the spare! I'm always a little leery of buying an aluminum wheel from a salvage yard. In a collision the wheels can be easily damaged due to the stress placed upon them. Might be better to try and buy some takeoffs on EBay.

[eatingupblacktop]

One person said one of my rims was bent.

Easy quick test you can do yourself - trade the suspect rim for your spare (get it off the road), then see what if any difference. You could also trade tires (remount) with the suspect rim and another to see where the noise goes. Most likely you have a tire that has gone out of round, has a broken belt, or a tread that is no longer true.

[xndr400]

At purchased I had new Goodyear Viva tires installed. A couple years back I began hearing tire road noise.

Did the "tire" noise begin immediately after the installation of the new tires? Or did it come on gradually?

If all of the other suggestions fail to solve the problem, you might want to have the front or rear hub bearings checked. When I purchased my 96 LS with 153,000 miles on it, the car had an irritating noise which I swore was from the Bridgestone tires. I took it to the dealer and after inspection they said it was the left front hub bearing. I replaced both bearings and now the car is nice and quiet, with no tire noise.