Aaaarg.. Damned road noise!!!

[findoe]

Hi guys, Im really hoping someone can help me out

just bought a protege5 two weeks ago and am really liking it, EXCEPT for the massive road noise I am experiencing. The car has 17" rota sub zero wheels, which were put on by the previous owner, with 215 / 40Z R17 83W tires on them, They were yokohama es100s when I got it. The road noise was bad - But the tires were almost worn out, and I have read many complaints about the yokos when they wear down.

Thinking the tires were the culprit, I replaced the tires yesterday with same sized kumhos, basically exactly the same, ride improved a little, but sound persists.

the sound just sounds like serious road noise (kind of like riding on a skateboard) up to about 40-45 miles an hour, where it becomes more of a whirring sound, sounds like its coming from the rears. that continues up to about 60 or so.

can someone help a brotha out here?? Is this just the nature of the beast with 17s and low profile tires? Would switching to 16s or the factory sixteens and higher profile tires make a significant difference? Is this common stuff or do I have a problem here, i.e. wheel bearings, etc. I know these cars have some issues w/ road noise but I mean this is SERIOUS noise, not like a little road noise.

I am really at my wits end here!! I just bought this car and it is allready pissing me off. and costing bucks.

hope someone can help,

s

 

[Mike R]

What tires did you get? If it was the 711's you're screwed. The cars don't have the greatest sound deadening, you might just want to get some dynamat and do the trunk area and hatch.

 

[uclap5]

did you get your alignment checked? maybe its way outa wack or something. just a random guess.

 

[findoe]

did you get your alignment checked? maybe its way outa wack or something. just a random guess.

nope Im taking it to a independant mazda place here in LA tomarrow to see wtf is going on, as the mazda dealership I took it to wouldnt even look at it unless it has stock wheels on there. Dicks!

if it *is* wheel bearing(s) am I going to have a debacle on my hands to get them replaced under warrenty? the car has 24k miles on it and is still fully under warrenty.

thanx

p.s. if I were to put 16" rotas - the same dimensions as stock, and put the same size tire as the originals, it would have no bearing on noise, correct?

/s

 

[findoe]

What tires did you get? If it was the 711's you're screwed. The cars don't have the greatest sound deadening, you might just want to get some dynamat and do the trunk area and hatch.

Mike - I know these cars don't have the worlds best sound deadening properties, but this is like, really, really loud. Like it really isnt the sound a modern car of any kind should make.

you've got 17 inch rotas on yours, right? what does your car sound like?

thanx

/s

 

[findoe]

road noise update

Just a little update - turned out to be a bad wheel bearing on the right rear. Mazda replaced it for free. car sounds fan-tastic now.

thanx for your help!

/s

 

[Mike R]

Not like yours! LOL, glad you were able to fix it!

 

[dmitrik4]

p.s. if I were to put 16" rotas - the same dimensions as stock, and put the same size tire as the originals, it would have no bearing on noise, correct?

/s

glad you got it worked out. really, the biggest factor in road noise isn't size, it's the tread pattern and the rubber compound. my 205/50/15 Azenis are MUCH louder on the road than my stock 195/50/16 dunlops, even though the dunlops have shorter sidewalls.