GTi road noise?

[DreamTech87]

I just recently bought an 07 GTi. It still has the stock all-season rear tires which came with it when it was new... I think they're the BFGoodrich. I noticed when I'm driving with the windows up and no music that there's a decently audible deep rotational humming that seems to be coming from the rear... is it those stock tires? Will this go away once I get new tires for the back? Any ideas would be appreciated... thanks guys!

[DreamTech87]

Oh, and I forgot to say... pics of the tires to come.

[NSmkVGLI]

mine seems to be doing it since I got my 19's with Falken's. But I only really noticed it since I inflated them a bit over 35 psi

[Nvr2Fst]

Quote, originally posted by NSmkVGLI »

mine seems to be doing it since I got my 19's with Falken's. But I only really noticed it since I inflated them a bit over 35 psi

the psi isnt the issue... 19" tires normally have more agressive tread, a wider contact patch and less sidewall which increases audible road noise.. also certain road pavement can increase the noise. As the tread wears the contact patch pattern changes(chop, cupping, feathered) which increases the noise... nature of the beast

[Nvr2Fst]

yes it will go away with new tires... It will eventually come back over time as the tires wear out... rotate every 6k and a preventative alignment every so often will increase their life and keep the abnormal wear down which will lessen the noise over time... also when you buy new tires look for a set that have a low road noise quality over the life of the tire

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by NSmkVGLI »

mine seems to be doing it since I got my 19's with Falken's. But I only really noticed it since I inflated them a bit over 35 psi

Mine are definitely the stock 17".

Rear right tire

Front right tire (not where it seems like the noise is coming from, but just for comparison's sake)

Okay, so my mistake from earlier... the rear tires are Bridgestone 225/45 R17. The front tires are the BF Goodrich

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by Nvr2Fst »

yes it will go away with new tires... It will eventually come back over time as the tires wear out... rotate every 6k and a preventative alignment every so often will increase their life and keep the abnormal wear down which will lessen the noise over time... also when you buy new tires look for a set that have a low road noise quality over the life of the tire

Awesome... thanks for the advice. Will the tire description boast about low road noise?

[Nvr2Fst]

try rotating them and see if the noise moves with the tires... that will at least rule out a wheel bearing..

[Nvr2Fst]

yes... at least on tirerack and discounts website, also check the reviews, most always speak of the good and bad in terms of tread life, ride quality and road noise

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by Nvr2Fst »

try rotating them and see if the noise moves with the tires... that will at least rule out a wheel bearing..

That's not a bad idea. What if I find out that it is the wheel bearing? Keep in mind that the GTi is still under warranty

[Nvr2Fst]

if the shop is good they will do the same thing, rotate and recheck... they may tell you to get tires before they can pinpoint the noise, but most will try the rotate first and then verify the bearing issue.

[scotaku]

Dunno what you're running on the left side of the car, but it looks like you have one each of the oem summer and all-season tires on the right. Not a combo I'd recommend.

As well, the scrub pattern on the rear tire looks like it is overinflated; less than full contact on the outer treadblocks.

[20DYNAMITE07]

speaking as a person who has had to replace a wheel bearing... i can tell you, it sounds VERY different than tire ware.

A wheel bearing (or at least mine anyway) has a distinctive grinding/hiss sound, that will not change dependent on whatever road surface you are on. It's just there and it's constant.

On the bright side, if it is your wheel bearing and if you haven't changed your suspension set up from OEM (i.e. if you didn't lower your car on sport springs or change your stock struts or shocks) your dealer will most likely take care of the bearing under warrenty. If you did change any of that... be prepared to pay... trust me

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by scotaku »

Dunno what you're running on the left side of the car, but it looks like you have one each of the oem summer and all-season tires on the right. Not a combo I'd recommend. As well, the scrub pattern on the rear tire looks like it is overinflated; less than full contact on the outer treadblocks.

The left side are the same tires from the right side. The previous owner changed only the front tires. I'll check the tire pressure and see what's goin' on with that. Thanks for the advice.

Any recommendations on decently priced and quality tires. Maybe around ~50K tread life?

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by 20DYNAMITE07 »

speaking as a person who has had to replace a wheel bearing... i can tell you, it sounds VERY different than tire ware. A wheel bearing (or at least mine anyway) has a distinctive grinding/hiss sound, that will not change dependent on whatever road surface you are on. It's just there and it's constant. On the bright side, if it is your wheel bearing and if you haven't changed your suspension set up from OEM (i.e. if you didn't lower your car on sport springs or change your stock struts or shocks) your dealer will most likely take care of the bearing under warrenty. If you did change any of that... be prepared to pay... trust me

The car is mostly stock... didn't touch any shocks or struts. I did notice some corrosion on what looks like the wheel hub on the rim... Thanks for the advice

[20DYNAMITE07]

don't worry about the rust on the hub area... thats normal. good luck

[boeyc15]

Try rotating them to rule out the tire, but keep in mind, IMO, the MkV GTI has fairly pronounced road noise; at least compared to my MkIII GTI. Some reviews have even noted it. Its one of the few quirks that bugs me about this car. Nothing inexpensive that can be done to fix it as far as I know. All you can do is crank up the radio.

[Richard Picard]

I hear the same thing with my 2008. It came with Dunlop A/S tires. No worries...just kind of annoying.

[EM06GTI]

Not be the bearer of bad news but why did the previous owner change just the front? 1.) did he not rotate the tires, which means maintenance wasn't a high priority or 2.) did he burn the fronts off, which signifies abuse.

I have always replaced all 4 tires at one time. If they were rotated properly then they should all wear the same.

I hope everything works out for you.

[WLF]

I just got back from replacing my front tires on my 08 GTI. The tires were the Bridgestone Potenza RE050's and the roar from the front was so bad I could not stand it any longer. I replaced with the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position and there is a world of difference. The RE050's always had a slight roar at low speed and some surfaces even when new but at 10,000 miles it got unbearable. If you check out the feedback on the tires here
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ing=H
You will find everyone had the same problem.
Since I could only hear the front tires and the rears had much more tread left on them, I only replaced the front. On the way home I can now hear the rear tires, that’s how quiet the fronts are. I guess I will be replacing the rear tires soon. I went with the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position because I need an all season tire here on the East Coast.
I hope this helps.

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by 20DYNAMITE07 »

don't worry about the rust on the hub area... thats normal. good luck

I figured... the same thing appeared on my '02 Jetta... just kinda ignored it. Thanks

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by boeyc15 »

Try rotating them to rule out the tire, but keep in mind, IMO, the MkV GTI has fairly pronounced road noise; at least compared to my MkIII GTI. Some reviews have even noted it. Its one of the few quirks that bugs me about this car. Nothing inexpensive that can be done to fix it as far as I know. All you can do is crank up the radio.

Yeah, the reviews I read on Edmunds.com had every few reviewers complain about the road noise... so I expected it when I bought the car. Time to crank the radio . But some of the suggestions on replacing the tires with better ones sound like they would work. We'll see!

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by EM06GTI »

Not be the bearer of bad news but why did the previous owner change just the front? 1.) did he not rotate the tires, which means maintenance wasn't a high priority or 2.) did he burn the fronts off, which signifies abuse. I have always replaced all 4 tires at one time. If they were rotated properly then they should all wear the same. I hope everything works out for you.

I have all the maintenance records that he gave me, and I don't see a single tire rotation on there... so I'm assuming that he just didn't rotate. He did however change the oil every 5k at the stealership, so at least I know that. the 20K maintenance is coming up... we'll see what's what.

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by WLF »

I just got back from replacing my front tires on my 08 GTI. The tires were the Bridgestone Potenza RE050's and the roar from the front was so bad I could not stand it any longer. I replaced with the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position and there is a world of difference. The RE050's always had a slight roar at low speed and some surfaces even when new but at 10,000 miles it got unbearable. If you check out the feedback on the tires here http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ing=H You will find everyone had the same problem. Since I could only hear the front tires and the rears had much more tread left on them, I only replaced the front. On the way home I can now hear the rear tires, that’s how quiet the fronts are. I guess I will be replacing the rear tires soon. I went with the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position because I need an all season tire here on the East Coast. I hope this helps.

WLF, you are awesome. The tires that were replaced on your car are the exact ones that I have as my rear tires. The BF Goodrich ones on the front aren't emitting any kind of roar as far as I can tell... I'll probably go with your suggestion about the RE960AS tires, but I'm contemplating whether or not to go with the same tires that the previous owner put on the front. Thanks so much!

[EM06GTI]

All maintenance records, that is good, most of the time people don't have them to give.
Enjoy the car and the new tires

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by EM06GTI »

All maintenance records, that is good, most of the time people don't have them to give. Enjoy the car and the new tires

Thanks for all your help, guys. I definitely feel more confident about the problem. Now to scrape up $300...

I'm considering this thread closed, unless someone has similar issues/solutions.

[scotaku]

Heck, I wish you were local; I'd slip you some cash for the pair of RE050's. Mine got abused by Ian Baas last year at VIR and the front set are toast... leaving me with a worn set of rears but nothing to pair them up with and burn off the last few mm's!

If you've not already found tirerack.com's reviews, check them out. You can hear what others have to say about a particular tire, what, and how they drive, and how many miles they've put on a tire. I used the reviews to settle on Pirelli P Zero-Nero M+S'es for not-summer use and have been really happy for about 7K now.

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by scotaku »

Heck, I wish you were local; I'd slip you some cash for the pair of RE050's. Mine got abused by Ian Baas last year at VIR and the front set are toast... leaving me with a worn set of rears but nothing to pair them up with and burn off the last few mm's! If you've not already found tirerack.com's reviews, check them out. You can hear what others have to say about a particular tire, what, and how they drive, and how many miles they've put on a tire. I used the reviews to settle on Pirelli P Zero-Nero M+S'es for not-summer use and have been really happy for about 7K now.

WLF was nice enough to send me the link to the RE050 reviews on tirerack.com. Turns out I'm not the only one that's complained about the noise. I'll look into the Pirellis. Thanks for the heads up!

[muttskie]

As it happens, I have just finished part one of a two part project to reduce road noise in my new 2008 4 door GTI with 18" Hufs and Dunlop OEM all-season tires.
Before I began I bought a sound meter to take some measurements so as to determine the results with data, rather than by my own feelings and impressions.
I took decibel readings at idle and stationary (53.9 db), at cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph ( 96.8 db), 70 mph (100.1 db), and 80 mph (101.1 db). These readings were taken on a freeway I often travel on and were not influenced by passing trucks or other possible interferences.
I then came home and immediately removed the entire interior to expose the floor pan from the forward edge of the footwells to the rear edge of the cargo/spare area, including removing the interior coverings of the rear fenders. This took many, many hours and was a royal pain in the .... I had to learn a lot as I went, as I didn't want to damage anything (ha ha), but eventually I got down to the metal floor pan and tunnel structure. I then installed a complete blanket of Cascade Audio Engineering VB-3 sound barrier covering the entire structure and using 2" aluminum tape to join any and all seams. This also was a pita and required much working and forming to create a total barrier from front to rear, including covering the rear fender areas. Eventually I finished and then had to reinstall everything, which, while laborious, went pretty smoothly. I did have 9 extra trim screws left over. But what the hell, I probably removed and replaced hundreds.
Okay, the results. I returned to the exact stretch of freeway, not having refueled, with the sound meter in the same mounted location in the interior and measured cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph (90.0 db), 70 mph ( 96.3 db) and 80 ( 97.0 db). Again there were no outside influences, such as other vehicles.
My gut impression is WOW! My last car was an Acura RL and the road noise levels are very close to that luxury cruiser (other than engine noise).
I mentioned this is part one. Part two is the installation of sound damper material ( Cascade Audio VB-2 ) in the door panels. I wanted to do the jobs separately so I could judge the individual results.
The total weight of the material added to the car so far was 55 lbs. The door material will be another 13 lbs. I weighed it all.
It was hard work but the result so far was very much worth it, and I expect even more from the door job.

[DreamTech87]

Quote, originally posted by muttskie »

As it happens, I have just finished part one of a two part project to reduce road noise in my new 2008 4 door GTI with 18" Hufs and Dunlop OEM all-season tires. Before I began I bought a sound meter to take some measurements so as to determine the results with data, rather than by my own feelings and impressions. I took decibel readings at idle and stationary (53.9 db), at cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph ( 96.8 db), 70 mph (100.1 db), and 80 mph (101.1 db). These readings were taken on a freeway I often travel on and were not influenced by passing trucks or other possible interferences. I then came home and immediately removed the entire interior to expose the floor pan from the forward edge of the footwells to the rear edge of the cargo/spare area, including removing the interior coverings of the rear fenders. This took many, many hours and was a royal pain in the .... I had to learn a lot as I went, as I didn't want to damage anything (ha ha), but eventually I got down to the metal floor pan and tunnel structure. I then installed a complete blanket of Cascade Audio Engineering VB-3 sound barrier covering the entire structure and using 2" aluminum tape to join any and all seams. This also was a pita and required much working and forming to create a total barrier from front to rear, including covering the rear fender areas. Eventually I finished and then had to reinstall everything, which, while laborious, went pretty smoothly. I did have 9 extra trim screws left over. But what the hell, I probably removed and replaced hundreds. Okay, the results. I returned to the exact stretch of freeway, not having refueled, with the sound meter in the same mounted location in the interior and measured cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph (90.0 db), 70 mph ( 96.3 db) and 80 ( 97.0 db). Again there were no outside influences, such as other vehicles. My gut impression is WOW! My last car was an Acura RL and the road noise levels are very close to that luxury cruiser (other than engine noise). I mentioned this is part one. Part two is the installation of sound damper material ( Cascade Audio VB-2 ) in the door panels. I wanted to do the jobs separately so I could judge the individual results. The total weight of the material added to the car so far was 55 lbs. The door material will be another 13 lbs. I weighed it all. It was hard work but the result so far was very much worth it, and I expect even more from the door job.

Wow, very impressive. I'm jealous... I lack the patience to pull out my entire floor board to put in dampening material. Awesome project though - let me know how part 2 goes and the results. Cheers!

[WLF]

Quote, originally posted by muttskie »

As it happens, I have just finished part one of a two part project to reduce road noise in my new 2008 4 door GTI with 18" Hufs and Dunlop OEM all-season tires. Before I began I bought a sound meter to take some measurements so as to determine the results with data, rather than by my own feelings and impressions. I took decibel readings at idle and stationary (53.9 db), at cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph ( 96.8 db), 70 mph (100.1 db), and 80 mph (101.1 db). These readings were taken on a freeway I often travel on and were not influenced by passing trucks or other possible interferences. I then came home and immediately removed the entire interior to expose the floor pan from the forward edge of the footwells to the rear edge of the cargo/spare area, including removing the interior coverings of the rear fenders. This took many, many hours and was a royal pain in the .... I had to learn a lot as I went, as I didn't want to damage anything (ha ha), but eventually I got down to the metal floor pan and tunnel structure. I then installed a complete blanket of Cascade Audio Engineering VB-3 sound barrier covering the entire structure and using 2" aluminum tape to join any and all seams. This also was a pita and required much working and forming to create a total barrier from front to rear, including covering the rear fender areas. Eventually I finished and then had to reinstall everything, which, while laborious, went pretty smoothly. I did have 9 extra trim screws left over. But what the hell, I probably removed and replaced hundreds. Okay, the results. I returned to the exact stretch of freeway, not having refueled, with the sound meter in the same mounted location in the interior and measured cruise controlled speeds of 60 mph (90.0 db), 70 mph ( 96.3 db) and 80 ( 97.0 db). Again there were no outside influences, such as other vehicles. My gut impression is WOW! My last car was an Acura RL and the road noise levels are very close to that luxury cruiser (other than engine noise). I mentioned this is part one. Part two is the installation of sound damper material ( Cascade Audio VB-2 ) in the door panels. I wanted to do the jobs separately so I could judge the individual results. The total weight of the material added to the car so far was 55 lbs. The door material will be another 13 lbs. I weighed it all. It was hard work but the result so far was very much worth it, and I expect even more from the door job.

muttskie,
All I can say is WOW!!!
DreamTech87,
I know you closed this post but just wanted to add you are probably better off to match the tires you have on the front.
Good luck and have fun.

[DrDre1443]

Quote, originally posted by NSmkVGLI »

mine seems to be doing it since I got my 19's with Falken's. But I only really noticed it since I inflated them a bit over 35 psi

Falken's are difficult to balance. My RT-615's were literally impossible to balance. This could be a cause of noise.

I have 2500 miles on my RE050's. They make noise, but nothing to complain about. These were also the stock tires on my Honda S2000. I love these tires. I may go with the RE070's next.

[thutty2]

Cheap OEM Bridgestone Potenza Summers howl like a monster truck when they get a few thousand miles on them. Stick well in warm temperatures though.

[muttskie]

I have just finished the second part of this project by installing Cascade Audio Engineering sound damper material in all four doors per the manufacturers instructions. Not too difficult a job really. Took all day, but I was just taking it easy. In my first post I described the sound test and installation of the Cascade Audio sound barrier throughout the floor pan and cargo area and the subsequent sound test.
I repeated the sound test exactly as before and the results follow:
Stock: 60 mph (96.8 dB), 70 mph (100.1 dB), 80 mph (101.1 dB).
Phase 1 (sound barrier in floor and cargo area)
60 mph (90.0 dB), 70 mph (96.3 dB), 80 mph (97.0 dB).
Phase 2 ( sound damper material in all doors)
60 mph (83.7 dB), 70 mph (85.6 dB), 80 mph (86.5 dB).
As you can see, there is significant improvement from the door material. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic. And the seat of the pants impression is just that. Freaking amazing. The engine noise is still clear and the sound system is much better now that it doesn't have to compete with so much road noise. It's actually a little weird. It seems a little too quiet.
Anyway, I'll post some pics of the work shortly.
All in all, well worth the effort and the Cascade Audio stuff is awesome, though expensive.

[WLF]

Quote, originally posted by muttskie »

I have just finished the second part of this project by installing Cascade Audio Engineering sound damper material in all four doors per the manufacturers instructions. Not too difficult a job really. Took all day, but I was just taking it easy. In my first post I described the sound test and installation of the Cascade Audio sound barrier throughout the floor pan and cargo area and the subsequent sound test. I repeated the sound test exactly as before and the results follow: Stock: 60 mph (96.8 dB), 70 mph (100.1 dB), 80 mph (101.1 dB). Phase 1 (sound barrier in floor and cargo area) 60 mph (90.0 dB), 70 mph (96.3 dB), 80 mph (97.0 dB). Phase 2 ( sound damper material in all doors) 60 mph (83.7 dB), 70 mph (85.6 dB), 80 mph (86.5 dB). As you can see, there is significant improvement from the door material. I didn't expect it to be so dramatic. And the seat of the pants impression is just that. Freaking amazing. The engine noise is still clear and the sound system is much better now that it doesn't have to compete with so much road noise. It's actually a little weird. It seems a little too quiet. Anyway, I'll post some pics of the work shortly. All in all, well worth the effort and the Cascade Audio stuff is awesome, though expensive.

Interesting, seems like it may be worth while to do just the doors. I don't think I have the NRG to do the entire pan but the doors is a do-able project.
I look forward to the pictures.