Drone from the rear end!

[JEZR 10]

OK, so the car went in to the garage the other day to have some bits done, one of which was to check all the running gear as I had two issues - rear brake squeak that goes away when you put the brakes on and a low drone that gets going from 40 - 60 and then goes away. The brakes were gone over and copper-slipped etc but squeak is still there. Drone hasn't gone away and garage is suggesting changing bearings but there's no sign of play on any of them.

Any ideas on the drone before I send it back in.

I also have a third occasional noise which comes from back end, low down from the engine and only happens when under a slow load - hill start, or going up a small slope in to my lock-up. Not sure if this has anything to do with the drive shaft? The only way I can fix these is by turning up the stereo, so any advice is appreciated! :scratch:

[James. 9]

Does sound like a bearing to me. Good opportunity to refresh the rear brakes at the same time.

[Jim 2]

Could be bearings or, as I've found out recently, tyres! For some reason some tyres just wear weirdly on the Corrado. Run your hand along the tread on the inside of the tyre, and see if you can feel it worn unevenly. In my car I found that in some places, every other block of tread was worn slightly higher or lower than it's neighbour causing this very wheel bearing like noise when up to speed. New tyres fitted, noise has gone away. I'd never have believed it until I ran into the problem myself and got the exact same advice I'm giving you, off someone else on this forum!

[robrado974 1]

Would agree with the tyres , also how good are they , i have cheap tyres on mine and the drone from the front is terrible , sounds just like the bearings are shot , but as you say there is no play at all .

[JEZR 10]

Cheers for the advice. Still puzzled on the bearings as there's no play at all. However, I'll certainly have a feel of the tyres. I've had a visual look at them, just to make sure the tread was legal, but not really at the wear levels to see that they are level - good tip! I'm running some Dunlops on the rear which were on the front. I had them moved to the rear when I felt I needed new fronts.

I'm going to try tyres first and see what happens. Cheers all - I'll let you know one way or the other. I'll either be moaning or hooping for joy! Cheers again.

[Roger Blassberg 0]

Another vote for tyres. Bearings will groan right from slow speeds and the note gets higher the faster you go even if there is no apparent end float

 

RB

[tonedef 9]

Tyres again. Don't know what's changed with tyres in recent years but I get uneven wear on the inner edge of the rears on the TT and have to swap them, few guys in work over the last couple of years have had the same thing? Surprised the garage didn't diagnose it straight away, mine did when I mentioned a droning noise from the rear that obviously wasn't bearings.

[Dox 23]

There should be a tiny amount of movement in the rear bearings as they're taper bearing, you should be able to move the washer behind the large nut with a gentle shove with a screwdriver, going too tight will just kill the bearings.

 

New tyres should be fitted to the rear of a front wheel drive car.

[JEZR 10]

New tyres should be fitted to the rear of a front wheel drive car.

Well, I think that's the first option then. I've got Dunlops on the rear and they have been great, but although they have plenty of tread, they are old! Looking at all sorts of tyre comparison sites the struggle is the flipping choice. I agree tondef that tyres ain't what they used to be. Hopefully I'll get them sorted over the weekend and I'll let you know if we're on track with the rubber or getting our bearings. Cue Stewie voice, "See what I did there?".

[Jim 2]

Assuming you have standard alloys, I can only give a huge thumbs up to Uniroyal Rainsport 2's.. my favourite all season tyres, bar none.

[JEZR 10]

The Uniroyal Rainsport 2's get pretty good reviews apart from being noisy. What are they like noise wise on a C? I'm on stock 15" Speedlines.

[Dox 23]

This is why the best rubber with the deepest tread should go on the rear.

 

[Roger Blassberg 0]

Rainsport and Rainsport 2 , 205/50 R15 V have been my choice for years on my VR6 and B4 Passat. They are a bit noisy especially at the back, but the wet grip is good and they last well too. Mytyres seems to be the best supplier at a good price. They are pretty good in snow as well, but obviously not as good as proper winter tyres.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[jonnykillpop 10]

My VR6 suffered from a constant drone/moaning sound from rear but only seemed to occur on odd occasions my wifes mother was getting a lift in the back. She's now been banned to my wifes car only and the noise has never recurred.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Tyres again. Don't know what's changed with tyres in recent years but I get uneven wear on the inner edge of the rears on the TT and have to swap them, few guys in work over the last couple of years have had the same thing? Surprised the garage didn't diagnose it straight away, mine did when I mentioned a droning noise from the rear that obviously wasn't bearings.

 

Tyres are better now than they've ever been! They all have to meet standard load and wear index ratings, but uneven wear is dictated by the car or how it's driven. I've never had any uneven wear issues :)

 

Is your TT lowered? My R32 (similar chassis setup) has Pilot Sport 3s and there's about 3mm left on them. All 4 have worn evenly. If yours is wearing the inner edges and it's standard, you might have worn control arm bushes? It's very common on that platform to wear the rear tyres if it's lowered, or if the alignment is off because of wear.

 

P.S. I've had droning from the rear of my Corrado when it had cheapo GSF bearings in it. They had the required amount of play, but when taking them out, the shells were scored and the bearings discoloured. Cheap shyte metal!

Edited September 20, 2013 by Kevin Bacon

[JEZR 10]

I've gone and ordered a set of Rainsport 2s which will be fitted on Monday. Once I get a chance to test them out, I'll report back.

[VAG-hag 0]

This is why the best rubber with the deepest tread should go on the rear.

 

 

Rwd is a different ball game though, id want fresh front tyres in fwd car.....

[JEZR 10]

Just a quick reply and thanks for the advice. The old girl is now sporting a full set of Rainsport 2's. The noise gone and a pleasure to be in without the stereo on! I haven't had a chance for a full blown run, but so far so good. Cheers.