Winter Tire Issue

[cujofan31]

I recently picked up a used set of winter tires (Pirelli Winter Carving 205/60/16) for my 2010 GS.

Got them on, thought all was good but man alive they are loud as anything!

I know winter tires are supposed to be a bit louder but I can't hear the engine over the sound of the tires. They are quite noisy anywhere between 30-80 km then they gradually get a higher pitch @ around 100 where it's tolerable.

I'm no mechanic so forgive my ignorance :bang if I forgot something critical and if so please let me know.

They don't shake the car violantly or pull to one side so I assume they are balanced, I had them at the perscribed 32psi, then bumped up to 35 to see if it made a difference, it did not.

Yes, i know these tires are directional and they are on the correct way, only thing i can think of is that I have put them on not in pairs as they were in the previous car, IE one front/back, back/front.

Any suggestions please let me know!!

[Cab0oze]

used -> there is a very good chance something is wrong with them... did you check carefully for abnormal wear?

To give you an example - I had stock tires on my speed, and something is wrong with them, they HOWL between 20-80. After that they get quieter. This has to do with the frequency of the noise and what range you can hear. However, they are mounted/balanced etc correctly.... it has to do about the previous car owner abusing them, not rotating them, etc.
I bought a lightly used set of micheline X-ice and now my car is super quiet. I inspected them inside-out to make sure I wouldn't end up with the same problem as my summers which i couldn't inspect because they came on the car.

[midnightfxgt]

Run your hands over the treads... I bet its uneven. This is saw-toothing, and will cause noise, and sometimes a slight vibration.

This is the risk people take when buying used tires.

[stefanb]

used -> there is a very good chance something is wrong with them... did you check carefully for abnormal wear?

That's a pretty wild assumption without actually looking at the tires. OP is probably just not used to having winter tires on and is possibility exaggerating.

[cujofan31]

The tires seem to be almost brand new, no signs of wear, lots of beefy tread. Both the folks and the wife have winter tires and the noise level is at least double if not more. I'm not one to exaggerate, I'm not trying to bad mouth the seller, IM SIMPLY TRYING TO IDENTIFY IF THERE IS A PROBLEM no more. I've been in contact with the seller, he suggested I try rotating them. He also said he did not have such noise issues, and since I have no reason to doubt him, I am concerned there may have been and issue based on the installation. If anyone is in the Whitby area and wants to take a ride, be my guest!

[Cab0oze]

That's a pretty wild assumption without actually looking at the tires. OP is probably just not used to having winter tires on and is possibility exaggerating.
Could be this, yeah....


I've been in contact with the seller, he suggested I try rotating them. He also said he did not have such noise issues, and since I have no reason to doubt him, I am concerned there may have been and issue based on the installation.
People have different tolerances for noise. I drove with my loud tires all summer and since they just gradually got louder over time I didn't really notice it. Just turned the music up louder. When I took them off for winter I noticed some strange wear.

So, just because he said he didnt have an issue with it doesn't mean anything. Looks like you have a new car, which means it came with new wheels, so you had extreme quiet, and weren't used to the change.