drone/humming between 55-60mph

**mountainsnbirds** · 12-30-2009 11:36 PM

I've searched and found several threads. one it was simply a wrong tire size, the other threads mentioned something about a problem with the rear differential.

Between 55 and 60mph there is a drone in the car. Very loud, enough to cause things in the car to vibrate!! i just noticed this the past week. My tires are the correct size(235/40z 18). I'm not sure what may be causing this.
Anyone know what this may be?
THanks in advance!

Sorry....the car is manual

Yeah, it is just a drone. At 54mph no drone at 55 the drone is very loud and again stops completely over 60mph. It doesn't seem to be coming from one particular area, i'll try to pinpoint it today. The tires are Cooper zeon zpt, they are cheap tires but they are somewhat new(<2,000mi). Also this is something that started within the past week.
Thanks again for the quick replies.

I wanted to update the thread. I found the problem. It was in fact the left rear wheel bearing. Its getting fixed now and should be done tomorrow. I cant wait to have a quit ride again!
Thanks again for the helpful advice!

**ahhhudi** · 12-30-2009 11:43 PM

Is your car a manual or tip?

**joeycuccaro** · 12-31-2009 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by mountainsnbirds

I've searched and found several threads. one it was simply a wrong tire size, the other threads mentioned something about a problem with the rear differential.

Between 55 and 60mph there is a drone in the car. Very loud, enough to cause things in the car to vibrate!! i just noticed this the past week. My tires are the correct size(235/40z 18). I'm not sure what may be causing this.
Anyone know what this may be?
THanks in advance!

Sorry....the car is manual

Just a drone at those speeds? Where exactly do you hear the noise coming from?

**Fade2Black** · 12-31-2009 06:48 AM

What tire you running and how old are they?

**tylerS** · 12-31-2009 07:37 AM

check for excessive wear on your tires... if something got knocked out of alignment, it can cause an odd humming noise

**mad70sx** · 12-31-2009 08:37 AM

I recently had to have the rear diff on my S4 replaced under CPO at approx 55,000 mi on the odo. I was getting a fairly loud hum at 50 to 60 mph. Dealership said it was "something" in the rear diff but could not specify exactly what the problem was so it was replaced completely. I did not experience any vibration at the time,but I would have assume,judging by the noise,that if I did not have it addressed that it eventually could lead to some vibrations.

Noise issues can sometimes be tricky to identify and correct,hopefully it is something relatively simple such as worn tires,etc. Good luck!

**rzundel** · 12-31-2009 09:14 AM

Droning is caused from a "harmonic" event. Just because you notice the drone between 55-60 doesn't mean that the vibration isn't occurring from the onset of rotation. What you hear between 55-60 is simply the Harmony of the event. Focus on all areas of the car that have rotation. Tires, drivetrain, brakes, exhaust, bearings. Best guess without hearing it would be drivetrain. Does it make a difference if the car is under power or not at those speeds? In other words, when you hit 58mph and let off the gas does it still drone? If so you can most likely eliminate anything engine related. Just my 2 cents.

**mountainsnbirds** · 12-31-2009 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by rzundel

Droning is caused from a "harmonic" event. Just because you notice the drone between 55-60 doesn't mean that the vibration isn't occurring from the onset of rotation. What you hear between 55-60 is simply the Harmony of the event. Focus on all areas of the car that have rotation. Tires, drivetrain, brakes, exhaust, bearings. Best guess without hearing it would be drivetrain. Does it make a difference if the car is under power or not at those speeds? In other words, when you hit 58mph and let off the gas does it still drone? If so you can most likely eliminate anything engine related. Just my 2 cents.

The noise does continue after leaving letting off the throttle. Thanks for your advice i will check all those areas well!

**Audi0s** · 12-31-2009 10:57 AM

A bad wheel bearing will sound like youre in an airplane. Although it will increase with speed.

**audimotion** · 12-31-2009 02:45 PM

Just today I picked up my wifes ML 500 from the dealer after having a new differential installed. She was complaining about a droning noise and some vibrations throughout the vehicle at speeds 40-60mph. Dealer drained the diff. fluid and found metal shavings...replaced diff. under warranty. Drove approx. 120 miles today after picking it up and now vehicle is smooth as butter and perfectly quiet. In your case, if its not the diff, it may very well be a wheel bearing as they have a similar sound when going bad.
Good luck!