tls223 Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 Happy holidays and thank you in advance, I think I might have a problem with my tires. I just bought the car from a much warmer climate. On cold mornings for about a block when I drive there is a buzzing noise on the driver side of the car. I have also noticed, what I think, to be more then normal vibrations on the highway. I have a Subaru Impreza 1996 with 40,000 miles. I checked the last owner’s records and the tires were replaced in October 2002 when it had 31,355 miles. The tires were purchased from Discount tires and are BFG Precept Touring which have an 80,000 mile warrantee (I don't know if that applies when you change owners) and according to the web site they are all season tires. I took the car into a local mechanic and the shocks and struts were fine and they did not find anything loose. I would appreciate any advice on what to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 Tread depth on most new passenger tires is about 11/32nd of an inch. When they get down to 5/32nd or so you'll get better dry handling and much worse wet adhesion. NTB will give you thegage to measure tread depth, usually. If oyu are getting vinbration while driving, since the mechanic presumably checked that the wheel lugs are tight, try having them rotated and balanced. That should run you $20-50. Is the bussing while braking? If so you could have a problem with an ABS sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted December 25, 2004 Share Posted December 25, 2004 I would spend the $$ to get them rotated correctly and balanced. It really makes a difference. I know from my experience that these AWD cars are rough on tires, and they need to be rotated frequently in order to not get chopped. I try to rotate (criss-cross) every 4500 to 5000 miles. I bought a set of 80k tires, thinking I would get at least 60k out of them and only got 40k before they needed replacement. I talked to a Sube Mechanic and he recommended not to spend the extra $$ on the "high" mileage tires because they rarely last 40k with AWD. Either they wear funny, due to mfr defect, get sliced, or damaged by a road hazzard that make it beyond repair. Since the AWD requires 4 equal, or as close as possible, tires, if one needs replacement, you should (need to) replace all 4. The noise you describe sounds like something mechanical, not the tires. If it were the tires, it would be all the time. Just turn up the radio until the noise goes away... (hahaha ...) Just my 2 pennies worth, Merry X-Mas all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tls223 Posted December 26, 2004 Author Share Posted December 26, 2004 Thanks for all of the information. I think rotating the tires might be the best thing for me to do since I don't have any information on when it was last done. Just looking at the tread the tires look almost new, so I would hate to have to replace them when I didn't have to. It could also be the car, since this is my first Subaru, I don't have much experiance feeling the road like I do in this one. However, I still have no idea about the buzzing noise in the morning. The mechanic didn't seem to concerned about it and the breaks are great so I don't think it is the ABS. Could it just not like the cold weather? If that is the case, what can I do other then put it in a garage? Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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