lhrocker Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I just upgraded the wheels on my 97 Legacy from 14" to 16". Before the change, the road noise in the cabin was very low. Afterwards, it is now much noisier than before. The handling is very good, but I get a low rumble, like I did before I replaced my wheel bearingsa month ago. The tires are new, no-names that came with the rims. Before I spend money on new tires, does going to a larger wheel increase the road noise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Its not the bigger wheels. Its the shorter sidewall on the times. The tires don't absorb as much road vibrations and such. So it gets transmitted more. It could also be the particular tread pattern making more noise as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 I went from 185/70R14 to 205/50R16. If the noise is tire and tread related, I can live with that until it's time to get new ones. Otherwise, I'd need to dish out about $400 for a new set, that would suck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 what he is saying is that it might not be "tire" related, but "size" related. if that's the case, new tires won't solve the issue. the shorter wall doesn't absorb much. there are always trade offs with any performance upgrade. larger tires, low profile rims, they handle better, but you also feel and hear the road more. it could easily be the cheese-ball no-name tires as well. tires of any size can make plenty of road noise. in fact, just different tread patters or manufacturers can vary quite a lot in noise. snow tires tend to be much louder for instance, not because of size though. i can't tell how loud this is or how sensitive your hearing/sensory systems are, but i would think good tires should be comfortably quiet for this tire size, it's very common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I went from 185/70R14 to 205/50R16. If the noise is tire and tread related, I can live with that until it's time to get new ones. Otherwise, I'd need to dish out about $400 for a new set, that would suck .As has already been mentioned, increased sidewall stiffness can cause more noise to be conducted; tread pattern and rubber compound may also be factors. Another consideration is tire pressure -- what are you inflating to when cold? [...] i can't tell how loud this is or how sensitive your hearing/sensory systems are, but i would think good tires should be comfortably quiet for this tire size, it's very common.When a car is designed for the lower aspect ratio tires, the suspension and chassis are "tuned" for them, and certain isolation techniques are used. Retrofitting sometimes leads to problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 After driving 45 minutes to work, I didn't really notice any increased noise. Maybe it was psychological, but everything seem cool now. Thanx for all the good tire info though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 where did you get the wheels from? were they dirty at all? did you have them balanced before installing them? wheel weights can fall off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 I got the wheels from a USMB member. He bought a car that had these wheels on them and upgraded them within a week after getting the car. The wheelw/tires were dirty from sitting around, but they were cleaned up before mounting. I didn't have them balanced as he said they were new when he got the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 After driving 45 minutes to work, I didn't really notice any increased noise. Maybe it was psychological, but everything seem cool now. Thanx for all the good tire info though.You might want to recheck the lug torque. New wheels may contact areas that are different than the original wheels, and be sitting on rust/dirt. That can sound like bad bearings as the wheel moves around a bit. If the contaminate falls out or is compressed, the noise may go away but you may have to snug things up again. By the way, are the new wheels properly sized? If you got them on, the bolt circle is apparently correct, but how about the centerbore, for example -- is the wheel hubcentric? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 agreed, make sure the mating surface of the hubs and wheels are clean. look for wheel weights to make sure none fell off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 By the way, are the new wheels properly sized? If you got them on, the bolt circle is apparently correct, but how about the centerbore, for example -- is the wheel hubcentric? I'm pretty sure he has a set of the 97-99 Legacy GT whels that were for sale a couple weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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