Okay, so I jsut got my tires spin-balanced, and my steering aligned. But when they aligned it they had to tighten some strut bolts, and repack the front wheel bearings because supposedly they were dry. Well, now whe nI get up to about 30+ mph there is a loud humming noise that comes from the front fo the car. I can feel it vibrating the car a little, but you can really feel it vibrating on the brake pedal. It gets higher pitched with speed, and rpm doesnt seem to affect it. The only thing i can think of is the front tires had about 800 miles on them with a really bad steering alignment. So i thought maybe they were worn funny and now they are making noise. If this is true, will it go away? What else coult it be?

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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

 

They might not have balanced your tires right...they wheel weights might be in the wrong spot. I'd take it back and have them do it again or atleast figure out what the problem is anyway.

 

If the tires are worn uneven they will make a humming noise and vibrate .Rotate the tires from the front to the back and see if it goes away.

 

Whats the difference between rotating and balancing?

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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

 

When you rotate tires usually its put the front tires in the back and the rear tires up front. But some cars they recommend rotating in a criss cross pattern check the owners manual. When you balance a tire it is put on a machine and spun. I said to rotate the tires on your car so if you put the front ones in the rear you can see if the problem is the front tires or something else. If the humming noise goes to the rear then you know its the tires.

 

I dont think you can just rotate the tires, the most someone can do is switch the left to the right and vise versa. The front and rear rims have different backspacing...

 

Yes the back wheels do have a 16mm offset, but switching them sounds like a good idea. I dont care if they stick out it will only be for a little while jsut to figure out if its the tires.

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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

 

Im saying just rotate the tires to isolate the problem and then switch them back. You should know an answer in only a few miles.

 

A 'hum' sounds like bearings. If they didn't pack them good, or tightened them to tight, or the bearings are just worn out, they will hum.

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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

Although a badly (unevenly) worn tire will make noise too. A way to check it go out an run your hand lightly over the tread. Pay special attention to the edges. They might have a "wave" feeling. lf so, your tires are "cupped" and would cause the sount youre hearing. And the only reasonable way to fix it is to replace the tire. (Some places can shave the tire down, but they are rare).

If its not the tire, you could have slung a wheel weight. Wouldnt be the first time in history.

Either way, ld go back and see what they say.

Clayton

 

If I switch the tires, and they are worn funny, could i just burn out on them to wear them down flat? I dont really want to buy new tires because these are brand new with only about 80 miles on them. And if my bearings are messed up, im gonna be pissed because the shop charged me $121 to align the steering and repack the front bearings.

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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

 

If you're bearings were worn out, the shop should've noticed that when the repacked them and told you. Of course, wouldn't be the first time a shop hasn't done what they were supposed to either. My guess is either your tires are worn unevenly from being driven while misaligned or as someone else said, the shop may not have a attached a wheel weight correctly and it could've fallen off. Check that all your wheel weights are present and accounted for, switch your front tires to the back for a day or two and have some fun doing some smokey burnouts. Switch the back and seeif the problem is fixed. If not, then you're probably looking at one of the more serious problems that the others have suggested.

Dave M
88 GTA