My 2007 Fit Sport recently got its tires rotated, and since then there has been a subtle but noticeable whump-whump-whump noise at low to moderate speeds on smooth roads. Seems to be coming from the front but it's hard to tell.

I took it back to the garage, the mechanic took it for a spin, and came back saying that it was caused by worn tires (he'd mentioned worn tires earlier, after doing the rotation). They are the original Dunlops and it's approaching 36,000 miles on them. There is still a couple mm of tread above the bumps in the grooves, but the rubber does look pretty pitted and cracked.


Anyway, my first question is, does tire wear sound like a likely cause of this kind of noise?

Secondly, any recommendations for replacement tires? I mostly care about low noise, long tread life, and good fuel efficiency. It'll mostly be driven in NYC and nearby, so we've got pretty terrible roads but not too much snow or ice.

From TireRack.com, the Kumho Ecsta Platinums seemed like the best choice. Great tire wear rating, good reviews, and reasonable price.

Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum

Any other suggestions or advice?


Thanks!

 

This is typical of tires that nave not been rotated until late in their life. The main issue is rear tires ride different on the ground than the fronts. If you look at the rear tires from behind the car the top is clearly in further toward the center of the car than the bottom. This gives stability to the car but wears the tires different than the fronts that have a different angle to give better steering.

The tires may look round and flat when you look at them, but if you were to spin them against a run-out gauge you will find that they aren't round any more the surface actually has high and low spots. This is the sound you are hearing when the meet the road on a different axle than the one that made the groves.

On the fit it only takes about 15,000 miles before you get into this problem. This is because of the more drastic angle than larger cars have. Rotate every oil change (roughly 5000 - 7,500 miles) to avoid this on your next set. The sound is annoying and if it is extreme enough the tire(s) making the noise can be leaving the ground several times every rotation, kind of like a skipping stone. This can lead to skidding and ditches, sidewalks, hitting buildings and crashing in general.

Just a tip, I assume you rotated because the fronts were worn more than rear and you wanted to put the thicker tread up front. While this may seem logical to put the best tread on the front drive wheels, you actually end up in a very unsafe situation. The rear tires with less tread (and lighter axle load) will hydroplane faster than the fronts. And because the fronts still have friction and are now going slower than the rears you will end up in one hell of a quick U-turn or worse an uncontrolled spin.

I picked up some Cooper CS4 tires to replace my stock dunlops and love them. I have now done 10,000 miles on them and I can't believe how well they stick in the rain and dry. Also the road noise is almost gone on blacktop, concrete, and grooved concrete. They are a little more expensive than others at $96 each, but I truly believe these are the best all season tire I have ever had on any of my many vehicles. Check them out here
COOPER CS4 TOURING H/V : 195/55R15 85V
since Tire rack doesn't carry Cooper. I had my local garage up the street mount them. After 10,000 miles I have only used a little less than 1/32 of an inch which should lead to roughly the 60,000 mile Warranty from Cooper

 

chances are your rear tires are scalloped. that is what will create road noise

 

Thanks seeremlive - that's a great explanation. I'll look into those Coopers as well.

 

The stock Dunlops are truly terrible tires and yes they are causing your noise. Almost anything else would be better including the Kumhos or the Coopers

 

yep, i just got a new set of tires, i got some nitto neo gens i think theres called, but man wat a differense, screw those damn dunlops, worst tires ive ever road on, plus the nittos are half the price so such a better ride and performance. best tire for the fit, HANDS DOWN!