Hi,
I have a Vectra 1.8 LS Y reg (hatchback) and its making an on/off droning/howling noise from the rear that gets faster as I speed up. Also the tyres are wearing unevenly on each peice of tread, like a cog? Ive had the bearings and shocks changed but its still the same?
Vauxhall said to fit gas shocks because the car is getting old?
Sounds like a cop out?
Any ideas what could be causing this?
Ive heard about bushes and struts but am at a loss. Would be nice to hear from anyone who has had a similar problem.
Thanks.
Mark
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Hi, the rear nearside tyre on my previous Vectra wore on the inside edge - caused by worn suspension bushes which made the tyre sit at an acute angle. However, I\'m not sure that it\'s the same problem as you\'re getting.
Have the tyres been changed since the shocks have been changed? Are both rear tyres wearing, or just the one?
Stepping of the tyre can be caused by a worn shock. If the tyres haven\'t been changed, then they\'ll continue to wear in an odd way.
The droning noise is generally associated with worn bearings, but as you\'ve had them changed, that rules that out. It could just be the mishapened tyes causing the noise.
I felt a small amount of play, and heard a slight knock when I got someone to rock the rear of the car while I held my hand on the wheel. The garage I use confirmed worn bushes.
The rear bushes aren\'t that difficult to change, and IIRC, are approx £20 each (you\'ll need two per side). Details here of how to change them:-
gentoo.viaraix.net/vs/showthread.php?s=ffeb580f505...9 (pics aren\'t there at the moment).
82.34.51.160/sytemsandsoftwaredevelopment/systems/...m
The bush removal tool can be improvised by using a couple of large sockets, a length of threaded bar and some nuts & washers.
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DD is absolutely right that the bushes can wear, but in fact, Vectra rear tyres are known for wearing on the inside edges even when the bushes are fine, and causing a drone.
Both my 2.5 V6 SRi Estate with 195 (I forget the profile) 15" tyres, and my GSi Estate with 205/45x17" tyres exhibited this behaviour, as did my brother's two 1.8LS auto estates: Tyres worn like cogs on the inside edge, and as the wear increased so did the drone. Fit new tyres, and problem gone. For a while...
The GSi was by far the worst offender (rear tyres worn out every 16,000 miles with the outside edges looking like new), but they all did it to some degree.
If the tyres are worn, I would fit new ones, and see if the drone is gone. If not, look at bearings. If it is gone, carefully watch how they wear.
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Yep, my SRi wore out the inside edges of the rear tyres, leaving about 4 - 5mm on the rest of the tyre but took about 50k miles to do it, so it wasn't too bad. Seems to be a function of the rear suspension. However, the wear was even and not 'cogged'.
The Vectra can be prone to tyre noise on the back and this seems a function of the tyres fitted. From about 20k miles my passengers were saying there was sometimes a noise like rear wheel bearing droning. I had it checked at the dealer (no problem found)and eventually came to the conclusion it was related to road surface. It went away when the original Goodvear Eagles (NCT3's) were changed for Michelin Pilot HX. 30k miles later when I sold it the drone hadn't returned.
JS
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