John McM

I've just had a PPI done on a 1993 3.6 Turbo. There are a few warts on it, most of which can be fixed with some cash, but one fault would really annoy me and I'm told it's difficult to fix...noisy rear tires that sound like a bad bearing.

My mechanic told me there's a limited choice in the size of tire needed for the rear of this car and I might have no option but to keep the current S02s, which have a metallic whine.

Does anyone know of another brand that doesn't have this problem?

Adrian

Dear John,
Depends what you are looking for. Tyre noise tends to come with high performance tyres.
However the Yokohama AVS Assys (N0) or the Yokohama A008Ps (N0) are quieter. Well the 17 inch versions are.
Of course you have 18 inch wheels so this makes the choices even less.
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

JBH

I have 18" SO2s on my C2 Turbo and I do not hear the noise you describe.

Are you certain it is not a wheel bearing?

Terry Waller

John,
I've been using Pirelli P-Zero 285-30x18s on the rear of my '94, and have noticed no unusual noise.

jeff91C2T

I'm running 17" 275 S02's on the rear of my 965. No unusual tire noise to speak of.

That's a very "odd" comment from a shop regarding tire noise. Seems kinda easy to blame it on the tires. Should be easy to check, borrow some wheels and take a drive.

Can there be anything else wrong (suspension, bearings, transmission, motor)?

JBH

There is a similar thread to this one running in the 964 Forum. Same complaint about the noise of SO2s - same description about the metallic whine and bearing.

You can go there directly by clicking HERE

John McM

My BS detector is on full alert with this purchase, but a number of points corroborate the PPI:

1. The thread on the 964 forum

2. The mechanic who's dealing with the vendor had a similar problem with a client's C4. At the clients insistence they replaced the bearing, but the noise remained.

Of course, the easiest way to eliminate the bearing is put the car up on the hoist and spin the wheel, which I'll get done.

I'm doing my best to defer to knowledge and experience in this purchase. There is a humorous 911 buying guide on the Virgin UK site which details how sidetracked buyers can get with the wrong emphasises on purchase.

The roads this car will travel on are a coarse chip surface. I expect there to be a bit of tramlining and noise with tires this big. I really just wanted to know if other tires reduce that noise.

JBH

Considering the road surface you will be driving on, you should have plenty of opportunity to try out new tires.

The key is to try to get the front tires to last through three rotations of the rears. Then you can change to a new make/model at all 4 wheels