I took my 98 XK8 on its' first rather long ride (6 hrs total). The car ran flawlessly, with the exception of irritating road noise. I assume it's from the tires. The PO claims he recently put new 245/50/17 Dunlop 5000 Sports on the car. Physically, they look fine, but there is a constant, irritating noise produced, particularly at highway speeds. Anyone have similar experience? Is it a Dunlop"thing"? I don't think it's wheel bearings, but who knows?

 

First things first - what tire pressures are you running? My wife's 2006 XK8 (staggered Yokohama YK580 tires with 245/40/19 in front and 255/40/19 in back) does best (from a comfort, noise, and treadwear standpoint) with the fronts at 32 to 33 psi and the rears at 28 to 29 psi....

 

I checked the air pressure...which I "assumed" would be correct since the car was at the Jag dealer last week and got their alledged 150 point inspection.
What do the say about guys who "assume"...you were absolutely on the money. Tires were under-inflated...all of them were in the 25-28lb range. Dunlop recommends 32 front-34 rear for the XK8 with 245/50/17's. Took the car out to the highway for a few miles, and even without warming them up, the difference was significant. Still heard them, but the sound was much less irritating.
Thank you for reminding me to start at the beginning...I need a knock in the head every so often!

 

When they did the 150 point inspection, did they check the wheel bearings up front? Could be some minor play in the wheel... I recently encountered that. It made my front left wheel make 'squeezing rubber noises' because of how it was playing.

 

Steve G, just a suggestion, turn your bold type off. Some might think you are shouting which is considered rude on most forms. Just my 2 cents and no harm intended.

As for your tire noise I think you have found the answer. Some tire on some cars do make a lot of noise. I think it has to do with the road surface/ tire pressure/tire tread design/suspension geometry and so on. A very variable issue.

 

Jandreu...things must be pretty slow in Hawaii for you to spend your time making unsolicited "style" criticisms of my website posts. Although you meant "no harm", you decided to post your critique in the open forum as a opposed to dropping me a private message. I try to make my posts concise, grammatically correct and easy to read...I personally find the use of bold enhancement makes my posts easier to read. I don't know how or why you'd have to "shout" on a car enthusiast's website.

 

That's what the man said. "Why", because you need not...you don't have to shout.


The "how" of it is this...bold or all caps text is considered shouting on every forum I've spent time on...and generally also seen as rude.


Seems to me it was just kindly advice...I guess there's no law against shouting, exactly .

 

LOL

 

Not just forums - emails, etc. The vast majority of people have known and respected this since around the dawn of the internet. As the OP suggested: "I need a knock in the head every so often!"

 

While dunlop may recommend a certain PSI, for air pressure do a search on the forum and you will see many have found the ride a bit harsher with tires pumped to those pressures, so in your case with those tires and that car you may have to trade ride comfort for road noise..

 

Well. I've seem to have hit a nerve...I did some quick research on "bolding" and found that it just might cause a stir.
But, the only real no-no was "all caps" (that is considered shouting). If I upset your stylistic sensibilities, I apologize...in the future, please don't read my posts.

 

You younger guys need to be aware of the fact that some "ancient eyes" do indeed see bold font better than normal font and therefore makes it easier to read. I readily admit that my 62-year-old eyeballs work that way these days, and I have no problem with folks who choose to post in bold font as long as they do not use all capital letters as well....

 

Hi Steve, other than proper tire pressure if you like to take it a step further to quiet road noise, you can try a Dynamat or similar product. These sound deadening products work well. I installed the insulation in the trunk, below spare, inside quarters, against the fuel tank and under my rear seat. Did so to reduce the " drone " as a result of altering the factory exhaust. You would not believe the difference. My Xk8 drop top is the quietest convertible I've driven. PS still hear the nice exhaust rumble. Rich

 

Just an update on my noisy tire situation. First we tried different tire pressures on the Dunlops, but the noise and rubbing sensation wouldn't go away. I took the front tires off and checked them out...they both had significant wear on the inner portion of the tread.(I also checked out the build date of the tires-37th week of 2004). We checked out the wheel bearings and they appeared to be solid with no apparent noise when spun.
I finally made the decision, because of wear and age, to replace the Dunlops...I chose a set of Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus 245/50/17s.
Wow, what a difference! I took a 30 mile test ride...front end noise is gone and the car rides very quietly with a very comfortable ride. i couldn't be happier.
Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it.

 

Isn't it amazing what new tires can do. When I bought my XK 3 months ago,the tire dates were 2002 in the back, and 2006 in the front. It was a second home car with 44000 miles on it. I think tires that old just get hard. I went with Continental Contacts. I now run them 32 front 30 rear and they track well and are relatively quiet. Also I bought my first XK 6 years ago after a dealer 150 point inspection. 4 months later I needed a new battery because 2 cells had virtually no electrolyte in them... You could see the plates. I know batteries today are supposed to be maintenance free, but I would still pop the caps and check the water level in the battery. On this car I immediately did it upon purchase and added 12 oz. of distilled water to bring the water to the correct level. Remember to use distilled or deionized water. I second the old guy remark made earlier. IF I SHOUT... its because my friends can't hear...not because we can't see... LOL

 

I would suggest you get a alignment check, or you will just wear these new tires down. You might consider the wear because the tires were old, more likely they within the last year or two started to have some suspension issues.
Here's the dig, you can get the alignment checked anywhere to see what your numbers are, make a post here and people will let you know how they look. PRoblem is general tire shops can't do to much to change alignment due to it's requirement for Jag shims, I think all they can adjust is toe in/out via tie rods. Camber and Castor no and that's where you would be getting the tire wear.