Well this one has me stumped!

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
Earlier this summer, picked up a 97 Subaru Legacy Outback wagon, nice little car, has had a lot of work taken care of. So living in snow country, wanted a set up winter studded snows for it, found a set on Craiglist for a good price, used, but already mounted and balanced, quick change over. Or so I thought! Switched them over yesterday and now it sounds like it has a growl in the rear end. I don't believe it is the tires, cause I can hear it at slower speed on gravel, if it was tire noise, I would not hear it on the gravel road, only when hitting the pavement, so I am really stumped, the tires were on another Outback wagon and look to have even wear, so I don't believe one tires is smaller than the others. Also I can't believe, just switching over to different tires and wheels that are stock for this model would cause the problem.

Anybody familiar with something like this happening?
 

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
As a follow up, I just drove it again and I am pretty sure, it is just noisy tires! Glad my wife is driving and not me!
 

mjf55

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
462
MT, I asked my son to look at this post, as he is a mechanic and Subaru fan. He says"
First thing that comes to mind is that studded tires are going to be very noisy. The next thing I think is if any of the tires are worn more than the others it may cause a noise in the rear differential or transmission because it is AWD and the different tire size will cause it to spin at different speeds. The tire size can even be the same, but tread wear differences can cause this.
Subaru transmissions are very finicky.

Hope that helps a little.
 

Sprig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 2, 2016
Messages
571
With AWD when you replace tires you should replace all 4 with new. If one tire is more than 3/32 different in tread wear you can cause major problems/damage with the drive train. A reputable shop won't replace just one tire on a AWD if the tires have more than 3/32 wear. So in your case my main concern would be if the tires you bought are all within 3/32 of each other tread wear. I learned this the hard way when I blew a tire on my wife's AWD SUV and no shop I went to would replace just one tire. This of course is assuming your car is AWD.
The noise you mention is more than likely the stud tires as they are noisier than regular tires.
 
Last edited:

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
With AWD when you replace tires you should replace all 4 with new. If one tire is more than 3/32 different in tread wear you can cause major problems with the drive train. A reputable shop won't replace just one tire on a AWD if the tires have more than 3/32 wear. So in your case my main concern would be if the tires you bought are all within 3/32 of each other tread wear. I learned this the hard way when I blew a tire on my wife's AWD SUV and no shop I went to would replace just one tire. This of course is assuming your car is AWD.
The noise you mention is more than likely the stud tires as they are noisier than regular tires.

Subaru states 1/4 of an inch and I did check them to make sure, yes it is an AWD, if it bugs her to much, I will just take down and have new tires put on it, or put the all weathers that it had on it back on.
 

Sprig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 2, 2016
Messages
571
Not trying to argue with you but the 1/4" refers to circumference. All tires must be within 1/4 " circumference. If measuring tread depth then they must be no more than 2/32 difference. For Subarus I read the the max is 2/32 not 3/32. I also read that running tires that are not within 2/32 tread or 1/4" circumstances will cause the transmission to "break". Just putting it out there for what it's worth.
 

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
Not trying to argue with you but the 1/4" refers to circumference. All tires must be within 1/4 " circumference. If measuring tread depth then they must be no more than 2/32 difference. For Subarus I read the the max is 2/32 not 3/32. I also read that running tires that are not within 2/32 tread or 1/4" circumstances will cause the transmission to "break". Just putting it out there for what it's worth.

Not worried about it, I am going to put the All weathers back on it and watch for a sale on studded snows for it, I basically got the tires free, cause the wheels are selling for more than I paid for both of them together, I can mount them myself and balance, so not a real big deal.

Now if this damn rain would stop so I don't have to roll around in the mud and yuck to change the tires!
 
Last edited:

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
I don't know if any place does then now, but back some years ago you could get your tires cut/trued. They actually put the tire on a machine much like a spin balancer but it had knifes that trued the diameter of the tires. So any out of round areas were cut off so the tire rolled true. If you have any tires that are out of the specs, maybe it could be trued or cut to the same diameter and usable. I know it sound stupid, but it could work. Just a suggestion to try. :noidea:

Oh, and yes, ear muffs for the wife and turn the radio up loud. Problem solved. :thumb:
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
I don't know if any place does then now, but back some years ago you could get your tires cut/trued. They actually put the tire on a machine much like a spin balancer but it had knifes that trued the diameter of the tires.
On a studded tire?
 

mla2ofus

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
571
Sometimes I wonder if AWD is worth the troubles you can have with it.
Mike
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Sometimes I wonder if AWD is worth the troubles you can have with it.
Mike

Of the 9 AWD vehicles I've owned I've had a grand total of zero issues with the systems. This included 3 Subaru's. That would be over 1 million miles.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,295
Never needed studded tires on any of my vehicles. However must have bought more than 12 sets of Dunlop Graspic DS1s over the years. I liked them better than the Michelin Ice and other high $ tires. I liked them better than the Hakk-Q's I used to run
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Sometimes I wonder if AWD is worth the troubles you can have with it.
Mike

My GF has an AWD Honda. Just have to change the diff fluid often and make sure you rotate tires so you don't have circumference differences.
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
14,585
I guess I was assuming that the studs were removable so you could cut and true the diameter. I know some use to be when I live up north in the snowy winters. But then most simply used chains. And if it stated snowing while at work, you drug out the chains in the trunk and put them on before driving home. Of course we also had a washtub full of coal ashes as well for traction if you got stuck. Those were the days....that I am so glad I never have to deal with anymore. :eek:
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
After going to AWD I never change to different tires for the winter, I just run the same ones all the time. While the actual winter tires do work better, I just didn't find it nessecarly.
 

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
Well after a lot of reading and talking to a couple of guys I know at the tire store, we figured it out!

If a set of tires has been run on one AWD vehicle and they are directional, which these are, they are only good for THAT vehicle and will not work properly on another AWD vehicle because of the way the AWD system works with slippage and other stuff in the lock up system.

Man talk about a waste, and adding to the refuse in our dumps!
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
All the tires need to be the same diameter. If they have a direction on the sidewall, you of course need to follow that. Sounds like the guys at the tire store are guessing.
 

MTboatguy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
8,988
All the tires need to be the same diameter. If they have a direction on the sidewall, you of course need to follow that. Sounds like the guys at the tire store are guessing.

The shop I go to has a laser measuring system, because there are so many AWD cars around this area, all of the tires are virtually the same, same wear, same size, but had been run for 6K on another vehicle, we just took them off and put the tires the car came with back on and she is running just fine with no ill handling, I am just going to buy a new set of tires for it and have the alignment done on it, I will have new struts for it here on Tuesday, so will install them and take her to the doc to be aligned and go from there.

For what I paid for the tires and wheels, it would have cost more just to buy the wheels, so they are basically a throw away tire, I just hate wasting anything!

:confused:
 
Top