Light Droning noise at motorway speeds

[2Stevo2]

Hi all,

2020 Leon Cupra owner.

I have receny noticed a sort of droning noise coming from the front of the car (I think!) When travelling at motorway speeds, 60mph+. Its not too intrusive and only when you tune into it, can you hear it.

Has anyone experienced this before?

I am not convinced it is a wheel bearing - Car is not yet 3 years old and has only done 22k miles.

Any ideas?

I am going to need a full new set of tyres soon as tread depth, especially on the front is getting low....could this potentially be the issue?

Any advice or tests I could do to diagnose would be very much appreciated.

 

[black_sheep]

You've done well if on the original tyres at 22k miles.

Quite a few of the VAG group cars have a tendency for the tyres, especially on the rears to feather/saw tooth. Run your hand over the inner and outer edges of the tread and you will be able to feel the tread blocks rise and fall.

My suspension geometry was quite a way out of spec from new. Might be worth a 4 wheel laser alignment when you replace the tyres if this is the issue.

Other issues may be the rear brake pads/discs. Again, the pads become stuck in the callipers, and this causes a slight warping of the rear discs.

 

[SuperV8]

My front wheel bearings caused similar symptoms, rhythmic droning, which got progressively louder above 60-70. It was by no means 'loud' - the misses couldn't hear it for example - but I could. Couldn't feel any bearing play/roughness when feeling/spinning wheels by hand or even when the old bearings were off on the bench.
The symptom which confirmed bearings for me (as at the time I was unsure between tyres or bearing) was at slow speed turning into my road with the window open I could hear a slight brake rub noise indicating side load in the bearing caused the disc to contact the pads.
Changed both front wheel bearings and no more noise - but mine is 2015 and at the time was around 100k miles - so 22k for bearings would be early/unfortunate! Maybe a pothole damaged the bearing?

 

[2Stevo2]

You've done well if on the original tyres at 22k miles.

Quite a few of the VAG group cars have a tendency for the tyres, especially on the rears to feather/saw tooth. Run your hand over the inner and outer edges of the tread and you will be able to feel the tread blocks rise and fall.

My suspension geometry was quite a way out of spec from new. Might be worth a 4 wheel laser alignment when you replace the tyres if this is the issue.

Other issues may be the rear brake pads/discs. Again, the pads become stuck in the callipers, and this causes a slight warping of the rear discs.

Very good shout with regards to the tyres.

Ran my hand over the rears and the saw tooth is really bad on the inner edge. I was surprised how bad to be honest. The difference in height between tread blocks is rediculous.

I'm fairly convinced this is the culprit. Four new tyres and a full 4 wheel geometry setup should do the trick.

 

[2Stevo2]

My front wheel bearings caused similar symptoms, rhythmic droning, which got progressively louder above 60-70. It was by no means 'loud' - the misses couldn't hear it for example - but I could. Couldn't feel any bearing play/roughness when feeling/spinning wheels by hand or even when the old bearings were off on the bench.
The symptom which confirmed bearings for me (as at the time I was unsure between tyres or bearing) was at slow speed turning into my road with the window open I could hear a slight brake rub noise indicating side load in the bearing caused the disc to contact the pads.
Changed both front wheel bearings and no more noise - but mine is 2015 and at the time was around 100k miles - so 22k for bearings would be early/unfortunate! Maybe a pothole damaged the bearing?

Thanks for the reply and the info, appreciate it. But I'm fairly convinced it isn't wheel bearing related. As above, the saw tooth on the rears is rediculous! And their certainly hasnt been any pothole damage or otherwise.

 

[SuperV8]

Thanks for the reply and the info, appreciate it. But I'm fairly convinced it isn't wheel bearing related. As above, the saw tooth on the rears is rediculous! And their certainly hasnt been any pothole damage or otherwise.

Agree if you have saw tooth wear on your tyres.

 

[SteveGSXR600K1]

I don't know if this wear is common on rear independent suspension. My 184FR just had an MOT and it came back with two advisories for the rear tyres having slight 'stepping'. Not sure if that's the same as 'saw tooth'.

 

[SuperV8]

I don't know if this wear is common on rear independent suspension. My 184FR just had an MOT and it came back with two advisories for the rear tyres having slight 'stepping'. Not sure if that's the same as 'saw tooth'.

Yes, 'saw tooth' and 'stepping' are the same thing. Uneven/tapered wear front to back of the side tread blocks.
My rears (independent suspension) aren't wearing like this.
Can be caused by more aggressive driving style, incorrect suspension geometry, knackered dampers or some tyre designs are just more prone.

 

[SRGTD]

I had sawtooth tyre wear on the inner tread of the rear tyres on a mk5 Golf I owned some years ago. It was possible to feel and see the stepped tread, and those rear tyres were incredibly noisy when driving at normal legal speeds.

 

[RUM4MO]

Never discount the possibility that it could be wheel bearing(s), I tried wishing that noise away on 2 cars and both of them really did need front wheel bearings replacing, my wife's 2015 VW Polo had only run 30ish thousand miles when it initially starting making that noise, but in my mind, initially only certain road surfaces, so in normal use including mainly in town and subs there was no noise, but eventually the noise level did become apparent at even 4->50MPH.

I don't know how the failed or noisy front wheel bearing on my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion felt/sounded like when it was removed, but neither of the front bearing I removed from my wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS felt rough and there was no detectable by feel, looseness in either front wheel hub. One removed bearing did show signs of water getting into the "sealed" bearing assembly, but that was all. I just replaced both sides myself as that seemed to be the smart thing to do, and I still think that way, anyone just replacing one side is possibly in for a near future repeat or other side bearing change..

This issue is quite common with VW Group cars, why they have ended up being prone to early wheel bearing failure beats me, other than "wise" material choices!

I'd think if a Leon Cupra is driven in a spirited manner than ending up with noisy wheel bearings is quite a possibility, but in your case you should stick with finding a way to be able to dismiss the tyres first - I did try to do that, and had to face up to the facts and replace the wheel bearings.

 

[SuperV8]

Thanks for the reply and the info, appreciate it. But I'm fairly convinced it isn't wheel bearing related. As above, the saw tooth on the rears is rediculous! And their certainly hasnt been any pothole damage or otherwise.

You mention that the noise is from the front - but the saw tooth wear is on the rear tyres?
I would try moving the tyres around (front to back) - to see if the noise also moves?

 

[Mr Pig]

Wheel related drones are easy to identify. If you drive the car up and down hills, turn left and right, if there is an issue with one wheel it will get louder when it is under more load.

If the drone is a wheel it could be a bearing or faulty/worn tyre. I had a tyre which twisted. You could not see it or feel it but it droned in a very similar way to bad bearing.

 

[RUM4MO]

Just my experience, nothing more, but with both of the VW Group cars that I ended up having droning at motoraway sorts of speeds, both would have Gen2 types of bearing packs, ie not taper type adjustable bearings, I could not get any clues from loading and unloading the wheels, I think that in the early stages of droning, that sort of test does nothing - though with the old school Gen1 types of adjustable bearing assemblies, it did work most of the time.

 

[jannickz]

While a wheel bearing issue is less likely at your car's mileage, it's not impossible. Here's a comparison:

• Worn tire: The noise will typically vary with speed and might change character when taking corners.
• Bad wheel bearing: The noise might be a constant hum and could get louder with increased speed or develop a grinding quality.

 

[thespicemustflow]

While a wheel bearing issue is less likely at your car's mileage, it's not impossible. Here's a comparison:

• Worn tire: The noise will typically vary with speed and might change character when taking corners.
• Bad wheel bearing: The noise might be a constant hum and could get louder with increased speed or develop a grinding quality.

It might be less likely, but here in the UK our roads aren't much better than when the Romans installed them. A friend of mine has a 2022 Audi A3, 17,300 miles, front wheel bearing gone bad. Only noticable above 71mph but obviously would get worse the longer he drove it. Thankfully, its under warranty, but I think car manufacturers maybe need to rethink the premise of 'Quality Roads' spec options on their cars...

 

[jannickz]

It might be less likely, but here in the UK our roads aren't much better than when the Romans installed them. A friend of mine has a 2022 Audi A3, 17,300 miles, front wheel bearing gone bad. Only noticable above 71mph but obviously would get worse the longer he drove it. Thankfully, its under warranty, but I think car manufacturers maybe need to rethink the premise of 'Quality Roads' spec options on their cars...

You're right, that's a frustrating situation for your friend. A bad wheel bearing at 17,300 miles is uncommon, and rough roads can contribute to wear and tear on suspension components.

While car manufacturers design their vehicles to handle various road conditions, severe road imperfections can shorten the lifespan of certain parts. However, "Quality Roads" isn't a standard spec option manufacturers typically offer.

 

[serdar_18fr]

You're right, that's a frustrating situation for your friend. A bad wheel bearing at 17,300 miles is uncommon, and rough roads can contribute to wear and tear on suspension components.

While car manufacturers design their vehicles to handle various road conditions, severe road imperfections can shorten the lifespan of certain parts. However, "Quality Roads" isn't a standard spec option manufacturers typically offer.

If there's such a suspension/running gear option like 'Quality Roads", I've never heard it. Besides the obvious sports chassis packages, the only suspension option offered by some manufacturers regarding the road quality I have seen so far is the "bad/rough road package" and it is supposed to be used in really bad road conditions, like unpaved surfaces in third world countries. All other countries are considered normal and use standard suspension parts.

 

[thespicemustflow]

Just FYI @serdar_18fr and @jannickz - this isn't true. (I work for a major automobile manufacturer)

It's not a spec or option you as a customer can choose, but the market for the intended vehicle determines what 'road package' it has. Different brands use different terminology - here, the brand in question I work for uses the term 'Good terrain' for Western European markets, but in Eastern European markets it has 'Average terrain.' This snipped is from a build spec sheet from a 2020 model vehicle.

What exactly this changes I don't know, as I'm not part of engineering/assembly.

 

[serdar_18fr]

Just FYI @serdar_18fr and @jannickz - this isn't true. (I work for a major automobile manufacturer)

It's not a spec or option you as a customer can choose, but the market for the intended vehicle determines what 'road package' it has. Different brands use different terminology - here, the brand in question I work for uses the term 'Good terrain' for Western European markets, but in Eastern European markets it has 'Average terrain.' This snipped is from a build spec sheet from a 2020 model vehicle.

What exactly this changes I don't know, as I'm not part of engineering/assembly.

I looked at the VAG parts catalog again and almost all suspension parts look dependent on the engine type & chassis type, alternatives for the latter being standard & sports variants. The only exception I could see is the coil springs, they are numbered as Lxx where xx going from 1 to 30+. I didn't notice that before. There's no more description but that's where the terrain-dependent differences should be, I guess. I stand corrected, thanks for the information.

 

[DigitalSushi]

just tell the wife to shut up mate.

that usually gets rid of the droning in my car.