Leon FR tdi tyre noise

[mohaa-boy]

hi all, new member here.
prompted to join after fruitless contact with Seat Uk about tyre rumble.
car 08 Leon FR 170 TDI, mileage 18,000.
now being advised that tyre rotation with the Bridgestones fitted is recommended, pity i was not told this when i bought the car, or advised in the handbook.
dont know about the rest of you but I am not happy about renewing tyres less than half worn at £130 a pop.
anyone else interested in getting together and seeing if we can cause seat Uk a problem or two, i cant do it alone.
let me know, they are selling cars with a known fault and not letting us, the poor sod buying the car what we need to do to stop us being deafened by road noise.

cheers all

 

[Shadders]

hi all, new member here.
prompted to join after fruitless contact with Seat Uk about tyre rumble.
car 08 Leon FR 170 TDI, mileage 18,000.
now being advised that tyre rotation with the Bridgestones fitted is recommended, pity i was not told this when i bought the car, or advised in the handbook.
dont know about the rest of you but I am not happy about renewing tyres less than half worn at £130 a pop.
anyone else interested in getting together and seeing if we can cause seat Uk a problem or two, i cant do it alone.
let me know, they are selling cars with a known fault and not letting us, the poor sod buying the car what we need to do to stop us being deafened by road noise.

cheers all

I've had exactly the same problem since I bought mine brand new july 2006!
After about 13k miles had the whinning/wheel bearing type noise appear. Changed tyres to Goodyer F1's & problem went for a while but came back after another 5-6k!

Have spoken to Seat on numerous occasions but they're just not interested & say is just a by product of how the car is set up. If this is the case, the car is setup wrong isn't it?!!

Have since had 4 wheel alingnment done & was miles out all round. Still have the noise but the tyres are already worn with the 'sawtooth' problem. Will hopefully be better when put new tyres on but current set only worn 50% so will be a while yet.

You can try to speak to Seat again but I actually emailed thier Customer Service who pointed me toward Bridgestone. Contacted them & they said nothing wrong with tyres & just going round in circles (pardon the pun!).

I would suggest getting 4 wheel alingment done before you change tyres & see how you get on from there.

Let me know if you get anywhere.

Good luck. PS I've got 2.0 Tdi DSG with superchips remap.

 

[mohaa-boy]

cheers for the reply, i need a few more responses to take this further, like say to Watchdog, not sure if we will get anywhere but its worth a go.
dont like being told fair wear and tear when it clearly isnt, or the tyres are at fault, its the bloody car setup, i work with automotive engineers and thats a cheapo way of improving the handling without tuning the chassis.

whats the chip like, and how much??

 

[Shadders]

cheers for the reply, i need a few more responses to take this further, like say to Watchdog, not sure if we will get anywhere but its worth a go.
dont like being told fair wear and tear when it clearly isnt, or the tyres are at fault, its the bloody car setup, i work with automotive engineers and thats a cheapo way of improving the handling without tuning the chassis.

whats the chip like, and how much??

Chip is really nice! Had it done after about 12k miles & haven't looked back. Went for Superchips as very smooth torque/bhp as I have the DSG box & need to be careful with torque levels.

Had it on rolling road after & now running 185BHP & nearly 300lbs of torque! It started life as 140BHP. Much better to drive & powerband much wider/stronger. When driving normally have seen no adverse affect on MPG either.
Superchips are fairly expensive & cost £500 fitted. Could have gone for cheaper but again had to get the right map so not smash the DSG box.

 

[FAST AL]

My fr 170 is running on Pirelli P Zero Rosso's. It's slightly noisy at 11000k.

 

[stuarttunstall]

I had the same problem.... only thing is, I have a very good dealer who helped me sort this out...

Do not take this as the "Official" Seat verdict, just myself and the dealer worked this out

There is an issue with the new Leon when fitted with Bridgestone tyres. In my case RE050 225/45 * 17, In a very short time, in my case 6000 miles, it appears that the tread is being lifted from the casing at the front edge of the tread blocks.... test by running your hand in a backwards direction on the tyre.. you may feel the front edge of the tread block is higher than the back.... hence the noise..

After compalining enough, and at 10000 miles, Seat told my dealer to get a four wheel alignment done, no issues found, AND change the tyres to Continental SportContact2.... Which, as Seat would not admit a fault, my dealer paid for... not Seat! Having purchased 3 cars from the dealer in 6 years... I call this Good customer service and looking after there customers, which is more than Seat have done regarding this issue... Although Seat say there is no issue with tyres, it is funny how they have a solution for excessive road noise.....

Once changed, I did a further 14000 miles without any further problem... in fact, I have just replaced them again with Continentals... I am just gutted that the dealer in question has given up the Seat franchise....

Hope this helps

Stuart

 

[Chan_P1_TDi_FR]

try getting the rear camber reduced by 0.5 degrees. star performance did that for mine when i got my coilovers fitted and it has helped a bit.

 

[Chan_P1_TDi_FR]

oh i forgot, the bridgestones RE050A's are absolutely rubbish, the hard component doesn't help the noise either. I had bridgestones when i first got the car and couldn't get rid of them quick enough. Been on dunlops and now on goodyear, never looked back since. Hated the bridgestones with a vengence after 13k miles of them.

If it's anything to go by, my brothers lexus IS250 had bridgestones RE050A's. He ran two sets and his tyre noise was quiet bad. I told him to change to a different brand, now he's on goodyear and it's a lot better. He also says grip is better too.

I've tried lots of different brands of tyres on my cars and i serious don't rate bridgestones that well. I've still to come across a bridgestone i like. That said i haven't tried to the RE070R's which are fitted on the nissan GTR.

 

[Stealthdave]

I have this problem. Have had 3 of the 4 tyres replaced (fronts due to wear, and rear left due to puncture). Last time it went into the dealers they told me it needed laser alignment and that after approx 1000 miles the noise would go away. Well 1000 miles has been and gone a long time ago but still the rumble is present.

Do you think replacing the other rear tyre would sort?

 

[Shadders]

Now that's what I call customer service! A shame they are not all like that as my local dealer (Letchworth Autoway) are rubbish.

I have had the wheel alignment done but still have the damaged tyres on as can't afford to replace at present & only half worn. Hopefully when finally get new set all round will have the problem solved.

Also, how do you rate the Continental SportContact2? I've never used before & current set are Goodyear F1's but apparently are being replaced by the asymetric.

Cheers

 

[Chan_P1_TDi_FR]

If your going continental go for sportcontact 3's they are a newer tyre. Very good against aquaplaning. Grip wise the goodyear eagle f1 assy will give you better grip than the continentals. But if I'm remember the continentals are slightly quieter for tyre noise. Not 100% sure tho.

 

[jbs]

That confirms a blogg I read to the effect that SEAT were fitting Continental SportContact 2 's as standard to combat the increased wear on the inside of the rears as the asymmetic tyres inside edge was a harder wearing compound. As I now have the dreaded wheel bearing/tyre wear noise after 18000 miles with still tread left, I shall go for these as replacements.

 

[Shadders]

It's a nighmare. Sounds like you're driving on 50p pieces!

What tyres are you runnning at moment? I started with the original Bridgestones & then F1's.

 

[mohaa-boy]

seat customer service

hello all
cheers for the interest, seems like lots of us have the same issue.
had a reply in writing from Seat and it states that they consider 18,000 miles on rear tyres for a front drive car is perfectly acceptable fair wear and tear. (cobblers)
how do you all feel about that??
surely if a few or many of us collaborate we may be able to get somewhere with Seat, rather than just renewing perfectly good tyres before they are due.

 

[jbs]

It's a nighmare. Sounds like you're driving on 50p pieces!

What tyres are you runnning at moment? I started with the original Bridgestones & then F1's.

I'm on Dunlop Sport 9090 ( original fit). Good tyre, nice and quite until they hit 15000. Had the car checked for rear wheel bearing and told it was OK. I agree 18000 is not on for rear tyre replacement, particularly as they have plenty of life left.

 

[Shadders]

It's not the wear that's the problem, it's the TYPE of wear that causes the issue. My tyres have probably done about 11-12k & still only half worn. It's how it affects the blocks/patterns that causes the noise.

Originally had the Bridgestones which were rubbish. Then I went for F1's as they don't have traditonal block pattern to see if that helped but still no good. I've had the 4 wheel alignment checked & hopefully when I eventually fit new tyres should last a lot longer.

I'm sure there are a lot more out there who have suffered the same problem.

 

[pacm0n]

Im suffering exactly the same problem at the minute. Ive just done 12k and the tyre noise is really loud, I have had no problems with noise until now and I have the Bridgestone RE050 fitted also, when they are worn im going to try a different tyre to see if that helps.

 

[Shadders]

Im suffering exactly the same problem at the minute. Ive just done 12k and the tyre noise is really loud, I have had no problems with noise until now and I have the Bridgestone RE050 fitted also, when they are worn im going to try a different tyre to see if that helps.

When you change the tyres, make sure you have a 4 wheel alignment check otherwise you'll get the same trouble again. When I had mine checked they were miles out apparently. They adjusted as much as possible but still couldn't get them completely to spec.

When you get the new tyres & have run them for a while post a reply. I'd be interested to see how you get on.

Good luck!

 

[Paul T]

I got same problem. Contacted seat and here is their official reply.


Thank you for your email in regards to the wearing of your tyres.



I have investigated this with our SEAT Technical Support Team. They have advised that when checking your chassis number they have confirmed that your vehicle does not have a recall for this issue. Wheel alignment can deviate from its original settings over time, this is mainly due to outside influences such as speed bumps, pot holes etc. Please find enclosed a copy of tyre wear/noise information that may be useful to yourself with the issues that you have been experiencing.



Kind Regards

Here is the enclosed a copy of tyre wear/noise information


A Major cause of annoying tyre / road noise is “Heal and Toe wear”. This is the outwardly visible (and audible) manifestation of various distortional forces at work on the tread. To explain this, it is better to first say something about “tread design”. Tread grooves and sipes, a source of noise, are absolutely essential in ensuring safety on wet and flooded roads. In the case of low profile tyres in particular, a higher percentage of tread void is necessary to take up and channel the water, while a hydrodynamic tread pattern design is needed to ensure water displacement. The upshot of this is “detached blocks” in the shoulders. Because of how the tyre rolls over the road, the blocks can suffer heel and toe wear under certain operating conditions. When a tyre rolls, the individual blocks in the tread are deformed. On entry into the contact patch, the blocks are compressed. In exiting the contact patch, the blocks rub against the road surface and spring back to their original shape, resulting in higher abrasion where the lug tapers off. This wear pattern is more likely to occur on non powered wheel positions. If the tyre is driven in compliance with the specific operating conditions, the difference in height between the front and rear edges of the block do not exceed 0.8mm, a level at which no noticeable deterioration in the tyre’s characteristics is to be expected. More conspicuous heel and toe wear points to specific operating conditions (improper inflation pressures, excessive toe in, driving style). To arrive at an improvement in the tyre wear pattern and a relative reduction in road noise it is imperative that tyre pressures are maintained regularly in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification. Also rotating the wheels has the effect of evenly distributing wear, so that the tyre returns to its original favourable noise level after a certain distance. Above all please remember that tyre wear is unavoidable as a frictional force must be present between the tyre and road surface. It should also be remembered that the tyre itself is responding to a compromise. Other qualities, in addition to high levels of comfort and safety, are demanded of a tyre. The tyre should be long-lasting, with excellent grip, and safe handling on bends. It should also have excellent water drainage and good winter performance. It should brake safely, and above all, it must also be soft and comfortable when driving. A tyre that fulfils all of the above does not exist (nor will it ever exist). When designing a tyre, compromises are reached and priority given to certain features.


What a crock of **** !!!!

hello all
surely if a few or many of us collaborate we may be able to get somewhere with Seat, rather than just renewing perfectly good tyres before they are due.

Im all for making some noise, seems they r just telling us anything to shut us up..

 

[Slickline]

I had a similar issue in my old mkv golf gti with tyre noise and after reading on the forums it seems that it was a fairly common problem. Perhaps something to do with chassis or suspension set up and as the mk2 leon shares the golf chassis / suspension so i guess will be prone to the same issues.