ok, for starters these are the tires I have on the car...

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=BFG%2D85647&N=700+500+401060+315708+4294811499+115&autoview=sku


I noticed from day one that the tread design (I assume) makes this a somewhat noisy tire...kind of like a very low volume version of "GroundHawg" off-road tires...and ever since I got the exhaust drone under control I have noticed that I can hear it a bit more.

However on the way to work today, coming down I95 the roaring sound was unusually loud. I dont recall there being any undue play in any of the other wheels when I was putting things back together...or does the rear hub just get loud instead of wiggling like the front does?

I dont know at this point but if one more thing goes wrong with this car I'm gonna have to burn my credit card...not to mention pulling out a goodly chunk of my hair.

Any input on rear hubs or other things you think might be contributing to my noise pollution, feel free to fire away...you cant do any more damage by floating ideas...the car seems to be taking care of that all on its own.

If you will permit me one statement of "brand loyalty blasphemy"... I put almost 120k on my Intrepid and never came close to replacing as much stuff as I have on this car...its a good thing that I love what I see every time I look in the driveway so much, if not for that this car would be looking for a home.

Rear hubs tend to just make noise. I should know, I've got one on the way out. I found mine out when I was replacing the rotors on the rear. Rotating the hub slowly I could hear it rub in one spot. Sounded like a slightly warped rotor, but didn't have the characteristics of one.

Once it gets bad enough you might be able to check it like you do the fronts and wiggle the wheel while it's jacked up.

If you'd want... We can replace it while you're out this way.

Slick, sometimes I get the feeling that youre just itching to work on my car ...but I do appreciate the offer...I'm just going to have to get out there and check things closely and see if its something mechanical or just my paranoia running amok...it seems like it would be an easier change then the front without an axle shaft to contend with...or am I assuming too much?

I cant help ya with the cause of the noise, but here's my write up of how-to...

http://www.grandprix.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=007648#000000

Good luck, both with diagnosis and patience.

Hey Tbat! There might be nothing wrong with your car. It might just be the noise of the tires. I had the same thing happen to both the '98 and the '05. Replacing the tires solved the problem ... and I thought for sure I was gonna have to replace the hubs again on BOTH cars.

Get the wheels off the ground and check for any play. If there's none, don't worry about it ... more than likely, it's just the tires that you hear and NOT the hubs.

I had the same problem. The manager at Discount tire told me it was from not rotating my tires as often as I should. He described the rear tires as being "chunky" and asked if I was getting interior drone. He said to rotate them and the noise should go down. I was getting a new set of tires so the fix really didnt matter to me then.

I actually had a friend of mine at work who owns Jeeps tell me his oversized tires will make more noise if they are wearing unevenly...which seems to support what you guys just offered...he said rotation and alignment make huge difference in the noise he gets...well I just had the alignment done so I'm guessing it aint that...I'm pretty sure my next set will be an "all weather" tread style instead of this directional "rain tire" style.

I also think since I drove home tonight that the stiffer suspension is transmitting more road noise into the car...there is certainly more road feel, I guess it stands to reason between the new springs and tread design it might make more noise than before.

I think Ijust need to put my mechanical brain in neutral and stop sweating details...part of me is just over-wound about having the car ready for this trip...I probably just need to let it alone a couple days and chill.

Thanks for the input guys...its much appreciated

Slick, you're more than welcome to bring your PT with you and see if I can be tuned some. I'll give you $20.

Tuner is already slated for the trip. I need to scan with the 3.25 and see if I can run it okay without having to do anything.

Had already offered tuning services to TBat as well, so it'll be out there for that as well. If we have time we can see what we can do with yours too.