2005 rolling noise from front- buzz

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by LKasdorf, Jun 26, 2022.

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  1. LKasdorf

    LKasdorf Junior Member

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    My 2005 Prius is rather noisy going down the road. It has a sound equivalent to driving with metal studded tires- a buzz that changes with speed. The tires are Toyo and in decent shape. The car has over 200k, so I'm wondering if it is a wheel bearing or something else in the drive train? We have another 2005 Prius which is much quieter.
    The sound reminds me a little of clipping a baseball card to flap against the spokes of a bicycle, but not quite as extreme. I'd guess wheel bearing, but I think they have more of a growl or rumble sound?
    I plan to rotate tires front to back and see if it changes.
     
    #1 LKasdorf, Jun 26, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2022
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    good idea, does it change with speed?
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 26, 2022
  3. LKasdorf

    LKasdorf Junior Member

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    Yes, and at 60 or 70 it is quite noticeable.
     
    #3 LKasdorf, Jun 26, 2022
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    once you eliminate the tires, it has to be a bearing, unless it changes when turning (might be a cvj)
     
    #4 bisco, Jun 26, 2022
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Since you have 2 of the same cars, you can swap the tires on both cars to see if things change. If the noise follows the tires, then you’ll know what to replace
     
    #5 JC91006, Jun 26, 2022
  6. LKasdorf

    LKasdorf Junior Member

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    I have a rather new set of tires on a currently dead Prius that I'm going to put on tomorrow. I do not have high hopes.
    I know a good Toyota shop. I wonder what a fair prices would be to do wheel bearings?
     
    #6 LKasdorf, Jun 26, 2022
  7. LKasdorf

    LKasdorf Junior Member

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    I swapped out the Toyo tires with cheap Westlake tires. The noise went away! So, either the Toyos are inherently noisy (which I doubt), or there is a defect- or maybe something as simple as a pebble or other object embedded in one of the tires that makes the noise. I need to inspect carefully.
     
    #7 LKasdorf, Jun 27, 2022
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles on the toyo's?
     
    #8 bisco, Jun 27, 2022
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It may just have worn unevenly. Many times if you have bad shocks/struts, it will make the tire jump and over time, this will cause the tire to wear unevenly and cause noise while you drive.

    Also Toyo tires are not known to be quiet tires. They came standard on my 2010 with 17" rims, they were really noisy tires
     
    #9 JC91006, Jun 27, 2022
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