Van Question: Could bad tires ever cause a wind-type noise?

[lukebuz]

OK, on the wife's minivan (2012 Kia) there is a wind noise that drives us both crazy.  It's a whipping, windy type noise.  Ya'll know it.
I've tried EVERYTHING from additional foam to tighten the seal, to masking taping the actual door closed (to prevent any air infiltration), to removing the roof rack (permanent rails), and on and on.  Seals are tight, can't even pull a piece of paper out of the closed door.  Windows seal tight.

We are about to give up and sell a nice, reliable van because it's noisy.
Took it to the dealer for a "last chance" appointment under warranty, and they said it's my badly worn tires.  I need new tires in about a year...and 2 are odd.
2 are "OK" but worn with 1 year left.  1 is brand new (rear), from a blowout or something from previous owner, and 1 is worn irregularly (rear), bald on the outside, lots of tread inside.

So, before I spend $700 I won't get backon new tires, how in the world could bad tires cause a wind noise?  Are they full of it?

Currently waiting to hear back if they will swap wheels with another van to see if that fixes it...they aren't crazy about the idea...

[sirdoug007]

Worn tires can cause all kinds of noises.

You need an alignment (that is what killed that tire) and a new set of tires.

Tires are the most important safety device on any vehicle and they must be changed regularly. 

[Digital Dogma]

Do you have a sunroof? Is it sealed shut?

Does the noise manifest when your windows are down? Where does it seem to be coming from (front end, rear end, above you, etc?)

If your tires are bald they need to be replaced, it doesn't matter if the outside still has tread, you're at risk of hydroplaning and destroying your otherwise good but noisy vehicle.

[Melf]

How long have you owned this van?  I'm guessing not all that long.  Has it made this noise the entire time?  It sounds like there may be some alignment issues if the rear tire with abnormal wear was once on the front.  Does the van pull to either side or have any vibration at some speeds?   Some tires make more noise than others so it's possible your noise issue is coming from the current tires.  Check the front tires closely and look for uneven wear.  You may just need an alignment and new set of tires to sort it all out.

Also check underneath the front of the van for any loose splash guards.  Those often start coming loose after a few years and might cause some noise as the wind catches them while driving.

[lukebuz]

Well, no sunroof, and once you open the windows, the noise pretty much goes away (cause all you hear is window open noise!).  It doesn't pull or drift or anything like that.  And yeah, we've only had it for 3 months.  We did hear the noise right away, but I figured for sure a little weatherstripping would fix it.  Unfortunately not...

I'll check for loose splashguards, but I think they are OK from my once over I gave it.

[Digital Dogma]

Well, no sunroof, and once you open the windows, the noise pretty much goes away (cause all you hear is window open noise!). 

I wonder if a window deflector/rain guard wouldn't solve the problem, since you describe it as a wind-type noise it could very well just be the air flow around the front end of your vehicle making the noise.

I had a situation where I could've SWORN my vent fan bearings were shot, I would hear a whistle/wind noise every time my vent fan was set above medium even after turning it on/off a bunch it kept up each time I tried something different... till I realized that my passenger side window was baaaaaarely cracked open. The pressure in the cab from the vent fan interacted with the cracked open window to make a hell of a whistling wind noise from the entire front end. It stopped when I closed the window another millimeter or so, ending my nightmare of imagining ripping my dash apart to spray a vent fan with WD 40.

[paddedhat]

When you state "everything" did this include masking tape anywhere near the mirrors?  I had a van that made all kinds of whistling racket, until I closed the gap between the mirror and the mirror mount with a scrap of tape.................end of story. If you haven't yet, give it a shot.

[lukebuz]

Yup!  Taped up the mirrors, folded them in, and all that.  No dice.
I may have to look into a bug deflector or similar.  Worth a shot, I suppose.

[cars+FIRE]

If you're handy enough, you can rotate your tires yourself at no cost, temporarily, to see if the noise goes away or changes.  If your tires are bad and/or worn in a weird way causing the noise, swapping your front and rear tires will have a pretty big impact on the noise created.

Then you can make an informed decision on if you need to spend the $$ on the tires.

[Money Badger]

@lukebuz,   Try a simple tire rotation first to see if the noise changes at all.   While at it, look under the car to see if maybe there is any underneath part (air dam, etc) or even a plstuc bag or other object in the underside flapping around.    If the noise changes after the rotation, its tires.   

And echo what others said, you need to replace at least 2 tires and ensure even tread at least on each axle.   Else, the first panic stop on those worn shoes may be your last.    Let us know what it is regardless as we're intrigued!

[lukebuz]

Yeah, it wasn't the tires.

Maybe a facepunch, but I'm using my tools to fix this, selling it, and getting something else.  Same price mostly, but I'll take a small loss :-(

[KarefulKactus15]

Turn the radio up! =D

[TheAnonOne]

Yeah, it wasn't the tires.

Maybe a facepunch, but I'm using my tools to fix this, selling it, and getting something else.  Same price mostly, but I'll take a small loss :-(

Did the tires need replacement anyway? I don't think a wind noise would require dumping the car...