Vibration/rattle

[White D4]

Hey All

I have had a vibration/rattle coming from the steering wheel it used to kick in around 60kmph then about 40,000km ago LR replaced the Hydra bushes, rack and complete steering column as well as the steering wheel.

Seemed to fix have fixed it for about 10,000km then the vibration came back, now it kicks in between 85km & 95km and is getting so loud the radio doesn't even drown it out, it's been back to LR four times and they say it is fixed but as soon as I take it out its back.

LR now tell me it's my Continental Cross Contact AT tyres, but it never did it from new, then even after the steering was replaced for a while, I have had the tyres re-balanced, wheel alignment done and all that but it's still there.

I have a new set of tyres going on next week same as I have on now, have just clicked 90,000km on the original set and they could still get another's 5,000km from them but am heading away so want some good rubber.

I will take it back to LR after I have the new Tyres on and push for them to find the issue as it is now very bad and it's worrying me being in the steering.

Anyone have a similar issue?

Cheers
Paul

[NavyDiver]

My tie rod ends replaced after 262000km, Control arms replaced about 100,000km ago both gave a vibration or rattle of sorts on my D3. I wonder if either of these could be your issue?

[Graeme]

Mine had a rattle that started after a body lift which got progressively worse. I found the bolt clamping the middle section of the steering column to the top section just below the firewall wasn't fully tight.

[austeve01]

Hey All

I have had a vibration/rattle coming from the steering wheel it used to kick in around 60kmph then about 40,000km ago LR replaced the Hydra bushes, rack and complete steering column as well as the steering wheel.

Seemed to fix have fixed it for about 10,000km then the vibration came back, now it kicks in between 85km & 95km and is getting so loud the radio doesn't even drown it out, it's been back to LR four times and they say it is fixed but as soon as I take it out its back.

LR now tell me it's my Continental Cross Contact AT tyres, but it never did it from new, then even after the steering was replaced for a while, I have had the tyres re-balanced, wheel alignment done and all that but it's still there.

I have a new set of tyres going on next week same as I have on now, have just clicked 90,000km on the original set and they could still get another's 5,000km from them but am heading away so want some good rubber.

I will take it back to LR after I have the new Tyres on and push for them to find the issue as it is now very bad and it's worrying me being in the steering.

Anyone have a similar issue?

Cheers
Paul

Hi,
Re LR telling you it is your Continental Cross Contact AT tyres being the problem .. I have a set of these tyres with 52000 kms on them and I have never experienced what you have to date. I find them to be an excellent tyre wearing very evenly.
Hope you find the problem soon.

Cheers.

[kingo]

Hi Paul, my d3 had a noisy vibration at those speeds, LR Melb couldn't find anything, after an hour under the car myself, I found the front left axle had some play in it, had it replaced and all good. This would be about 40000kms ago,it was very easy to grab each axle and give them a good wobble to check for any sideways movement. Ritter found the problem axle, which are greased for life, was completely dry of grease.

Good luck

Andrew

[DiscoWeb]

White D4,

I have the Cross Contact AT, now with about 55,000 km on them and probably 1/3rd tread life left so might not get 90,000km but should get close to 75,000 km out of them.

I have over the past few months noticed a little bit of a shudder at highway speeds, not a big issue but just enough to notice. I have had a balanced and aligned done which helped but did not fix it.

For me I think it might be the bushes as there is a noticeable clunk from my front left wheel/ suspension when travelling off road on patchy ground and after a trip in the high Country at Christmas time I notice a bit of an off center feel when at low speeds.

I will get it looked at on my next service in a few weeks.

Hopefully for you it is just the tyres and a new set will fix things.

Not sure if I will go with the Conti's again, might try the new Bridgestone LT tyre as mine are a litte cut up around the blocks and I have to retire one early due to a cut on the sidewall.

With more offroad planned I think an LT tyre will serve my better, but I have been very happy with the Cross Contact A/Ts todate.

Regards,

George

[BobD]

White D4,

I also have Cross Contact AT tyres and I have something similar to what you describe. Mine have done about 30,000km, 50% on very rough roads. My wheel alignment is not crash hot and the tyres are scalloping slightly on the inside.

At between 70 and 90 on smooth roads there is a loud whining / vibration, so bad that it rattles a badly fitting steel cover that is part of the ECB bullbar installation. I thought my front wheel bearings had failed so I put my old Goodyear tyres back on to check whether it was a wheel bearing or a tyre. This proved that it was the tyres causing the problem, not the bearings. The car is absolutely silent with the old worn out Wranglers on 19 inch rims comared with the loud noises now coming from the Continentals on 18inch rims. Like you, the tyres were very quiet when new.

I reckon you will find that new tyres will fix your problem. I can't believe you have got such a high mileage out them so far. So far two of my six have been destroyed by rocks on rough Kimberley roads and the tread is badly cut up by rocks on the remaining rear tyres. I will be scrapping them this year before my trip to the Simpson Desert as I no longer trust them on rough rocky roads and they are more than half worn anyway. I also want bigger 285 tyres for off road use so the Contis will have to go before August!

Bob

[DiscoWeb]

White D4,

I can't believe you have got such a high mileage out them so far. So far two of my six have been destroyed by rocks on rough Kimberley roads and the tread is badly cut up by rocks on the remaining rear tyres.

Bob

Bob,

Not surprising really.

I am a still working Sydney dweller and unfortunately the vast majority of my driving is on sealed road. If I am honest probably well less than 5% of my driving would have been on gravel roads, sand or off road and none of that on rough Kimberly roads.

I am pretty sure I have mentioned each time I made comment on the Cross Contact that the side wall is soft and prone to damage. No big problem for me to date but if I was planning a lot of driving in the middle of nowhere I would think twice about these tyres. However for me they have performed well and I would be happy to recommend them as a good compromise A/T tyre where you spend most time on the black top but try and get into the dirt every now and then.

Maybe the new Bridgestone LT construction tyres would be a good option for you.

Regardless it interesting to note the tyre is what is causing you your problems.

Regards,

George

[BobD]

Bob,

Maybe the new Bridgestone LT construction tyres would be a good option for you.

George

At the moment I am tossing up between Bridgestone D697 and Cooper Zeon, both 285/60R18. I think I am leaning toward the Zeons due to availability and price (as well as Gordon's recommendation) but I am still a bit concerned about the sidewalls on the Zeons in rough rocky terrain.

Re the Contis, I am currently using them as my main tyre. Now that I know there is no wheel bearing problem I have reinstalled them and are using them for as long as possible.

Bob

[discotwinturbo]

At the moment I am tossing up between Bridgestone D697 and Cooper Zeon, both 285/60R18. I think I am leaning toward the Zeons due to availability and price (as well as Gordon's recommendation) but I am still a bit concerned about the sidewalls on the Zeons in rough rocky terrain.

Re the Contis, I am currently using them as my main tyre. Now that I know there is no wheel bearing problem I have reinstalled them and are using them for as long as possible.

Bob

Bob, I give my LTZ's a hell of a time. Plenty of very stoney to very rocky dirt roads. Have now completed two lots of rock crawling obstacles with pressures down to 18 for the tyres to mold over the sharp rocks, and no issues...no chips or cuts. 22 psi on the crappy dirt tracks at speed going into Israelite bay. Down to 9-10 psi for callcup dunes in wa.
I am very impressed with the sidewall strength. Their side walls are thick, hence the highway pressures only needing to be around 35psi.
Have had coopers since 2000 and have not been let down yet.

Brett....

[BobD]

Thanks Brett. That is what Gordon is telling me as well and they are less than $400 each, so pretty good value.

The sidewalls on the Cross Contacts are very thin, as I found out when one got cut by a sharp rock and went bang while overtaking two trucks on a freshly graded Kimberley "road". It was pretty embarrassing having to pull over to change a tyre immediately after passing them and covering them in dust.

Bob