Hi,

For the last few weeks, I seem to notice the road noise a lot more when driving the FL2. Unfortunately I read these forums too much and I always think the worst!

Could it be a dodgy bearing/haldex/gearbox or similar (a la http://www.freel2.com/forum/post152796.html#152796 ) or is it just my noisey tyres (a la http://www.freel2.com/forum/post151631.html#15163 )?

I have had two new tyres put on about 12 weeks ago and they are Wranglers (the same as what was taken off). The tone of the noise does change with different surfaces. There is a slight vibration though at about 100km/h, almost like an unbalanced wheel, particularly when the car had four people in it last week.

Is there anything I can do, that is hopefully cheap, to rule out the chances of it being something mechanical that has started to go?

Thanks for you help,
Whytey 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

G'Day Whitey, I changed from the OE Wranglers to Michelin Latitude Tour because of the road noise -the Michelins are definitely quieter. The vibration could be wheel balance, either front or rear wheels. If your Freelander is a manual you could try going into neutral at the relevant speeds thereby taking the load off the drivetrain, to see if the noise changes.
Cheers, Graham

May not be much help, but I reckon my new Wranglers (actually about a year old now) are noisier than the original ones, even though tread pattern is the same. My fitter tells me that manufacturers are constantly refining their tyre composition, so two tyres that look identical may have subtle differences.

Hi,

If the noise changes on a different surface it should be the tyres

When I start to notice too much road noise in the Lr2... I take my 1973 series 3 for a few days. After that when I step back in the Lr2 I find it very quiet.

It's happening to me too. And when I ride other cars than the Lr2 I see that the Lr2 is relly quiet. It's just that we get use to it and then you start to ear stuff.. 1973 Land Rover Series 3 88''
2010 Land Rover Lr2

For some months im also hearing a humming noise comming from the rear when im driving above 90 kmh.
Anyone else got this problem?

Thanks everybody for the responses.

I have been thinking about this issue quite heavily for the last couple of days.

I checked the pressure in the tyres and found they were at 34/35 psi, rather than the 32 psi recommended for the 17" wheels. I let some air out and initially thought I had made a difference but I think it was placebo. It certainly didn't seem any quieter when I did a more substantial drive today. Since there was a really slight vibration at about 100km/h today, it really did feel like wheel balancing.

I then thought some more about what I had done when I had the new tyres put on. When I took the car in, I needed new rear tyres and the fronts needed balancing since a weight had gone walk-abouts in the weeks leading up to my visit to the tyre shop.

With the recent vibration and noise seeming to come from the rear, I couldn't understand what had happened but then I noticed the new tyres have been put on the front; probably the best place for them given the way the transmission operates and the fact they are the important steering wheels So, that meant the older tyres were on the rear, which puts a halt to the idea that the new Wranglers may just be noisier than the previous pair.

When I checked my receipt though, I was only ever charged for the balance of the new tyres that were put on (despite me explicitly asking for a full balance and alignment). As it turns out, this was all done 6 months ago or about 10,000kms. Who knows what damage that vibration could have been doing the drive-train!

Long and the short of it, I am going to get another balance and alignment done on all wheels ASAP. Hopefully that will be the end of the problem.

Cheers,
Whytey 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

There has been some discussion on here to the contrary, but the usual recommendation is that new tyres should always be fitted on the rear of the car. If you google the subject you'll find that manufacturers and fitting companies always recommend this. You might want to get yours swapped back as well as rebalanced. eg