2003 C4S Road Noise ? help

[goldgun]

Hi Guys

picked up a 2003 C4S 6 speed manual ,im noticing a noise when driving(its louder on the highway),hard to explain it sounds like when a coffee pot is at the end of the brew ,any idea what it could be,its a 1 owner car with 23000,clean car fax,hard to explain(sounds like coffee pot perking fast,the rougher the road the louder it is,had a porsche tech drive the car he said he thinks its tires,i needed rears anyways so i put a set of Sumitomo HTR 111,noise is exactly the same so rule out tires,i had it checked again at the Porsche dealer,they said they think its wheel bearings,had them both changed and still have the noise,is this common with the 4S?,does the 4WD system transmit tire/road noise different?,just wondering if anyone has noticed this in there cars,i also have a 99C2 Tip and it is very smooth

any input appreciated Thanks Albert

[judgejon]

Hi Guys

picked up a 2003 C4S 6 speed manual ,im noticing a noise when driving(its louder on the highway),hard to explain it sounds like when a coffee pot is at the end of the brew ,any idea what it could be,its a 1 owner car with 23000,clean car fax,hard to explain(sounds like coffee pot perking fast,the rougher the road the louder it is,had a porsche tech drive the car he said he thinks its tires,i needed rears anyways so i put a set of Sumitomo HTR 111,noise is exactly the same so rule out tires,i had it checked again at the Porsche dealer,they said they think its wheel bearings,had them both changed and still have the noise,is this common with the 4S?,does the 4WD system transmit tire/road noise different?,just wondering if anyone has noticed this in there cars,i also have a 99C2 Tip and it is very smooth

any input appreciated Thanks Albert

Nope. My 2003 C4S is my daily driver with about the same mileage. Never noticed what you describe, although road surface does effect tire noise. I like Bridgestone 050 pole position's. Hope you solve this interesting question....

[Falcon900EX]

I had 15000 miles on a pair of Pzeros and my car sounded like the door was open. Get some new rubber!! I just dropped new Pzeros and it's like a new car!! I'd give and even money bet it's your tires. E :lol:

[Mann]

Are you sure it's not just the road noise? 996 is a noisy car in general. I have an 04 C2 with sports chassis and sports exhaust and it took me some time to get used to hearing and feeling road surface changes, bumps, grooves and the constant road noise in general. To put things in perspective, my friend has an e46 M3 competition package (not exactly the quietest car out there) and every time I ride with him I am taken aback by how quiet and soft it is compared to my 911. I really like my friends car but the raw feel and the sound of the exhaust is so much more engaging and fun to me. I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!! :D

Edited October 16, 2009 by Mann

[Falcon900EX]

I'm shocked what a difference the new tires have made. SHOCKED! I was hearing and feeling things I shouldn't have. My fronts were 6 years old, rears 3 years old and almost at the wear index. E :D :D

[goldgun]

i put a set of Sumitomo HTR 111,noise is the same,think it has anything to do with front differencial oil?

[Dennis C]

I'm not sure if this is the same noise, but my C4S makes a noise that is also more noticable on the highway that sounds like a pulley or air conditioning compressor, only it seems to come from the front of the car. I've got new tires and have had my front wheel bearings replaced.

In mine, it seems to be related to throttle input. If I'm cruising at 65 mph and I let off the gas, I don't hear it. If I start to press on the gas pedal, I hear it immediately. it doesn't change in pitch as the engine RPM increases. If my windows are open or if I am giving it lots of gas, I don't hear it. It is most noticable when I barely press the gas pedal at highway speed.

Does this sound like the issue you're having? I'll be interested to see, because I haven't found a solution to it yet. I was wondering if it was drivetrain noise related to the AWD sysem.

[goldgun]

I'm not sure if this is the same noise, but my C4S makes a noise that is also more noticable on the highway that sounds like a pulley or air conditioning compressor, only it seems to come from the front of the car. I've got new tires and have had my front wheel bearings replaced.

In mine, it seems to be related to throttle input. If I'm cruising at 65 mph and I let off the gas, I don't hear it. If I start to press on the gas pedal, I hear it immediately. it doesn't change in pitch as the engine RPM increases. If my windows are open or if I am giving it lots of gas, I don't hear it. It is most noticable when I barely press the gas pedal at highway speed.

Does this sound like the issue you're having? I'll be interested to see, because I haven't found a solution to it yet. I was wondering if it was drivetrain noise related to the AWD sysem.

[goldgun]

I'm not sure if this is the same noise, but my C4S makes a noise that is also more noticable on the highway that sounds like a pulley or air conditioning compressor, only it seems to come from the front of the car. I've got new tires and have had my front wheel bearings replaced.

In mine, it seems to be related to throttle input. If I'm cruising at 65 mph and I let off the gas, I don't hear it. If I start to press on the gas pedal, I hear it immediately. it doesn't change in pitch as the engine RPM increases. If my windows are open or if I am giving it lots of gas, I don't hear it. It is most noticable when I barely press the gas pedal at highway speed.

Does this sound like the issue you're having? I'll be interested to see, because I haven't found a solution to it yet. I was wondering if it was drivetrain noise related to the AWD sysem.

its hard to tell without hearing it yourself but it may be a similar noise,i discribe mine as a coffee pot perking fast at the end of the perk,it does get quieter or louder with different road surface,dont hear it as much when i gas it because of the engine roar,i too changed 2 front wheel bearing and got new tires and the noise is still there,im wondering if it has anything to do with front differencial oil low or need to be changed,like i said i had 2 porsche guys check it and they say its normal(i disagree),please keep me informed if you get any soulutions on your end and i will do the same Thanks Albert

[RF5BPilot]

...a coffee pot perking fast at the end of the perk....

Sounds like the tire "roar" we get in the Seattle area with the worn, pebbled surface. In a couple of places they're trying a new "quiet surface"--and suddenly the car becomes blissfully quiet....then roars again when you get back to the regular surface.

A new set of tires solves the problem for a while. But as they start to wear, the noise comes back. In my C2, it is so loud that it's hard to listen to the radio.

I have wondered if this isn't partly due to the newer, lower profile tires. A more traditional tire with wider sidewalls probably does more sound damping, where a lower profile, higher pressure tire transmits more of the noise.

[Dennis C]

Mine is clearly from the engine and/or drivetrain.