Hi Guys!

I know, I hate to be like everyone else and their dog who register to just get an answer, but at this point, I'm about to go insane.

I'm a big time commuter with my little 2008 Mazda 3i Touring Value. (I drive about 110 miles a day) So, as you can imagine, I attempt to keep up on the oil change, tire rotation, etc.

Saturday I had my tires rotated and balanced, and ever since, I've been getting a weird humming noise around 60-70mph. You can hear it around 40mph, but the most prominent is higher speeds.

I have noticed that when the break is applied the sounds stops, but once you left off it reappears. I've checked all the lug nuts to make sure they were tight, which they all appeared to be. I also walked around the car, feeling the tread pattern. I did find that going in a clockwise motion was rough, but counter was smooth. It's this way for all the tires.

The tires are OEM with 25k miles on them. I realize they've had the run, and I'm due for some new ones, but I'm trying to make it last until winter hits. I'm also trying to figure out the problem before my warranty expires out as well.

A sound clip/video of the sound can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpUd_uAjLRQ

It's hard to hear, but its the higher pitch you're hearing - in person, it's more obviously.


Sorry for my novel long post asking for help, but I'm on the verge of insanity with this noise and I can only play music so loud! :P

 

i asked a similar question about my protege exhibiting similar symptoms. the sound was low frequency, it was pulsating, and it was hard to pinpoint. the best answer i got was the front/rear tires wear differently. the tires in the rear axle were newer than the front, and after a rotation, i started hearing the hum. ive since done another rotation but the hum is still there, but less noticable. im guessing the resonant frequencies of the rotation on the different tires were in and out of harmony.

 

When the tread is not smooth it's a definite alignment problem. When the wheels are 'scrubbing' sideways from a bad alignment they can make that pulsation noise. check if the inside is worn a lot differently than the outside of the tire, also from an alignment issue.