Excessive Road Noise? Howling/humming sound

[stoopid]

I'm thinking about getting a set of 18" wheels with 225/45/18 snow tires on them...the same size that some of the 2018 Stinger GT AWD came with. I wonder if the smaller wheel/tire with more sidewall will address the issue or at least cut it down significantly.

Likely would, although a bit depends on the tire design it's mostly an effect of having such small amount of sidewall. So with more sidewall you can definitely assume less NVH.

I listened closely for this effect on my commute this morning, it's not there most of the time and when it does appear it's only briefly on specific surfaces at specific speeds. I wouldn't want to live with the noise heard in the Polstar video, but what I'm experiencing with the Stinger is absolutely normal/expected. If other Stinger owners experience this more often with the same tire setup, then I would assume the road surface type and speed they travel on average are the unfortunate 'sweet' spot for experiencing the worse the tires have to offer.

 

[Pandru]

I just called that customer service number again, and they told me that the kia engineers are still looking into it. Their current theory is that it is some sort of excessive resonance coming from the exhaust system. I dont know why the service department at the dealer is saying something different, but thats a seperate issue. If they can determine a fix for it they would have us bring our cars back in for the fix. In the meantime we are expected to live with it.
I'm debating what to do here. If they find a fix relatively soon I would gladly keep the car. I have no clue how long it will take them to find a fix, if they can find one at all. The longer I wait and the more miles I put on the car the less money I will recoup through the lemon law. I am fairly certain we will qualify for it though if they haven't found a solution within 30 days of the time they are made aware of the issue. Granted I would definitely consult a lawyer before submitting anything to kia on it though.

When you picked your car up the other day did you take another Stinger out to verify their claim they all make the noise? I’ve been trying to diagnose it more today...I’m back and forth whether it’s tire cavity noise resonating through the suspension into the cabin or something completely different. I was on a long stretch of highway today and it was howling so loud it gave me a headache.

 

[stoopid]

When you picked your car up the other day did you take another Stinger out to verify their claim they all make the noise? I’ve been trying to diagnose it more today...I’m back and forth whether it’s tire cavity noise resonating through the suspension into the cabin or something completely different. I was on a long stretch of highway today and it was howling so loud it gave me a headache.

I noticed it around the speeds in the Polstar video today, 55-65MPH on a specific type of blacktop. Does this correlate in any way with your experience?

In my case, today and in the past week, it is/was the tires resonating.

I think the reason this isn't a big deal for me is the speed limits on most of the open roads where I am are 65 or 70MPH, so I'm above the speeds where the tires create the howl. We also need to consider if this is a summer tire being run in the cooler winter months issue. The rubber on summer tires gets really hard when the temps dip below 50F. Below 30F one could argue they shouldn't even be driven on.

 

[Pandru]

I noticed it around the speeds in the Polstar video today, 55-65MPH on a specific type of blacktop. Does this correlate in any way with your experience?

In my case, today and in the past week, it is/was the tires resonating.

I think the reason this isn't a big deal for me is the speed limits on most of the open roads where I am are 65 or 70MPH, so I'm above the speeds where the tires create the howl.

I can hear it on every road surface, I can hear it when I’m going as little 10 mph...it’s the same noise and same pitch. Occasionally on the highway it will get extremely loud to the point where it’s completely noticeable over the stereo at full volume

 

[G-108311]

I can hear it on every road surface, I can hear it when I’m going as little 10 mph...it’s the same noise and same pitch. Occasionally on the highway it will get extremely loud to the point where it’s completely noticeable over the stereo at full volume

And they replaced the tires? A bad belt / bulging tire can cause that. Heck, alignment being off with awd can create weird effects on the drivetrain (if you have awd).

 

[stoopid]

I can hear it on every road surface, I can hear it when I’m going as little 10 mph...it’s the same noise and same pitch. Occasionally on the highway it will get extremely loud to the point where it’s completely noticeable over the stereo at full volume

If it's at really low speeds then we're not hearing the same thing. Sounds like wheel bearings to me.

 

[Pandru]

If it's at really low speeds then we're not hearing the same thing. Sounds like wheel bearings to me.

I'm dropping it off at another dealership Monday for a second opinion, I can say with 100% certainty that the noise mine makes would not be considered acceptable or a characteristic of the car as KIA claims by anyone else if they drove it. I don't disagree that some of them MAY make a similar sound but I think DrKronwall and I have two unique Stingers in this regard...we bought them both from the same dealer at the same time.

 

[DTD]

I've had my stinger for about two weeks now (brand new) and I can't help but notice in the past week or so there is a howling or humming sound coming from what sounds to be the front left wheel area or somewhere around there. To me the sound is similar to blowing over an open bottle. The sound is present over the typical road noise that we should expect. Could this be a tire, wheel alignment or something else? The noise doesn't really change pitch or get any louder dependent on speed so I doubt it would be a wheel bearing especially since the car only has 650 miles on it. I can produce the sound from about 20-80+ mph and it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference what kind of road surface I'm on. I've put it in neutral and coasted and the sound is still there. No change in sound when using different drive modes, turning off engine enhancement sounds or that either.

I'll probably take it into the dealer but was just reaching out to see if anyone has dealt with something similar to this before and if they were able to track it down and resolve it. It definitely isn't something I'd consider a normal sound and I test drove a few other Stingers before purchasing mine and don't recall hearing this noise. Sorry if the description is vague haha. Such an amazing car but this is definitely a slight annoyance...

Was this sound present when you test drove the car? I have not read about others on the forum having this problem with their cars. To me this would be a deal breaker as you have said that this sound can be heard over all other sounds and can get very loud. Bummer.

 

[Pandru]

Was this sound present when you test drove the car? I have not read about others on the forum having this problem with their cars. To me this would be a deal breaker as you have said that this sound can be heard over all other sounds and can get very loud. Bummer.

Nope, it was not present on the used stinger I test drove nor mine when new. The noise started after a few hundred miles, same is the case for DrKronwall in this thread.

 

[DTD]

Nope, it was not present on the used stinger I test drove nor mine when new. The noise started after a few hundred miles, same is the case for DrKronwall in this thread.

I hope you find the solution!

 

[Pandru]

I hope you find the solution!

Kia Premier Customer service recommended getting a second opinion, we'll see what the other dealer says - dropping off the car tomorrow.

 

[Craigj3534]

I just test drove a new, 2021 GT1 Stinger on Saturday, 12/19/20, and heard the noise at every speed. Very distressing, as I loved everything else about the car and would have bought it right then if it hadn't had this problem. I also tested a Genesis V70 just an hour earlier, and it had no such noise even though it had the same V6 engine and AWD drivetrain. (I didn't take the Genesis as I had trouble getting in and out of the car easily - I'm a big guy and with fused vertebrae in my neck so I had trouble getting my head in past the door frame - otherwise the car was great. The cabin of the Stinger seem more open and I liked the "hatchback" feature, reminding me of my Accords from the 80's). I'm in northern NJ, BTW.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Howdy, Craig. As you can tell from the conversation, cold summer tires could be a major contributor to this noise. Or, it's just a noise that some people are uber sensitive to. Hearing is our most aesthetic sense, and also the most inescapable.

 

[Pandru]

Howdy, Craig. As you can tell from the conversation, cold summer tires could be a major contributor to this noise. Or, it's just a noise that some people are uber sensitive to. Hearing is our most aesthetic sense, and also the most inescapable.

We have the Michelin Primacy Tour All Seasons here in MN, not sure if we can even get the Stinger here with the Summers

 

[MerlintheMad]

We have the Michelin Primacy Tour All Seasons here in MN, not sure if we can even get the Stinger here with the Summers

It's an eliminated cause in your situation. But maybe not in Craig's? Anyway, your issue is different than a brand new car. Your noise came in literally "down the road" from when you bought your Stinger. If brand new Stingers are giving off a "cavitation" type sound, then either a bad tire or bearing could be the cause. A test drive of a second Stinger for comparison is a good idea: also getting the opinions of passengers: talk about "that noise" and see if others hear it and if so how much it bothers them. Etc.

 

[Pandru]

It's an eliminated cause in your situation. But maybe not in Craig's? Anyway, your issue is different than a brand new car. Your noise came in literally "down the road" from when you bought your Stinger. If brand new Stingers are giving off a "cavitation" type sound, then either a bad tire or bearing could be the cause. A test drive of a second Stinger for comparison is a good idea: also getting the opinions of passengers: talk about "that noise" and see if others hear it and if so how much it bothers them. Etc.

I’m heading out shortly to drive a new and used Stinger. I dropped my car off at another dealer for a second opinion this morning as well. Will report back with my observations

 

[TimT]

It's an eliminated cause in your situation. But maybe not in Craig's? Anyway, your issue is different than a brand new car. Your noise came in literally "down the road" from when you bought your Stinger. If brand new Stingers are giving off a "cavitation" type sound, then either a bad tire or bearing could be the cause. A test drive of a second Stinger for comparison is a good idea: also getting the opinions of passengers: talk about "that noise" and see if others hear it and if so how much it bothers them. Etc.

Tire wear can lead to the sound coming in overtime. I had that happen when I was running my 20" Vossens on a set of Yokohamas, googleing the howling noise and Yokohama lead me to understanding that the specific set of Yokohamas were infamously known for the howling noise across a variety of cars.

 

[Pandru]

Alright, back after test driving a 2021 GT AWD and a used 2020 GT2 AWD with 10k miles, both with the Michelin all season tires. I listened for the sound and it was more noticeable on the brand new car than the used car, so it's definitely there. I will say that the noise my car makes is significantly louder and seems more consistent. At this point I will see what the other dealer says after looking at it. I did send Michelin an email asking if they ever intended on making an acoustic tire option that would fit our cars, we'll see what they say. IF this is tire related, the acoustic models cure it according to the Polestar owner I talked to.

Michelin Acoustic Technology Tires | Michelin

Michelin Acoustic Technology - Learn more about how we can significantly reduce interior noise by approximately 20% while still delivering the best performance.

www.michelinman.com

 

[Pandru]

Just got my car back from the second KIA dealer, the service manager and I took out a 2021 GT and the noise was there, although much, much more faint. He said in his opinion if mine was a 10, the new car was a 4-5 on noise level. Not sure why my tires are so much louder with only 1000 miles, tire pressure didn't seem to make too much of a difference as they tried various pressures with little to no change.

 

[StingsLikeABee]

For the record I have been encountering the exact same issue as the OP of this thread - further described here: Irritating humming noise.

I really think it's the tires and I'm going to open up a tech line with Kia as well to find a resolution. I initially chalked it up to acoustics and the nature of the car, but with this thread I am glad to see that I am not the only one with this issue

Irritating humming noise.

I had this noise on my winter tires which are Toyos on 18s with a square setup. It would only happen while turning, at a specific point during the turn. Not all the time either. Sounded like it was coming from the front but its hard to place. I switched back to the stock rims/tires since it...

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