Just got my new Patriot a couple of days ago. After I stopped cranking the stereo, I began to notice a very faint vibration. It happens at 60kph and up, and definitely seems to follow the wheel speed.

I can't feel any vibration, its only barely audible, but there nonetheless. I'm thinking one of the wheels may be out of balance, or one of the tires is slightly out of round.

It's the first time I've had a complete set of new tires, so I don't know if I should expect any effect.

Anyone else notice this?

:confused:

You might be dead on with your diagnosis. Take it to the dealer and have them check the balance for you and perhaps anything else which might be out of place. Wheel weights sometimes fall off.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I checked the weights. They're there alright. I think I'm going to book an appointment for next week.

Well, just back from the dealer. They claimed that they could also hear the noise intermittently. They told me they checked the tire balance and rotated the tires. They've returned the keys, but didn't claim to have fixed the problem.

Well, they haven't, so the investigation will continue.

More updates to come...

Well, for anyone listening, I've narrowed the problem down. The dealer actually made the problem worse - but that's actually a good thing! The dealer rotated the tires. When I noticed the problem was worse, I figured that the problem moved with the tires - aha, its not the propshafts or axles! Its louder now - therefore, probably moved closer to the driver! So, I swapped the spare on each of the front wheels and voila, when I put the spare on the drivers side front wheel, the ride was smooth as glass!

So, I'm back off to the dealer to sort this out. They either didn't balance the tire (maybe), I have a bad tire (maybe), or a bad rim (unlikely). So I'll get them to really check the balance, and if it turns out I have a bad but balanced wheel we'll try to change out the tire.

Whew, after the dealer told me he checked the balance, I thought it might be the propshaft!

I've had cars in the past which have had a tire resonance. Especially the '04 Cadillac CTS-V with Goodyear runflats. Those tires just sucked for road noise and some pretty weird harmonics above 78 mph.

I'd definitely go with the tire as the culprit. Sounds like some part of the internal construction of the tire is screwed up. Did you notice any imbalance at two different speed ranges, say 40-45, then 75-80? Did the tires run smooth until a lateral load was applied, say a long sweeping curve? If, during or after the curve, did the tires get out of balance and then smooth out?

Also, you may want to get the remaining tires balanced using Hunter "road force" balancer. Try a local shop and it should be about $10 per tire. These machines will find problems and make recommendations, such as rotating the tire on the rim, or replacing a tire.

Lastly, what brand tires does your Patriot have?

Hi:

I've been out of town for a few weeks. Anyhow, while I was away my wife took the Jeep down to the local Goodyear dealer. They did confirm that something wasn't right with the tire and repaired it under warranty.

Unfortunately I wan't there to interrogate the fellow to determine exactly what the problem was. It seems that they did replace the tire.

The symptoms you mention, Tempersix, sound familiar. Any idea what the problem was in your case?

For now I'll watch 'em for a bit to make sure that the problem is now gone.

The tires are the Goodyear Wranglers that come with the Off-road package. I don't expect them to be terrifically quiet as they are an off-road tire, and the tread is such that I would expect it to pick up the occasional stone.

I've never been told exactly what the problems were other than internal tire construction faults, such as belts shifting around, etc. It's probably impossible without dissecting the tire. Anyway, good luck with them...

Well-It's time to close this thread: case closed. No more noise or vibration. Bad luck with a new tire and it was replaced under warranty by Goodyear.

Cheers

I had the same issue with my Patriot when I picked it up. The 07 I bought last Thursday had actually been sitting on the dealer lot for some time. One of the tires had flat spotted from sitting too long. It was replaced when I took delivery and the noise went away.

~Mike R~

That is exactly what I was thinking, an out of round tire. They happen. The tire will be balanced, but you get that darn vibration. It's good you brought the subject up, that way others can be aware of it.