Question about transaxle and tires etc

[1997reduxe]

Hi all.

I have a question about tires and transaxle.

I just got a 95 i posted a pic of it a while back.

It has almost 145K, a 2.2, its a 5 speed MT.

It runs great, and while i know the tires should be all the same tread and wear and size,

well i looked at the tires when i bought it and they were all the same, but now after i drove

it a few weeks i notice that when i pull out like in second and third even the front tires chirp

a little.

And they are actually less tread and a little smaller therefore not by tire size but more wear.

They arent exactly the most rubber on the road tires more almost like off road ones and pretty old.

But what i was wondering is could this chirping or squealing, its that the tires are actually "peeling rubber" haha for a second pulling out, could this and the wear of the front tires be from a trans problem or incorrect adjustment of the rear to front? is there any adjustment for that?

or will new tires clear it up?

the other thing of note the other day i had it inspected, and they did the emissions and there was like zero emissions at least compared to their standard on the paper. someone must have really changed the oil. the receipts said they did.

thanks so much

dan

Edited December 15, 2016 by 1997reduxe

[1 Lucky Texan]

tires in the range of 6-10 years old can have problems. The rubber cross links and might be more brittle or loose some other desirable characteristics.

 

at minimum, consider swapping tires from front to rear (and readjust the pressure according to the door card, maybe 1 or 2 psi above those numbers - stay below the max listed on the sidewall)

[1997reduxe]

Thanks other Texan. ;0

I was thinking about it it might just be cause since the fronts pull the car theyre wearing more or the guy who put them on car got them used and they werent even sizes to begin with. They are pretty old. I found some nice Continentals ContiPros im going to try them theyre used but practically new.

I just wondered really if theres some adjustment front to back i never heard of it jus wondering.

Dan

[1 Lucky Texan]

could you have a FWD car? I know there are some up to 1994, not sure the last year they made them. And some folks have modified soobs to be FWD-only. Might explain all the power going up front???

[idosubaru]

There are no adjustments, it's either working properly or it is not.  There is maintenance like transmission fluid and tires that affect 4WD components, though not typically in the direction you're describing unless your current situation is an artifact of past attempts to fix symptoms....but that sentence wont' make any sense for someone not familiar with this car so maybe some questions will help:

 

1.  is it FWD or AWD?   FWD was available until 1996 and they can be swapped (i've done it)

 

2.  check that the rear driveshaft is installed from the transmission all the way back to the rear differential.  people will remove the driveshaft on a failed (they fail to "locked") VLSD trans which makes it run like a FWD vehicle. 

 

3.  yes tires could do it - but when are they chirping?  it's fairly flat in houston so i'd suspect you'd have to really be mashing the pedal and launch, usually any FWD can chirp when turning on a steep grade from a stop...but that's not common in houston. 

 

4.  You'd probably already mention this if this was the case but do you feel any "slowing down" like your rear brakes are dragging?  Symptoms might be poor gas mileage, smelling the brakes or - do you feel any "dragging" when you coast? 

[DaveT]

The front tires always wear faster. They do more work. Turning, accelleration, braking. The more agressivly any or all of these are applied, the more wear.

[Rooster2]

I understand with Subaru AWD, power to wheels is about 90% front, 10% rear. I don't know if that applies to both auto trannys and 5 speeds. As mentioned, the front tires wear faster because of this, plus more weight (from the drive train) being up front adds to front tire wear. I agree, swapping tires front to back, and back to front is a good idea. I agree, as mentioned, that as tires get old, the rubber compound hardens and does not grip the pavement as well. That too, could be a cause of your front tires loosing grip, and chirping.

 

I would bet that new tires would clear up this issue, but I guess that really depends on how much tread life you have left in existing tires.

[1997reduxe]

thanks for all the replies. well i seem to have solved it i got four brand new continental procontacts, you wont believe the deals they have here, for 350 mounted and balanced and old tires taken away, and no tax. i think they can probably sell the old ones so that was in lieu of a tip.

theyre a little small esp compared to the old knobby beasts, but i mainly wanted to get the old ones off the moaned so much and i didnt want to damage the trans any more than already had been if it had. but all looks good oh my god does it drive 100 percent better. i neer had continentals i was always a michelin man the old x-ones and then hydroedges with the long long warranty and then usually longer than that.

but continentals nice. it even steers a lot lighter just beautiful. now to get ready for the timing belt setup.

again, thanks so much for the replies its nice to be home.

Edited December 16, 2016 by 1997reduxe

[idosubaru]

awesome. Easy fixes are always a good thing!