Is your car making a rolling and tumbling noise, and after parking on the side of the road to inspect the wheels, you realize that all the tires are in good condition? There’s an explanation as to why your tires sound like they’re flat when they aren’t.
In many situations, your car’s false flat tire sound is caused by bad tires, worn shocks, or lousy alignment. Low air pressure and impact with elements on the road could also be the reason. But in some cases, it’s just a sign that your tires have reached the brink of their wear and tear.
I’m a professional mechanic, and in most vehicles where we’ve had to repair this issue, we’ve diagnosed some of the factors mentioned above as the root cause.
In the rest of this article, I will show you how these factors can make your car sound like it has a flat tire and what you can do on your part to make your tires function correctly again.
Table of Contents
6 Reasons Why Your Car Sounds Like It Has A Flat Tire But Doesn’t
Low Air Pressure
The first place to look at when your car sounds like it has flat tires but doesn’t is the tire pressure of all tires.
Use a reliable tire pressure gauge to confirm that the PSI values of all your tires are equal. If one is lower than the recommended value, your TPMS should alert you (but you can’t rely on that, mainly due to weather factors)
So fill your tires to the correct Psi and see if the noise continues while you accelerate.
Improper Alignment Of The Front Wheels
Another possible reason your car sounds like it has a flat tire when it doesn’t is that the front wheels are not aligned properly.
This is most likely the culprit when your tires wobble while the vehicle pulls to the left or right. As a result, you hear the flat tire-like sound when you attempt to accelerate.
Worn Tire
Sometimes, you hear a balanced tire-like sound from your tires because they have reached the end of their lifespan, but this is not often the case because tires are designed to last for years.
But if you’ve not given your tires a check over for a long time, you have a reason to consider this possibility.
When tires are worn out due to overuse, the wheel’s tread begins to disintegrate. So, I recommend you test the tread’s durability with a penny. If the tread life is below 1/16 inch, your tires need replacement.
Impact Of Hard Objects
The grinding sound from the tires that feels like a flat tire may be caused by tough girt, tiny screws, and even rocks trapped into the edges. Many hard objects on the road could be transported across that make your tire sound flat.
Worn Brake Rotors
Fake flat tire sounds can also occur when the brake rotors rolling the wheel become worn or when the brake caliper sticks. The rotor contacts the brake caliper as you step on the brakes so that it can produce a grinding sound.
Are You Using Low-Quality Or Winter Tires?
Due to the hard rubber element in low-quality all-season tires, they are known for making a lot of rolling noise even when brand new. So it’s no surprise you get the fake flat tire sound while using these tires.
The perks of using all-season tires are that they are economy friendly to maintain and they offer convenient options. But winter and summer tires are better when it comes down to comfort and performance.
To be sure that the fake flat tire sound is a result of the tire type you’re using, you can drive on asphalt and inspect the consistency of the noise.
What Does A Flat Tire Sound Like?
When you have a flat tire, the wheel will begin to make a loud flapping sound as you accelerate, and the sound gets louder the more you go faster.
But as we’ve seen in the earlier part of this article, a flat tire is not the only factor responsible when this sound happens.
Meanwhile, solid flat tires come with vibration (not the regular one you feel while driving under normal circumstances or while driving on a bad road.)
In addition, your car slows down when you have solid flat tires because they compromise the pace of the vehicle no matter how faster you try to go on the accelerator.
If you get the flat tire sound and your car is going as fast as it should, it is probably a fake flat tire sound caused by earlier discussed factors.
Another important thing you’ll notice when you have an actual flat tire is that the steering wheel becomes less responsive, requiring you to pull it over from one direction more than you do in a normal situation.
This happens because the vehicle forces itself to move towards the axle with a flat tire, which is tricky because this movement is also caused by improper wheel alignment. But a thorough inspection will reveal the actual culprit.
What To Do When Your Car Sounds Like It Has A Flat Tire But Doesn’t?
This post’s the most critical part: figuring out why you get the fake flat tire sound and identifying the next action. You can address the noise problem in several ways depending on the cause.
If your car ever makes a false tire deflection noise while driving on the road, the first thing is to find a place to park as soon as it’s safe. After you’ve moved out of the road, consider the following:
- Again, I recommend you first check the tire pressures of the four tires to be sure there are no inflation defects. Once that is out of the way, then it’s time to look inward:
- Check if the tires are worn out or degraded. In such a situation, you need an instant replacement. Also, give the rim a check-over; you may need a fresh coat if the primer peels off.
- Confirm that the wheel is assembled correctly. They should fit snugly on their bearings as you lift them off the ground. If the fake flat tire sound comes with vibration, then this is the part you want to pay more attention to.
- Look at the connection between the nuts and the rims. Are they tight? What about the center nuts – are they in the correct position? If not, then you should tighten them.
- If you notice any issue with the rim, wheel, or bearing, such as an oxidized rim, faulty wheel bearings, or uneven wheels, I recommend you move the car to a vehicle store where a professional technician can help repair or replace where necessary instead of jumping the gun on your own.
For this tire issue, the most important thing is to know when to pull the plug and seek professional assistance because, unlike other mechanical defects, it is dangerous to make tire noises trivial.
I hope you found this helpful.