What Causes Severe Buzzing Noise After Reaching 100 km/h?
2 Answers
Severe buzzing noise after reaching 100 km/h can be caused by: 1. Tire noise - After prolonged use, tire treads wear down, altering the contact pattern with the road surface and causing abnormal noises during driving; 2. Bearing noise - When vehicle bearings are subjected to lateral forces or become rusted due to water ingress, they may produce buzzing sounds above 100 km/h, especially noticeable during turns, requiring bearing replacement; 3. Severe buzzing noise accompanied by significant body vibration indicates wheel imbalance issues causing resonance, necessitating four-wheel dynamic balancing; 4. Wind noise - At high speeds, airflow around the vehicle body creates normal buzzing wind noise that increases with speed.
Some time ago, my car also had this issue—when driving above 100 km/h, there was a loud humming noise inside the cabin, which was particularly uncomfortable. After a careful inspection, I found it was due to the tires. Misalignment had caused severe uneven wear on one side, making the tread surface bumpy. At high speeds, the irregular tread patterns created resonant noise. Another common cause is worn wheel bearings, especially in older cars with 70,000–80,000 km on them. Lack of lubrication or deformed steel balls in the bearings can also produce a humming sound. If you also feel slight steering wheel vibration, it might be due to improper wheel balancing. I recommend first checking the tire wear condition, then having a mechanic lift the car and spin the wheels to listen for any abnormal bearing noises.
