High-pitched Whine At High Speed

Riken Avadur

New Member
Apr 10, 2017
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Hello! New to the forums but long-time mustang owner looking to build some advice and leads for when I'm back in town next week.

I have a 2005 GT which just had a gear rebuild and new wheels installed. New sizes are 18x9/18x10, with new Nitto tires on them. The problem (a high pitch whine) started after this wheel install, and so they're the natural suspects, but I unfortunately don't have the old wheels to put back on and test. Conditions are as follows:
  • Whine starts light at around 65-70mph, rising in volume to very loud at 80-85mph.
  • Whine is dependent on speed alone; putting in the clutch or accelerating/braking don't make the sound go away (unless you decelerate below 65).
  • Car has 100k miles, so decently worn, and I've only had it for the last 10% of that.
  • Front left wheel bearings had to be replaced a few thousand miles ago, so that's on my mind, but I can't seem to get the whine to change by swerving at high speed. Rear wheel bearings, perhaps?
  • Gear rebuild was a couple weeks of ago, but since the noise is not related to acceleration or gearing, I don't think it's an issue.
  • Rear rotors are old and could use replacement soon. Could rusted surface on the rotor cause some vibration/whine on the wheel? The high-speed-only aspect makes me unsure of a lot of behavior here, so mind my speculation.
  • Tires? Nitto Invo's, but they're brand new, so it's not a wear issue. Maybe lowering the pressure might help?
  • Have no idea about axle wear.
Any other thoughts? I'm sure there might be a couple other bearings or bushings along the drive that might be involved or worn at this point, but I just don't know what's relevant given the specific circumstances of the noise. Thanks in advance for all the help!

-Riken
 
Did you change gear ratios?

Rear wheel bearings do increase in volume with speed. If they weren't replaced with the gears, the remove and install of the axles could've disturbed them?
 
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