# Sounds Like A Flat Tire, but it's not?

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [November 8, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000 "2007-11-08T00:55:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![carissue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@carissue](https://community.cartalk.com/u/carissue)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/1 "2007-11-08T00:55:58Z")

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This is not all the time, but sometimes my car sounds like it has a flat tire as I am driving it. It doesn’t make that sound when I stop. The brakes don’t grind. I don’t think it’s a wheel bearing. Any suggestions???

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**Author:** ![CapriRacer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capriracer/32/22_2.png) [@CapriRacer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapriRacer)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/2 "2007-11-08T14:03:00Z")

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CV joints

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**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/3 "2007-11-08T16:59:19Z")

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Tire tread separation. Makes a funny slapping sound that gets worse the faster you go…

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/4 "2007-11-08T17:17:30Z")

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I agree that tread separation is a likely source of that noise. This can be dangerous, so have it checked out.

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**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/5 "2007-11-08T18:17:11Z")

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You can get this checked by having the wheels spun on a balancing machine that does “road force balancing”. Not all shops have them. This spins the tire with an artificial load applied (a drum pressed onto the surface of the tread). That detects internal tire faults that regular spin balancers can’t.

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**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/sounds-like-a-flat-tire-but-its-not/7000/6 "2007-11-08T22:52:46Z")

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Could be a stretch of bad highway.