I have a 2009 Honda Civic (LX, I think, not sure how I can definitively tell since it's been a while), and yesterday, I got the front tires replaced with new ones (size 205/55) and all 4 wheels aligned to factory specs at a local Town Fair Tires. However, for some reason, there's now noises at very low speeds, with the following observations:
- When I first start driving after not driving for 8+ hours, no issues, no noises at low speeds or any speeds.
- The more I drive, the more frequent the "squeaking" / grinding noise at low speeds (typically from 0.1 mph to 15 or 20 mph or so).
- It doesn't ALWAYS happen, but when it does, it seems to correlate to the rotation of the tires (because the squeaking / grinding seems rhythmic in nature).
- It happens most often at very low speeds, and at higher speeds the noise suddenly cuts off and is very smooth and no issues.
- It doesn't seem to correlate with braking, as when I accelerate at low speeds, I also have this noise.
- It doesn't seem to correlate with RPMs, as at higher speeds but low/minimal RPMs, I don't have this noise.
- The car has been driven a long time (3+ years) without re-alignment of the tires, so not sure if this is the cause of that noise because the tires were suddenly re-aligned.
So this is very mysterious...I Googled and do not understand half the technical terms used by the forums out there, so I am wondering if this is because of:
- The new tires are poor in quality
- Problems with wheel bearings (no idea what this means)
- Problems with new alignment because the car was driven for a long time with "bad alignment"
Any insights will be helpful.
Edit: I went back to the Town Fair tire and asked the mechanic to look at why it's squealing and he found that the installation of new tires was causing contact with the rotors, I believe. The problem is now resolved.