I hope someone can help. I have an 03 wrx wagon with a 22mm whiteline rear sway bar and a hotchkis 24mm front sway bar and aslo Tein type h springs. Here is my question, I get this sound from the rear of my car that seem like tires are rubbing, but it only happens when i'm going between 15 and 25 mph. The tires are not rubbing anything and i just had it alligned so i'm clueless as to what to do next. Please help.

 

what size tires do you have? stock?

 

If you aren't cornering, you aren't rubbing.

 

he could be accelerating really quickly, causing the weight to transfer to the back, and therefore it to rub... =p

Seriously though, like ban said, if it probably isn't rubbing. If it were, at only 15-25 while going straight, it would rub like crazy while cornering, especially at speed.

How much clearance do you have while stopped? (don't forget to check the wheel to strut gap).

Finally, like BAN said, it doesn't sound like rubbing, so I'd investigate other things it could be.

One idea is that, if its an aftermarket RSB, and you got the hard plastic bushings, it could simply be the swaybar making noise? (I know mine does when its been a while since i cleaned it/replaced the grease.) I could usually only hear it while going slowly (the loudest coming off our driveway which is a really wierd curb). Thats all i can think of right now.

Good luck and hopefully someone more knowledgeable can help!

 

the tires are 225/50R16. I don't think it's a rubbing sound but i have no other way to describe it, but it's getting pretty loud and sometimes it is worse when i go around a corner. I have not yet replaced my endlinks and was wondering if that may be the problem. If it is the strut bar how often should it be cleaned and re-greased?

 

That's actually starting to sound like a wheel bearing going bad.

 

If it is a wheel bearing is there any way to test it for sure. the more i think about it the car also vibrates when i hear the noise. could this be caused by the sway bars?

are wheel bearings covered under factory warranty and if not are they expessive to replace?

 

Sorry for the confusion, not clean the strut bar, clean the swaybar bushings.

If it vibrates, its probably not the swaybar, probably the wheel bearings like ban said... just listen to ban... he knows what he's talking about... Im leaving now... for my knowledge is at an end.

Good luck!

 

Vibration + noise is frequently wheel bearings. Lift up each wheel and try to shake it back and forth. If it moves at ALL when you do it, it's the bearing.