My car is a 2007 Accord LX V6. I hated the stock Michelin tires and at about 40k I decided to replace them with Copper CS4's. I realized the coopers would be more of a stiff ride because they are a harder compound, but it is really bad. I hear a subtle thumping noise when I drive, and it varies with speed. Went back to the mechanic, who rebalanced and even replaced all four tires with brand new CS4's. Still have the same issue. Any one else ever have this problem? Are the coopers really that bad, or is the accord just that picky about the kind of tires you use? I really don't want to spend the extra cash for Michelin again, but I gotta have a smoother ride.

are you sure its the tires and not some underlying problem with a bearing or brake component? Just got the CS4's this weekend and couldn't be happier as they are whisper quiet and bc of the stiffer sidewall compared to the michellins my coupe handles and feels alot better...

did you get ur car aligned when you had them installed? Any signs of bent wheels?

didn't get an alignment when they installed the tires. When I went back, that is the first thing I asked, and they did not think that was the issue. Honestly, Thumping doesn't sound like an alignment issue to me. I'm sure the mechanic would have suggested that over replacing all four tires, unless he is an idiot... I'm not a mechanic, so I have to believe what the guy says...

not all mechanics are created equal lol changing all four tires may have been the quickest way to try and fix the thump but obviously that's not the problem...uneven tire wear or a faulty wheel bearing can also make some nasty loud noises, I actually changed a set of yokos on my last car bc I tjought they were way to loud wearing down when it really was a set of bad wheel bearings, but for you it could be anything and doesn't sound like the tires if you ask me, go get another opinion at another mechanic if he can't figure it out

not all mechanics are created equal lol changing all four tires may have been the quickest way to try and fix the thump but obviously that's not the problem...uneven tire wear or a faulty wheel bearing can also make some nasty loud noises, I actually changed a set of yokos on my last car bc I tjought they were way to loud wearing down when it really was a set of bad wheel bearings, but for you it could be anything and doesn't sound like the tires if you ask me, go get another opinion at another mechanic if he can't figure it out

is it possible he didn't seed the tires correctly to the rim?

Went to the tire shop Saturday with my dad and had some Cooper CS4's put on to replace the Michelins(07 Camry w/46k). Very quiet, great ride no problems.

I watched the tech's every move while installling. Glad I did since he tried to re-use the old oil filter since a lof was done at the same time.

The quality control on Cooper tires isn't what it is on Michelins or Bridgestones, for example. As such, if you randomly pick out a set of 4 coopers and put them on 4 wheels, you'll more likely than not find at least 1 or 2 that don't spin real good - whereas with Michelins you're more likely go get great spins right from the first mounting pass. With tires like coopers, a competent tire tech either using a good eye to watch for radial or lateral runout - or even a medium-competent mechanic with a Hunter 9700 Road Force Balancer - can find the problem tire(s) - and you can then either correct it with a repositioning the tire on the wheel (by 90 degree increments), or trying an individual new one. This way you can eventually get 4 that spin real smooth, with minimal hop/sideways motion, and (if using the road force) a road force value in the single digits. I'm willing to bet that the original 4 you had put on had a couple that were hopping just enough to create a slap/thump sound, and then when you replaced all 4 again, you found 1-2 more.

You have two options. The first is go back to the shop and insist they either visually inspect the integrity of all 4 tires on the spin balancer or have them use a road force balancer and get them right. Or, you take a deep breath and go for another brand that might cost more but is more predictable in terms of spin quality, regardless of how it sits on the rim. A competent shop can make lemonade out of lemons - so you can make the more inexpensive tires come out good - but a less competent shop is the type of place to either avoid, or at least buy better quality tires since they're more likely to spin true.

andy

Well said..... You will find that Michelins balance with very little weight needed and very few are bad from the factory.... I have always had good luck with Michelins and have solved many tire issues over the past 38 years of driving with other brands.....

It can happen with any brand tires, if he would have said his Michelins were making thumping noises how many would have chimed in and said the same?!? My Yokos always had noises coming from them but they were low profile and very wide for the car, I had at least 3 sets of them through the life of the car and every set had some noise to it (probably due to the hard compound it was made of, but what great handling it provided!!) I agree not all tires are made equally but every brand has its issues ... Has anyone looked into the Michelin anti-lock brake issue? Talked to another friend today make that three different people who have experienced this with only Micheline brand tires ... :paranoid:

But he did not because Michelins have less problems.. That is why you pay a premuim price....

Prix03GT; contact cooper tires.

http://www.coopertire.com/html/

Cooper is a business and they want to sell tires, not have dissatisfied customers. Regards

Richard

Aslo the place that installed the tires should work with you to correct the problem......

But he did not because Michelins have less problems.. That is why you pay a premuim price....

You pay a premium price if you believe brand name items and higher costs are somewhat better than all the rest, sad how society has everyone believing this ... Mind you also he got rid of the Michelins prior to the Coopers ... Unless you physically work in the Michelin plant or have some kind of amazing evidence that supports your claims, I will say it again these types of things can happen to any vehicle with any tire ... Your support of Michelin is great for you, for others it maybe another brand, best to look at all the options in an open mind .. :yes:

Well lets see I have 86,000 on my 07 Honda Accord. Just replaced the OEM Michelins last month with 3 to 4/32nds left.. I replaced them with Michelin primacy tires. the OEM never neede3d to be rebalanced and rode smooth from day one to the end. i am 54 years old and have been driving since the very early 70s. I have had many cars over the time a had tire issues with brands such as Firestone....goodyear...bridgestone....General and were all corrected with a set of Michelin tires.... I have had very very good luck with them and stand behind them. Your tire choice is up to you and you alone....It is your car and your money.... For me it is Michelin no matter how much the cost. Sometimes over time the higher price at the begining becomes the best value over time....IMO

Well lets see I have 86,000 on my 07 Honda Accord. Just replaced the OEM Michelins last month with 3 to 4/32nds left.. I replaced them with Michelin primacy tires. the OEM never neede3d to be rebalanced and rode smooth from day one to the end. i am 54 years old and have been driving since the very early 70s. I have had many cars over the time a had tire issues with brands such as Firestone....goodyear...bridgestone....General and were all corrected with a set of Michelin tires.... I have had very very good luck with them and stand behind them. Your tire choice is up to you and you alone....It is your car and your money.... For me it is Michelin no matter how much the cost. Sometimes over time the higher price at the begining becomes the best value over time....IMO

Your stats for your experiences are superb with the Michelins but others may not have such luck, point in case those who take them off and replace them with other brands to correct whats lacking in them ... If you have good luck with that specific tire than why would you change brands, doesn't make sense but the high costs over time theory, well that's interesting because that would mean hypothetically you should be the proud owner of a 7 series BMW over a Honda Accord Sedan based on the initial high cost which in turn would be the best value over time in your opinion or is that just for tires, i'm confused, .. :dunno: :lmao:

Lastly tires are tires, unless your an editor of a popular auto magazine or a tire tester, no one really knows for sure (except for reading opinions from others) how these things really work out. Every brand has there star model (the Pilots, The CS4's, The Potenzas, The Signatures, The Eagle GT's, The Triple Treads etc.) How one person percieves a tires can be completely different to another as we all see in tires reviews, but being happy your own self with your selection is priceless .. When it comes down to it, yes research away and know there is really no one good opinion on a tire unless you yourself have physically experienced it time and time again with success and even than you can be struck with a bad batch ...

The way I look at it, experiment and see what suits your taste and most importantly driving habits (weather, performance, tread where etc.) If you stick with one brand its probably bc your afraid to try another, or have been driving so long you have educated yourself to stick with a tire that suits your needs ...

and I see a lot of Tire testers rate the Michelins very high....and I did have a BMW new back in 1973 it was the best I ever had.....O it was a motorcycle the R90s...

I'm a Michelin fan, but even they make bad tires. The OEM MXV4 S8's that come on the Accord, I personally hated (at least in the 15" size on the '06 LX's). They hydroplaned and wandered all over the place, regardless of balance or rotation. Swapping to a set of Nokian i3's made all the difference in the world (kept costs down for my son to use the car). But on the other hand, the Primacy MXV4's on the wife's Freestyle are outstanding. The thing about Michelins is that their inner construction seems to have a much better design and quality control aspect, which is what tends to make them be better in terms of spin and weight required for balance. The tread design, on the other hand, is very dependent on the particular tire....

andy

Well did you ever get the thump figured out and corrected?????

Shop where I got the tires could not get me in until Tuesday, so I took the car to the dealer and had the alignment checked as well as the suspension. Everything checked out. The alignment was out a little, but even with that fixed, still got thumping.

Called the shop today and explained the situation. I told them that if two sets of Coopers could not make me happy, I wanted something else put on when I come in. I told them to order me some Good Year Triple treads and put them on, I'll pay the difference.

I had triple treads before on my Pontiac and I loved them. Should have just got them in the first place.

Hopefully, I will be posting Tuesday, happy with my new Goodyear tires.

This is not the first time I heard of problems with the Coopers and I had a bad experience myself. When my wife still had her '03 Suzuki XL-7 I tried a set of Cooper CS4's on that vehicle and they were noisy on the highway...not the thumping noise described here but more of a "radial whine" type noise. That was enough for me to abandon that brand.

the high costs over time theory, well that's interesting because that would mean hypothetically you should be the proud owner of a 7 series BMW over a Honda Accord Sedan based on the initial high cost which in turn would be the best value over time in your opinion or is that just for tires, i'm confused


In this case, the high initial cost of a BMW does NOT win over a Honda product. Do some research and you will see how much happier Honda owners are compared to BMW owners.

BMW = Break My Wallet

In this case, the high initial cost of a BMW does NOT win over a Honda product. Do some research and you will see how much happier Honda owners are compared to BMW owners.

BMW = Break My Wallet

:lmao: That was just my analogy to someone else's posting, funny I thought ..To bad on your experiences with Cooper tires ... To each his own but its always that way with tires since there are just so many being produced ... I always reference my Yokos because i had two sets, one being amazing the other being road noisy as hell, even worse as they wore down, you just never know anymore ... I just got the CS4's and couldn't be happier and immed. felt the difference when switching from the Michelin Pilot HX's ..

Off to the shop tomorrow. I think the primary issue here was the tires were not balanced correctly. I would imagine the coopers are cheaper and harder to balance. Guess we will see what happens. If I get new goodyears and have the same issue, I'm gonna be steamin' mad.....

:lmao: That was just my analogy to someone else's posting, funny I thought ..To bad on your experiences with Cooper tires ... To each his own but its always that way with tires since there are just so many being produced ... I always reference my Yokos because i had two sets, one being amazing the other being road noisy as hell, even worse as they wore down, you just never know anymore ... I just got the CS4's and couldn't be happier and immed. felt the difference when switching from the Michelin Pilot HX's ..


I had a set of Yoko V4S's on my Accord and they were really nice for the first 20,000 miles...after that, it was noise, noise, noise...bad enough that I replaced them at such a low mileage.

I have had the worse day today.....here is the whole story to this point in the saga of my new tires. I swear I have the worst luck with cars.

9/19 I buy cooper CS4 from the shop. Notice a little vibration, figure it is just new tires are a little stiffer. Vibration becomes more of a thumping that changes frequency based on my speed. More noticeable sometimes, but never really goes away, actually felt like it was getting worse. Problem seems to be with front passenger side wheel.

10/19 Gave the tires a few weeks, no joy, so I call the shop back. They tell me bring it in. Shop test drives car, balances tires, says everything is better. I drive off, same problem, so I go right back. They give me brand new set of CS4's, I drive away, same problem. They tell me to wait to talk to the head guy who is off Mondays. Kid in shop also manages to scratch the clear on all four of my wheels, I buffed most out, but still pisses me off. Worse yet, I still have thumping front passenger side wheel.

10/20 Talk to shop manager, they can see me in a week? WTF? I'm already pissed, but I agree because what do I do right? I'm really hot at this point.

10/21 I get antsy, so I take the car to my Honda stealership. Ask them to check alignment and suspension. Alignment was a little off, they say suspension and brakes were OK. Still got a thumping noise. At this point I think bad tires or bad balancing job. Dealer wouldn't miss a bigger suspension issue, right?

10/23 Call shop tell manager situation based on what dealership finds, which was nothing wrong with the car. He agrees to order me different tires and install them to resolve the issue. I asked specifically for Goodyear triple treads not the Yokohoma AVID's he normally tries to sell me.

Today: Drop car off early, manager does not have the tires I asked for. He says they don't even carry goodyears. I say fine, give me what you have (Yokohomas) I leave. They call few hours later, they ordered the wrong size. Manager tries to say that I told Him the wrong size. Normally I would have lost it, but I kept cool. I told the guy I know I gave him the right size, but they have a record of my car and the tires they put on last time, so they have no excuse really. Guy gets really rude with me and says that obviously their tires are no good and they must not know where they are doing so I can just go somewhere else. I told him I'd prefer to just resolve the problem, but he said point blank he doesn't care what I do. Go pick the car up, manager says he re-balanced the wheels again himself today, but I still have the same problem.

yeah now I've had it......

So I took the car to another shop. This shop is owned by my wife's best friend's father. He was happy to ride with me and diagnose the problem. He doesn't think it's tires, but was more than happy to pencil me in and take a look. Best of all, he was super polite and seemed like he really wanted to help. Funny how one person being nice to you can make a bad day seem not so bad...

Moral of the story, should have went to this shop first, and I will go here from now on.

Will the dealer take the tires back and refund your money if you get different tires at a different shop? I'd get that in writing or a verbal assurance before you go much further. But I'll be honest - if the vibration/thumping wasn't there before the CS4's, but is there now, it's the tires. I'm willing to bet a fair amount of my paycheck that a different brand of tires gives you different results.

andy

wow man sounds bad, I've been there before and unfortunately these things happen..I like to think bad luck comes in threes lol that's what happens to me anyway ... Sounds like the shop rushed the job and did a number on your car, I am willing to bet its not the tires and still leaning towards a bad camber, or aligmnent or still could be a bad wheel bearing..

I only say this bc I just got them and they def are a hell of alot better tham my old hx's as I have said before ...

Well I really thought it was the tires also, but we tried two different sets and three different people balancing them. Strange thing is, the noise is consistent on the left front side and it is certainly rotational. The more I think about it, I think it is the brakes for sure. I don;t think it is a warped rotor, because there are no vibrations when braking. I think the caliper is hanging up and rubbing the rotor slightly causing a thump.

I'm taking the car to a more trusted shop tomorrow. I'm confident they will find whatever it is. Once they find what it is, I will remain shocked that two other places couldn't figure out the problem.

Well I really thought it was the tires also, but we tried two different sets and three different people balancing them. Strange thing is, the noise is consistent on the left front side and it is certainly rotational. The more I think about it, I think it is the brakes for sure. I don;t think it is a warped rotor, because there are no vibrations when braking. I think the caliper is hanging up and rubbing the rotor slightly causing a thump.

I'm taking the car to a more trusted shop tomorrow. I'm confident they will find whatever it is. Once they find what it is, I will remain shocked that two other places couldn't figure out the problem.
Typically a thumping like that is due to either build-up on a rotor causing the pad to hit, a warped rotor itself, or sometimes a pad that's not seated properly in the caliper. But in all cases, the sound will change when you apply the brakes - it may not go away, but the sound will definitely change. Have you tried various braking techniques to see if you can change the sound? It's certainly plausible, but somewhat strange considering it happened when they replaced the tires. Hmmm - wonder if they bent a metal backing plate behind the rotor?

Anyway, let us know what the shop finds....

Anyone know the Part number for the OEM 17" alloy wheels? They look like this....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=380167884689

Just in case I need one...

Thanks

The problem was the tires. One was out of balance, and another had a high spot causing the thump. Now I have to fight to get my money back.....awesome....

contacted cooper customer relations. They told me most of the shops in the area are smaller operations that they have no control over. The tire is under warranty, but they suggested my best bet is to go back where I got it. Since the first shop agreed to refund my money, I'm just going to get 4 new tires from someone else and return these. I hate to do that, but I don't see any other option, except buy one cooper to replace the faulty tire.

Best case is to return tires, run with another pair, Regards

Richard

buy new tires somewhere else, have the coopers taken off. Drop the coopers off at the bad shop. Tell them to refund your money or you are issuing a stop charge via your credit cart. They will most likely give you your money back, stop charges can get places in trouble.

yeah, but I got the tires over a month ago, so I have already paid the credit card bill for them. This is going to be interesting for sure.

If the first shop, when they kicked you out, offered to refund your money, then they should offer a credit card "credit" for the amount. But before you go that route I'd confirm with them to make sure they don't leave you out in the cold. Most tire companies offer a 30 or 60 day ride guarantee - so it could be the dealer could get cooper to buy 'em back (if they offer that policy - I don't know).

I did this once with tires. Tried a set, then tried another, and after issues, the first dealer told me that they'd give me my money back, but didn't want to sell me another set of tires. I went to another shop, got new tires that were perfect, brought the other tires back to the first dealer and they gave me a credit on my credit card. Very similar to you - timeframe was about 3 weeks. But the key is they kicked me out but offered to buy them back. Hopefully you can do the same thing.

andy

ps - glad to hear that, at least for my own personal sanity, that my instincts were correct. Would be curious to see whether the hop could be eliminated with rotating the tire on the rim. But new tires would also solve the problem...

Michelin Primacy's are on, and my money is in my hand.... All is right in my world once again