Tire rumble
 

So I have this rumble on my car which only starts when I'm pulling off from a stop or I'm at low speeds. It basically sounds like I'm driving on a grated road. Additionally sometimes I hear some knocking also here and there.However, once I get to a high speed the rumble and the knocking stop, untill I slow down again about to stop.I just had 4 brand new tires and rims installed, so I'm not trying to damage those. Does anyone know what could be the cause?

RE: Tire rumble
 

Is there any odd noise at all when you get to higher speeds? On my Z, when my differential's carrier bearings went bad, they started as a low rumble at parking lot speeds, like you described, and it would increase in pitch as road speed increased. At first, the highway speed noise was a fairly high-pitched whine, but as they got worse, it developed into an F1-engine scream. It could be something along the lines of that, and possibly they're not bad enough yet to create the wailing at higher speeds. Try putting someone in the car with you, moving from seat to seat, listening for anything out of the ordinary (it'd be better if this person was somewhat familiar with Audis so they could have a better chance at pinpointing a problem sound and disregarding any noises inherent to the car).

RE: Tire rumble
 

Is it sounding like your car is basically farting at low speeds? Does it make any noise on start-up? Mine made noise similar to what you described at low speeds which got progressively worse and ended up sounding like 1.8t diesel last summer. i had to replace my cam crank tensioner. Wasn't a cheap fix but it'll be a good opprotunity to do your TB, WP, ect. if they're due.

RE: Tire rumble
 

Sounds like a u-joint, which wouldmake the soundright beneath you.

RE: Tire rumble
 

Your wheel bearing is shot, I just replaced mine and it was a rumble/humming and loud clunks every now and then.

RE: Tire rumble
 

Well, just came back from the shop. The driveshaft is bad. There is no rubber in that piece in the middle so it is clunking all over the place. According to the shop it is a dealer part so.......yeah.

Don't even ask me about price to repair. Lets just say hope it never happens to you.

RE: Tire rumble
 

Whatever this is sounds right.

RE: Tire rumble
 

Dealer part, ouch. I am having a similar problem, a clunk at low speeds but it seems to be only when I leave my driveway which is odd. I haven't noticed it during regular driving except a few times when going over a bumpy road. I figure mine is my control arms....which I guess I could figure out how to do myself

RE: Tire rumble
 

Well I would say this because my mechanic actually lifted up the car and showed me what exactly is going on. If this is your problem, and hopefully it is not because it sound similar, you will hear the noise and feel the vibration around the center of the car.

RE: Tire rumble
 

If it's the driveshaft, you should be able to get one in your town. Regular parts houses won't have em, but we have a place that works just on imports, and they can get a shaft for my buddy's E30 M3 for $250. Dealer wants $700. Also, I haven't ever looked, but usually they're very easy to replace yourself with a set of hand tools.