.Adam

So I'm pretty new to the evo and haven't experienced all of the quirks that come with this car.

When its cold out and I take a corner to the point of the traction control coming on or the steering wheel turned all the way in either direction I hear this noise coming from the front drivers side near the wheel possibly.

It could be as simple as the tire scraping up against built up snow and ice but I have chipped most of that away from the drivers side and I still hear the noise.

The noise is hard to explain but its somewhat of a scraping/squeaking noise.

I know the regular traction control sound when it engages so it's not that.

Can anyone explain this? Is this a normal sound or do you all just think its the tire rubbing against ice and snow within the rear section of the wheel well?

I'm almost inclined to strap my go-pro down there to find out what this really is.

It's just starting to bother me as I'm thinking there could be some problem down there.

EDIT: I had the car all summer and autox'd it. I never heard this noise until the winter.

nolimits1320

iTrader: (10)

The cold and snow can cause all kinds of rattles, vibrations, noises, etc. I wouldn't get too concerned about it. I'd just wait it out until the weather warms up and chances are it will clear itself up. Otherwise, get it into a heated garage overnight to thaw out any built up ice to see if that helps.

.Adam

Ya I hear you. You're probably right. I just thought I would ask in case this was a known sound the transfer case made or front axle or something like that.

CanEvoX

I have that too. It's not a problem, rather a feature. It's your ABS probably because X is using brakes to help you steer, but when the wheel locks up your ABS kicks in.

Here is the way to test if it's ABS:

1. Try to replicate the noise again and make sure it's there.
2. Turn off your traction control to Double OFF. (Hold ASC button for over 10 secs).
3. Try to replicate the noise again - chances are it will not be there anymore.

Cheers

.Adam

Ahhh yea thanks for the suggestion and great idea. I bet you are right because I was just out tonight sliding around in a parking lot and I didn't notice any sound.

I'll make sure to check again tomorrow as I can't pass up an empty parking lot

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

The above would test whether it's the traction control or anti-skid. There's no way to turn off the ABS on an X with a button.

You also only have to hold the ASC button for about three seconds, not ten.

With that said, I'd also guess that it's junk between the tire and splash-guards (which I get a lot of with 215/65/15 tires).

.Adam

Thanks for clarifying . It has to be either ice buildup or the traction control kicking in. I've never heard this noise before though. I'll test it out with the traction control off and see what happens.

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

Good luck. If it isn't contact between the tire and crude, I'm a tad worried that you might have a CV-joint issue or a problem with that corner's shock. One normally feels the effects of traction control; one doesn't hear it.

ps. because we're not sure that this is a drivetrain issue, I'm moving the thread to the General section

.Adam

Yea im a little worried now too as i went out today, kept the tc on and i could hear the noise. Turned off the tc and the noise was still there. I removed all of the ice in the wheel wells and the noise is still there.

Its hard to explain the noise but it sounds like something rotating like the axles. I think the noise is coming from both sides in the front.

Nothing has changed on my car and the only work I've done lately is the transfer case oil and rear diff oil.

I have to get my cmc and relays replaced from those recalls so i'll have the dealer check the cv joints out when im there. The car drives totally fine too so this is weird.

CanEvoX

Well, I partially disagree here. When ASC is single OFF, brakes are still used for cornering, so when it's extremely slippery(like snow kind of slippery), even minor brake application will cause a wheel to lock up, that's where ABS kicks in.

Even though you have no way to disable ABS, and you can say that it is ABS(and leave it alone since it's normal and it's good that ABS actually works) when you test this same scenario in OFF OFF mode and don't hear the sound anymore.

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

Nope. The ABS only acts between the pedal's input and the outputs to the wheels. It does not have any effect on any braking force sent to the wheels by the ASC system. If the ASC over-shoots and causes lock-up, it's up to the ASC to stop sending line pressure (which it will, very quickly). The ABS system can't do anything about it.

Same goes for line pressure to help the AYC, so ASC-ON vs plain-OFF vs OFF-OFF doesn't change what I'm saying.

CanEvoX

My bad, I though ABS is involved any time brakes are. Oh well

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

No worries. Your way would make sense (if you designed the system from scratch), but the S-AWC system is a bit less integrated and intelligent than how Mitsu describes it. In truth, it's a bunch of different systems all jammed into one car.

Could be worse. I think the advertizing slogan that has caused the most grief is Subaru's "transfers power from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip," which makes it seem like the system has a clear estimate of grip-levels and the ability to move torque from one place to another. In truth, like any other standard limited-slip device, all that happens is that the diff locks. Yes, the net effect of such is that less torque is wasted on the slipping wheel and more torque is available to the gripping wheel, but it's not anything close to what most people hearing the slogan think is happening.

.Adam

I'm pretty positive it's not the ABS as I know what that sounds like. The roads here are skating rinks and my ABS has been pretty busy lately.

I really cant explain this noise one bit and it's frustrating. It could be noise from the suspension when under load making the noise. I don't think it's the tires rubbing.

From a stop, in first gear, if I turn left on a slippery road to the point of the rear coming out a bit I hear this noise in the drivers side wheel area.

If I turn right I hear the noise in the front passenger wheel area.

I dunno. It seems unlikely that both front left and rear CV joints are bad. It's so cold out right now and I'm working evenings right now so I can't really get it checked out.

I think what I might do is wash the car really well then jack it up and take a look at the CV boots/joints to see if anything is torn just to get that out of the way.

The CV joints should be fine if the boots are in tact and there is grease in there right?

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

I agree that losing both CV joints at the same time is doubtful. But how sure are you that the noise is all the way out near the wheel? If you only said that you get a noise from the front somewhere when you make hard turns under power, I'd be suspecting the front or center diff, instead.

If you're sure that it's specific to the inside front wheel, regardless of turn, and does it regardless of what mode the ASC is in, then I'd take the car to one of those DIY power-wash places and blast both front wheel-wells and then go for a drive.