Rear end whine while under load

[shiftz33]

My wife and I took our 1SS automatic for a 300 mile road trip yesterday.

While driving between 66 MPH and 71 MPH (under load), I could hear a slight rear end whine.

My former Chevy SSR was well known for this type of noise and in fact I had to swap out the SSR's OEM aluminum drive shaft to help reduce it after the rear end was completely replaced GM to try and eliminate it and then it was called "normal" for a SSR. I know the SSR and Camaro have completely different drive lines, but I'm just noting that I've been through this with another GM product.

My ears tend to pick up high pitch noises, so I may be more sensitive to this type of noise.

Does anyone else have this same "noise" with their Camaro?

• Starts around 66 MPH
• Begins to fade out around 71 MPH
• Present while the drive line is under load
• Let off of the gas pedal and the noise goes away (while still traveling between 66 and 71)

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by shiftz33

My wife and I took our 1SS automatic for a 300 mile road trip yesterday.

While driving between 66 MPH and 71 MPH (under load), I could hear a slight rear end whine.

My former Chevy SSR was well known for this type of noise and in fact I had to swap out the SSR's OEM aluminum drive shaft to help reduce it after the rear end was completely replaced GM to try and eliminate it and then it was called "normal" for a SSR. I know the SSR and Camaro have completely different drive lines, but I'm just noting that I've been through this with another GM product.

My ears tend to pick up high pitch noises, so I may be more sensitive to this type of noise.

Does anyone else have this same "noise" with their Camaro?

• Starts around 66 MPH
• Begins to fade out around 71 MPH
• Present while the drive line is under load
• Let off of the gas pedal and the noise goes away (while still traveling between 66 and 71)

Hmmm, I'm sure others would have heard something like this. Your best bet is go to your dealer and ask them to drive another one when one comes in to compare.. I think they will let you do that since it may be normal in all..

[shiftz33]

Getting another Camaro to "test drive" is going to be a bit difficult since supply is so limited and the dealership is 20+ miles away.

I had a 2005 SSR with a really loud whine (oddly enough in the same speed range) and GM tried replacing the ring/pinion gear but that did not change the sound. GM then replaced the entire rear end. That reduced the sound but it was still present.

That's when I ended up purchasing a metal matrix composite (MMC) drive shaft for the SSR and that greatly reduced the noise since it was traveling through the OEM aluminum drive shaft and using it as an echo chamber making itself heard in the cab.

I'm hoping that this is not a "common" issue and maybe a ring/pinion gear alignment might cure and/or move the speed range it occurs to a higher speed.

The whine in my Camaro's rear end is not "loud", but it is loud enough for my ears to pick up and somewhat annoying over a longer road trip.

Does anyone know what the Camaro OEM drive shaft is made out of, aluminum?

Robert

[Vash]

Well the IRD has more components and the beefy tires with low aspect ratio.

You could maybe add some sound dampening material under the carpeting. It just kinda comes with the turf of the type of car the Camaro is.

If it was an LS it would probably have less noise with the smaller and less agressive tires.

Good Luck.

[shiftz33]

Took my Camaro in this week for this and a couple of other issues.

The "whine" noise was confirmed by the shop foreman, but he stated that if I had not been on the test drive, he probably would not have "heard" that noise due to its high pitch/ringing nature. He was expecting it to be a "lower tone" noise.

A call was placed to GM technical assistance for any additional information. So far GM has not responded.

Putting a new ring/pinion gear set in may not solve this one since it could be the drive shaft taking a "small" noise and acting like an amplifier. My former Chevy SSR had a BIG problem with this as well and I had to get an aftermarket drive shaft to "quite it down".

I may need to put some sound dampening material in the rear of the passenger cabin to help quite this one down.

It's a noise that you "don't hear" unless the road noise is limited (smooth new pavement) and the stereo is not on or on beyond volume setting "8" or so.

CalTrans recently has paved a large section if I80 (west of Sacramento) so when I take a trip in the SF Bay Area over I80, I hear this noise a lot.