I have 1998 honda civic dx with 80,000 miles on it. I only hear these noises when I make a sharp or hard turn or when I am going over a bump or a dip in the road at a fast speed. I think the noise is due to my tire rubbing against the body of my car because I have noticed some unusual wearing of the side of my rear tires. But I don't know why it's happening!

So here's the scoop. I bought this used car about a year ago. The guy who sold it to me has lowered the car and has also installed 17" custom alloy wheels on the car. I just replaced the rear tires about half a month ago because I was driving from Pittsburgh to LA. Before I installed the new tires, there was never any such noises. It's only after I installed them that I began to notice the noises. I made sure the new tires are the same sizes as the old ones which were pretty worn out.

So I guess my question is what could be the cause of these new noises? It's really annoying and I know the rubbing is definitely bad for my car. But how can I fix it? When I was getting my oil changed the other day, the mechanic there told me that my rear suspension system is pretty old so that might be causing it. Given the mileage on my car, would that be a likely diagnosis? Do I need to replace the whole rear suspension system? He also told me that my rear trailing arm bushings are kind of worn out, which I could see myself. The rubber parts have cracked and are coming off. Could that be the problem them? Would installing new bushings alone fix the problem? I'm driving my car everyday now in LA and have to make it back to Pittsburgh at the end of August. I just want to make sure there is nothing serious because I want to postponing fixing the problem 'til I get back since labor fee here in LA is so expensive.

Please, any help or advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

The new tires may be the same size rating, but actually slightly wider than the old ones were. Or the bushings being worn more let the tire move to the side and rub. If you have to drive on bumpy roads you might consider raising the car some.

There will be marks on the car body too from the rubbing. You can bend the body a little to create clearance.

 

what have you got done resently to it

 

I didn't have anything done to the car other than getting the tires changed and rotated. Most of the time, the car drives perfectly fine. It's only when it's making sharp turns or going over big bumps and when there is heavy stuff in the back that I hear those noises.