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This paper will focus whining noise on rear axles applied in mid-size trucks. Vehicle integration changes during development affect directly the gear noise perception, in which it may be intensified. Also, gear material and heat treatment choices for the rear axle need to be done carefully, taking into consideration the integration changes and also the driver usage. A lessons learned collection over the diverse aspects of a rear axle whining noise will be the basis of this paper.

Changes in the macro economic scenario of Brazil during the latest 10 years resulted on several changes in the auto industry market. One, which affected important requirements of the light duty trucks, regards the migration of customers from passenger car segments to light duty pickups. A considerable portion of these new pick-up customers expects an overall level of comfort, handling, noise and vibration similar to the levels found in passenger cars. One possible conclusion of this trend is that an optimized vehicle system integration is vital to prevent potential issues and to assure the achievement of customer satisfaction. Among several vehicle systems, the Drivetrain integration deserves the major attention. This paper shares lessons learned on the integration of the manual Transmission, external shifter, mountings, propeller shaft, rear axle and suspension with the rest of the vehicle.