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[wilbur_the_goose]

Is there any way to tell if noise from up front is bearing noise versus tire noise?

I have a 2010 E92/All Wheel Drive/Sport package. Running ExtremeContact™ DWS (about 5K miles on them), and I hear a sound similar to what I had on my old '99 Audi A6 Quattro about 10 years ago.

But I don't know if it's noisy tires or a bearing issue. Interestingly, the sound volume increases a little when I take my foot off the gas/coast.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[robc1976]

Originally Posted by wilbur_the_goose

Is there any way to tell if noise from up front is bearing noise versus tire noise?

I have a 2010 E92/All Wheel Drive/Sport package. Running ExtremeContact™ DWS (about 5K miles on them), and I hear a sound similar to what I had on my old '99 Audi A6 Quattro about 10 years ago.

But I don't know if it's noisy tires or a bearing issue. Interestingly, the sound volume increases a little when I take my foot off the gas/coast.

Thanks in advance for your help.

bearing noise would be a whine....can you describe the noise?

[driverman]

Bearing noise would tend to increase when you "load up" the side of the car with the bad bearing.

So if the right wheel bearing is bad, it would be noisier when you shift the weight of the car to the right side by making a left turn.

[spanner1751]

I had a bad wheel bearing on the rear of my E46 and it felt and sounded like the tire was out of balance. Unfortunately, I kept putting off fixing it until my extended warranty expired.

[Denny347]

I had a front bearing bad on my wife's old Explorer. Driving it I SWORE it was tire noise. So much so that I took it to the tire shop to check the tires. It was not noticeable at slow speeds. When I pulled the old bearing off and spun it, it sounded like rocks inside the housing. It was awful.

[mlifxs]

this might be too OT but do you see changes in gas mileage when a bearing starts to break down?

[VMRWheels]

OP - Do you notice any sort of vibrations? Jack the front of the car up see if you can wiggle the wheel and tire combo around, while it's still bolted to the car.

This is an extreme case, but if you notice any soft of play then you can pretty much confirm it's the wheel bearing.

[gmblack3]

Just bought a 11 335is with 48k miles. The bridgestone RFTs sounded loud to me, so I had the new Michelin A/S 3s installed last week. I still have what I consider excessive road noise at 60+ and sometimes as low as 40.

I put the car on my lift today and I dont feel any play at all. Should I go to the tire store and have them recheck the balance, ect first or just take it to dealer to see if its a bad wheel bearing?

TIA!

[2ducks]

I have an 08, 328xi. Last week it started make noise from the rear as I went past 40mph. At 80 mph on the freeway, it was an unbearable sound in the cabin. At first, I thought it was the wheels out of balance of sorts. But I noticed at freeway speeds, the car tracks straight and no vibration, just those whooo, whooo, whooo sounds. Then I inspected the rear wheels; everything looks good; even tire threads, good pressure, and the tire balance weights were all there.

So I ended up taking to the dealer and they confirmed it was a a bad right rear axle bearing.

[RD335]

Rotate the wheels (back to front) temporarily and see if the noise moves to the rear, or stays up front. This will either identify or eliminate the front wheels as a noise source.

[badass335]

I have a fairly loud noise on my fronts. I just swapped out to new Michelin A/S 3 tires. My suspension guys say it's the tires that are making the noise. Its a lot. Didn't think the tires were that loud... yikes....

[cyclicoyster]

Guys, if you're running RFT's, you're gonna have noise, and it's not pretty. I had bridgestone RFT's, pieces of junk. I thought I had a bad wheel bearing, it was bad tires. SO, if you have RFT's, more than likely it's them. On a 2010, I seriously doubt it's a bearing.

[gmblack3]

Dealer just told me wheel bearings are fine. Car wont be ready till tomorrow. I'm thinking of going back over to Discount Tire and switching from A/S 3 to PSS.

[Gary@TireRack]

Originally Posted by cyclicoyster

Guys, if you're running RFT's, you're gonna have noise, and it's not pretty. I had bridgestone RFT's, pieces of junk. I thought I had a bad wheel bearing, it was bad tires. SO, if you have RFT's, more than likely it's them. On a 2010, I seriously doubt it's a bearing.

Keep in mind that simply because a tire is a run flat tire, it does not make it a loud tire. Not all run flat tires are created equally and there are models that are quiet.

[badass335]

Originally Posted by cyclicoyster

Guys, if you're running RFT's, you're gonna have noise, and it's not pretty. I had bridgestone RFT's, pieces of junk. I thought I had a bad wheel bearing, it was bad tires. SO, if you have RFT's, more than likely it's them. On a 2010, I seriously doubt it's a bearing.

But we are not running RFT's. I'm non-RFT's.

[Route 16]

Originally Posted by 2ducks

I have an 08, 328xi. Last week it started make noise from the rear as I went past 40mph. At 80 mph on the freeway, it was an unbearable sound in the cabin. At first, I thought it was the wheels out of balance of sorts. But I noticed at freeway speeds, the car tracks straight and no vibration, just those whooo, whooo, whooo sounds. Then I inspected the rear wheels; everything looks good; even tire threads, good pressure, and the tire balance weights were all there.

So I ended up taking to the dealer and they confirmed it was a a bad right rear axle bearing.

Which dealer confirmed? THat whooo, whooo happened to my Honda too, rotors and brakes were changed brand new to be sure, that didn't fix it. Same thing wheel bearing was broken, now it's good as brand new. No problems after 6k miles and 2 road trips from Oakland to San Diego.

[Denny347]

I wonder if you can "feel" the bad rear bearing in steering? Not a vibration but I feel "grittiness" along with the noise I hear. It very noticeable at 50mph and above