Acuracy02

So I am moving this sat to be closer to work but as of the past month I've had to drive about 70 miles to work each day so my tires have seen a little more wear than normal. Just a few days ago I noticed that when I'm driving I am hearing this humming coming from outside.

I assume it is my tires because the tone changes with speed. Previously the tires were really quiet. There has been no change in ride quality or feel, just this louder humming noise that changes tone as I speed up. I am wondering if as the tires wear the tread gap becomes greater causing more of a hum?

The tires are all-season high performance Falken Ziex ZE-512's, 215/50-17 on factory TL-S wheels.


Thanks,

Mike

leventis72

Could be your tire but the change in sound pitch going faster or slower points to a bad bearing. Check your tire for a flat spot and the wear pattern of the tire in question. Remember to keep your tires rotated and balanced as well as aligned.
Good luck

Acuracy02

I see no flat spots or odd wear. Which leads me to believe it is the bearing. The noise is consistent too, its not like it would be with a bald patch or a nail or something where you hear it intermitently. The car is lowered on H&R Sports but the drop is so mild (1.75F/1.5R) that camber wear is minimal.

How do I determine what wheel bearing needs to be replaced. I can get the part cheap through a local parts place (lifetime warranty) and know how to replace it, that isn't an issue. Just don't want to replace the wrong one.

To me it sounds like the front driver's side.

-Mike

P.S. - Rotate tires regularly. Balance tires every 2-3 months (thanks Goodyear for your lifetime of free balancing!).

CT-TLS

Sounds like a bad wheel bearing. I had the driver side go with only 10k miles and the passenger side go at 40k miles. Started off as a low humming noise coming from the front. I initially thought it was my tires, but the noise got worse and so I brought it to the dealer. They told me it was a bad bearing and fixed it under warranty. The second time it happened was when I was moving to Miami from CT. I knew right away...and had to stop in Virginia to have it replaced at an Acura dealer. They stocked the part and had me on the road in a couple of hours.

The humming noise would change in pitch and loudness at different speeds.

CJITTY

If the car is lowered, did the dealer give you a hassle? I think mine is starting to make that sound too.

CT-TLS

No...car wasn't lowered. It almost felt like this was a common thing because the service advisor new right away what it was and stocked the parts to fix it....both times....

Acuracy02

Is there a way to determine what side, drivers or passengers, it is coming from for certain other than listening while driving with wind noise, etc at 50+ mph?

Acuracy02

Back to normal. New wheel bearing (drivers side front) put in today. My friend is a tech at Honda, part was the same as the V6 accord. Part cost $50 bucks and I threw him $100.

Acura quoted $425-$450

$450 - $150 = $300 savings.