Hi all,

I have a fairly loud "humming noise" coming from the front driver's side wheel area. At first I thought it was a bad bearing so I went ahead & had it replaced. Unfortunately, that did not solve the issue. I inspected the axle & it's completely intact with no tears in the boots. I've had the brake pads, rotors, & calipers replaced on all 4 wheels within the past year so I doubt it could be coming from there. The noise I'm hearing is only audible above 40mph & gets progressively worse with an increase in speed. Strangely, there's no vibration in the steering wheel (none that I can feel at least).

I'm wondering if maybe it's tire / alignment related? My tires have a decent amount of tread left but are certainly getting towards the end of their lifespan. I've never had a alignment done (car drives perfect, didn't see the point) & have put at least 50k miles on my latest set of tires in the past 3 years. Has anyone experienced something similar or can suggest something to check that I haven't yet?

 

Could 100% be the tires. Swap front to back or left to right depending on what setup you have and see if the noise changes or moves.

 

Update: It ended up being the passenger side wheel bearing. I was surprised by this since the noise seemed to be coming directly from driver's side wheel well. I had my dad drive the car while I sat in the passenger seat & it still sounded like it was coming from the left side. I guess my ears deceived me! Anyway, the car runs & drives perfect now. 130k miles on the clock & still going strong.