Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

So my car is getting to that point when everything starts going wrong at once.

I noticed a humming noise last week but it was barely noticeable because of my old noisy tires, I figured that was the problem. I had them replaced yesterday and now that I have a quiet, smooth car again the humming is more pronounced. I feel it vibrating very slightly in the pedals but feel nothing in the wheel.

It sounds a lot like tread noise but I'm not sure. I read a bunch of reviews for the tires I got and everyone said they were quiet and smooth, as they are on my car.

I went through some turns at higher speed to load each side hoping to figure out which side was bad but the noise doesn't seem to change at all when I load one side. You figure loading the bad bearing would make it louder and unloading would make it quieter.

I had my car aligned and the tech did take it for a test drive, he didn't say anything. He knows my cousin works there so I figure he would tell me if something else is wrong.

I got the Potenza Pole Position RE960AS if anyone has any experience with them.

So....any ideas?

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

Jack the front of the car up. Then wiggle the top and bottom of the tire in and out. If it wiggles any then the bearing is bad. If no wiggle it's probably axle(s) or tranny.

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

I tried that and the tires don't move around at all, everything is firmly in place.

Would it be okay to put the car on jack stands and have a jack under the front jack point as well. Then start it up and put it in gear so the wheels are spinning and see if I still hear the humming.

I just wanna be sure it's not the tires and that's the only way I could think of how to eliminate them as the source.

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

Yes.

btw: Technically all you need is the stands but, the jack doesn't hurt.

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Axles Tranny?
 

It's not the tires. Noise is still there with no tires and the car on jack stands.

Here's what's kinda weird. I can hear the noise very well in the cabin. I cannot hear it outside. Now I have to give it some gas to get over 30mph for the sound to be loud enough to hear and to do that outside I have to be over the motor so that may be drowning it out, I'm not sure. When I have it idleing in 5th gear (about 20mph) and stand next to the tranny I don't hear any humming but the tranny doesn't sound smooth, I can hear the gears. Not sure if that's normal or not.

I feel no abnormal vibrations in the shifting lever.

Clutch is about gone but I don't think that would cause a humming noise.

I had taken my car to Jiffy Lube to have the tranny fluid changed every 30k. This past time I decided to do it myself and used Honda MTF. Shortly after I did this the tranny started making a gear noise when rpm's are under 2k. Now I have this humming noise on top....

Tranny is full.

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

So I'm back to thinking its a wheel bearing. I went out and got aggressive in a parking lot and it seems like right turns makes it worse. Still hear it on lefts but it doesn't seem as bad. Also more intense when I brake.

Has anyone done the test where you jack up one side and spin one tire at a time?

Re: Humming Noise, wheel bearing? Tires?
 

So I isolated each side by jacking up one side, starting the car and getting up to 20mph. When I have the left front off the ground and the right stationary it makes the sound. When I have the right off the ground it doesnt.

Seems to be the LF wheel bearing.