WINDING NOISE.....Bearing or Tyres ????

[Double.0]

ello all....had the car bout 4-5 months, theres a winding noise that has got progressivley worse, now unbearable....loud humbing/winding noise....becomes more intense as i accelerate even louder as i come to a stop/junction, i can now feel slight vibration in the streering wheel and on the brake pedal ....(the sound does vary depending on road surface, the smoother the surface the louder the wnding...)

took it to 3 different places each place initially said they though it is a wheel bearing problem...however i have 19inch wheels on thecar and the 1 guy said it may be the tyres...so we checked them, an the tyres at the back are fine apart from a sgnificant step (wear) on the inside of the tyres left almost a lip on the tyre...just to note the tyres are cheap no name shyt..

he put the car on the ramp and spun the wheels and could not hear any sign of bearing noise...,...so looking like the tyres right? he said for me to try sum other wheres/tyres on it...if thers still the same noise then its not the tyres and must b the bearing right? if the noise goes with the other wheels/tyres then i need new tyres??? how can i stop the tyres wearing in the same way ? get 4 wheel allignment? and do u think they have worn in such away because they are cheap s**t?

please help im borke at the mo an tryin to keep my costs to a minimum....

any help/info will be much appreciated...

 

[Smokin]

Low profile, high performance tires get louder as they wear. I'm putting Michelin PS2 ZPs on tomorrow. The OEM Bridgestones are worn out and they definitely are louder now than when new.

 

[Aebous]

IIRC correctly one way to check the wheel bearing is lift the car up high enough so that there is no weight on wheels, then grab the wheel/tire and shake it back and forth. If it doesn't shake apart from the axle (you'd feel it shift I was told) then the bearing is good.

 

[GaryThomlinson]

Yes, to check a bearing (though it might require some effort), jack up the car safely on a stable surface, enough to be able to get your hands above and below the tyre/wheel and push at the top, pull at the bottom, and try to rock the wheel, top to bottom. If any play is noticed (and you're wheel nuts aren't dopping off!) then bearing wear is most likely. Dont rock the wheel left to right, as track(steering) movement may disguise any bearing play.