W124 tyre or wheel bearing.

[smoothcoupe]

I had today 4 pre used tyres fitted today from a reputable tyre shop. (225 45 17) fronts are continental sport contact 2 tyres with 5/6mm tread and rears are federal super steel. When driving back from the shop i noticed a rumble from the front which turned into a whine similar to a wheel bearing. I know this is a bit of a siily question, but could it be the tyres are at fault or could it be the wheel bearing/s has coincidently packed in. Any suggestions please. As i have already traded in a set of 235 45 17 tyres as they where catching on the arch under load. Any suggestions please.

 

[WDB124066]

A dud wheel bearing typically makes a humming sound that pulsates, ie louder - then not so loud - once per revolution of the wheel - if you know what I mean. A bit like an older starter motor on a cold four cylinder, only much quieter of course.

When it first starts often you can notice a difference when going round corners, sometimes when unloading the worn bearing the noise will stop, but when you load it it will tend to make a little more noise.

Swap tyres front to rear then go round comers to see if the noise is still there. You can easily swap the tyres around, but not the bearings......

 

[WDB124066]

Just a thought. If you have changed your offset by a significant amount from factory you may be setting up an extra moment on your wheel bearings ie not loading them the way they were designed to be loaded. Just a thought??