Let's Play "What's That Sound?!" lol

1996 SR5 4x4 w/ 33's

Hey everyone, I did try searching around for similar issue but it was very difficult and couldn't quite find anything.

So over the past month I've been doing an 80 mile round trip commute for work and only at highway speeds 65+ will I either hear it once, or hear several times. It's coming from the driver front tire and best way I can describe the sound is that it almost sounds like the tire is making contact with the inner wheel wells plastic liner whenever there's a slight drop on the road, so the suspension compresses real quick and immediately hear a quick noise from the driver front tire n then immediately goes away.

Only twice have I heard the same sound for a few seconds as I going around a very slight curve in the freeway and it scares the scrap out of me. I originally thought maybe it was my torn up ball joint at my upper control arm, but I finally got around to replacing the uppers and lowers due to the overall condition of my bushings and now with the JBA's, I can get my alignment into spec much better.

Some folks have said it's my wheel bearing but it looks fine and I personally just don't understand how or why a wheel bearing would be doing this only when the vehicle is going down a small dip in the freeway pavement and never when I'm simply driving. Don't hear the typical sounds I know you get from wheel bearings.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. =]

 

Well have you checked the plastic liner and tire to rule out signs of rubbing? This happens on my Previa passenger side, possibly an artifact of an accident before I owned it. It happens when the wheel is turned.

 

Get a Corolla. Thats an antique you need to baby it not beat on it?