Took both of your advice, tried it on jack stands and moved the wheel by hand, nothing, no noise, tried running it (while on the stands) and nothing, no noise. Checked everything. I can’t figure it out. I think it does have something to do with the weight on it, so methinks I’m going to look more into the suspension. struts are about 5 years old (50k miles) so i’ll probably get new ones on and see if that fixes it, if not it will remain a mystery.
Also, checked the wheel weights since I have a few and they are fine, brake system is fine, CV, Bushing a little worn but still in good condition, bearings were all replaced a little over a year ago, control arms fine. If new struts don’t fix it, i’m just going to deal with it until the car completely gives, then get a new one. It has 112K miles on, but otherwise is great, although it is a frankenstein, it’s nearly all aftermarket parts besides the engine and transmission. I am just attached to the car, its so much fun to drive and really agile, been with me through a lot of crap.
Perhaps the crack in the wheel liner is the cause. Maybe once it gets over 15-20 miles per hour, there is enough wind resistance from the speed and the tire movement that is causing the noise.
Reminds me of an issue Rodney Dangerfield had. Bought a new car, every time he drove it there was an annoying noise. Took it to many mechanics, none could determine the source of the annoying noise. Went for a drive one day and left his wife at home. No more annoying noise.
He was not suggesting that your windows were causing the noise.
He was suggesting that if there are any cracks or gaps in the fender liner after your blowout, those openings will be a path for airflow that can make a flapping noise like what happens in other cars when the windows are partly down.
If there is anything broken, bent, or missing (even a tiny gap) in the fender well area it can make a lot of noise. Check for that if you haven’t already.
I figured as much. I’ve tried taping the areas to at least see if the noise changes, it doesn’t. I spent the better part of the memorial day evening with the car up on jackstands switching the wheels around. I checked everything while I was under there. I spent excessively too much time checking every part. I’m at a loss. I am going to likely take it in to another shop for them to check it out. I’ll keep updated here. Thanks for the tips so far!
Alright, just thought I’d update to put this post to a proper close. After a deep inspection, it turns out it is a wheel bearing after all. Apparently it failed in such a peculiar way that there were no warning signs, no wonder I was able to drive on it for so long. $90 bucks to fix. Sweet deal. Thanks for all the help!
Last update. Just figure i’d put it out there for future reference, plus i forgot to elaborate on the issue. One of the “rollers” or pins on the wheel bearing turned into oval shape, not exactly perfectly round, but still working but was worn enough to make noise. It’s now like driving on a cloud since been fixed.
The first time I took it in I didn’t let them drive it to feel it, my fault. Found it as soon as I let him drive it. You could not see the issue while it was racked, nor hear it when manually moving the wheel.