Hey guys,

I have a 2009 Sport and I do all the maintenance and repairs to it like I'm sure most of you do. For the last year or so I've had issues with a grumbling/gravelly noise coming from my front end only when braking. I've replaced my rotors and pads twice in this time, which causes the noise to go away for a short time, but it always comes back quickly. Obviously it is brake related since it only happens when I brake, but there is also way more road noise than there used to be and I get the classic "womp, womp, womp" when going around corners. I'm wondering if my wheel bearings could be bad causing my brakes to go bad faster. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Nate

 

If the wheel bearings are worn or bad, that's reason enough to replace them. Often you can feel if they are bad by jacking up that corner of the car and seeing if there's any play in the wheel (there should be none) and/or nasty crunchiness when rotating it with the transmission in neutral.

I suppose a very bad bearing may cause undue brake wear over time, but I'd probably guess that a seized caliper, partly blocked brake line, or something along those lines is more likely. I don't know for sure, though.

 

Thanks Drew. Yeah, I think back to when I blew out a bearing on my old Blazer and it scoured the rotors pretty good. I used to work in a tire shop, so brakes, suspension, hubs are not entirely foreign to me, but it has been a while. I'll jack it up and take another gander. Anyone else have any input?

 

+2 on grinding caused by a seized/sticking caliper.

But the WHUP noise around corners MIGHT be a bearing (don't forget to check the rears) or feathered tread on your tires. <--- if that, moving tires front to back will change the noise