"Droning" sound at 96 kph?

peking97

When driving along level motorway etc. I notice a "droning" type sound between 94 and 98 kph. Seems more pronounced at 96. Am I right to suspect a wheel bearing as Google searches seem to indicate or could it be something else?
More importantly, is it safe to drive a long run with it like this?
Car has just over 50K miles done even though it's six years old.
Any suggestions appreciated.

Tefral

Wheel bearings get louder the faster you go.

Do you notice this always in all roads?

Did you change your tires recently?

peking97

Tefral wrote: »

Wheel bearings get louder the faster you go.

Do you notice this always in all roads?

Did you change your tires recently?

Yes, audible on all road types.
Tyres are Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance and were changed over a year ago. The noise has only become noticeable in the last month or two.

gibbon75

peking97 wrote: »

Yes, audible on all road types.
Tyres are Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance and were changed over a year ago. The noise has only become noticeable in the last month or two.

Could be uneven tyre wear (most of the time it isn't visible at all).I have the same issue with my rear tyres on my Accord.Some cars are prone the wear the inner edge of the rear tyres more (I've seen it with S40/V50,7th gen Accord) even though the suspension and geometry is fine.
You can try to swap wheels around to see if the noise moves.

mullingar

Lotd of tyres get louder the more they wear.

A quick diagnosis of a faulty wheel bearing is turn the car left and right slightly on a wide straight road to shift the weight of the car from side-to-side, if the noise gets louder/quieter its a wheel bearing.

Does it still drone if you shift to neutral?

peking97

^^^^^
Only saw this advice just now. Will test tomorrow and report back.

peking97

mullingar wrote: »

Lotd of tyres get louder the more they wear.

A quick diagnosis of a faulty wheel bearing is turn the car left and right slightly on a wide straight road to shift the weight of the car from side-to-side, if the noise gets louder/quieter its a wheel bearing.

Does it still drone if you shift to neutral?

Got a chance to try those ideas today and no change on side-to-side turns or when in neutral. I'm thinking now it must be tyre related. I wonder could it be due to a slight imbalance. Would it be an idea to have the balancing checked first?

mullingar

Tyre balance would only be needed with vibrations, not droning.

If the tyres are nearly done, change them

denismc

If the tracking is out it may cause this. Check you tires for uneven wear.