Chrysler Repair: Wheel Bearings Roaring Sound, chrysler cirrus, wheel bearings

Question
I have a 98 Chrysler Cirrus and when I accelerate I hear a roaring sound but when I turn right it does not make the noise.  At first I thought it was the transmission but had someone look at it and they said it was the front right wheel bearing.  Does this sound right and what are the normal charges for a fix like this?
Thanks-Tiffany

Answer
It's a good possibility that they are correct.  One more common problem though could be abnormally worn tires.  Check your tires by running your hand clockwise and counter-clockwise on the entire face of the traction part.  If the tread does NOT bite in to your hands then you're probably got a bad wheel bearing.

If it does bite in to your hands you've more than likely got an alignment issue (toe out of adjustment) or haven't rotated and balanced your tires frequently enough.

Most of the wheel bearings can be a little tricky to diagnose because you have to load and unload the suspension to recreate it best.  You do this by SAFELY swerving side to side say in an EMPTY parking lot or dead end road.  Speed is normally 20mph to 40mph.  Slow, sweeping movements are best because quick ones tend to create more noise.  Either from your coffee cup hitting your passenger or the change sliding around in the center console.  

Try loading and unloading the suspension to see if it makes a difference.  Also, frequency will increase and decrease with vehicle speed, not engine speed.
Doug