QuestionQUESTION: I recently acquired a 2008 honda CR-V. There's this whop-whop-whop-noise coming regularly from the wheels (looks like from the front wheels) whenever i am driving the car. The noise reduces at high speed and become more pronounced whenever i lifted my foot off the throttle pedal and about to apply brake. I initially thought it's the noise as a result of the tires running on rough tar. I do not feel comfortable with this. This is the first time i am driving a honda. People tried to convince me it's nothing to worry about, but i strongly doubt this. Do i need to worry about the bearing/hub check, what's your expert advise?
ANSWER: There are several likely causes. It could be tires that are wearing uneven. This is the first thing I would check. While you are checking see if you see any places on the rim where the wheel balancing weights have fallen off.
It could be a bearing problem too. Usually you notice a wheel bearing problem when you are turning because it will get louder or quieter when you go around a corner.
These are the two most likely causes.
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QUESTION: Thanks for your quick response. I got a service 'A' notice on the dash wHich includes tire rotation. That I did on my first drive out with the car. Looks like the noise came after as I got no report of noise prior to then. Do you think tire rotation might be responsible for the whop-whop noise?. I have not noticed any pronounced noise while turning or goin around a corner. This may rule out the bearing issue, right?
AnswerIt could be caused by tire rotation, especially if they weren't re-balanced.
It could still be a wheel bearing. I was simply giving you an easy way to tell if it was the wheel bearing for sure. Sometimes wheel bearings don't exhibit this behavior. It is more likely a tire problem anyway, but still could be a bearing issue.
