Right rear wheel bearing?

mndsm

Member
I think I got a bearing going on me. It will intermittently produce an incredibly high pitched squeal, sort of like dragging a dead brake pad. It only does it when the wheel is under load (turning left for example). When I turn the car to the right, and that side unloads, it does go away. It'll do this for one or two min, and then go silent. I haven't had it on stands (recently) so I have no idea if there's lateral play. I'll probably check that tonight. I'll double check the brakes again when I'm under there, but I had the wheels off it a few weeks ago, and there was plenty of pad then, so I don't think I'm dragging a pad. One of the things that throws me off, is when the squeal DOES start, as soon as it goes away, it sounds like a rock hits the underside of my car. Not like a big rock or anything, but more like what gravel sounds like. I figured it might have been some gravel or something trapped in the dust shield, but for the life of me can't figure out where I would have picked any up. I did a quick inspection last night and the shield doesn't appear to be bent, so I don't think it's coming in contact with anything.

That being said, what say you oh great gurus? If it's a bearing, what am I looking at for replacing it? I'm not real scared of doing my own labor, it's more of a matter of lack of space/tools (apartments SUCK). Is there anything additional I'm going to need if I do it? I plan on replacing the whole rear brake setup as long as I'm under the car (pads and rotors at least).... but when searching for the parts, I come up with all sorts of goofy axle assemblies and whatnot that lead me to believe I may be better off turning the car over to the dealer or someone for a day, instead of trying to kill myself on it. Anything else it could be?

For the record, it's a 2007 Speed3, 48ish k on the clock, Hotchkis RSB on full stiff, and 17x9 rotas on 245/40 z1 star specs. (This made me thing it might be bearing, I can see the additional load from the tires and the sway making it eat them rather quickly).
 
Have you tried putting the stock wheels back on it yet to see if the noise goes away? most of the time when its bearing related its a roar sound instead of a high pitch squeal sound.
 
Hm, haven't tried that yet. Though, the car has nearly 50k on it, and driving a comparable 09 ms3, my brakes did feel squishy in comparison, so I'm almost wondering if my rear pads aren't shot and it hangs once in a while. Might as well use it as an excuse to upgrade.
 

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