Hi -
I would appreciate it, if someone might tell me if they recognize this road noise that I recorded from inside my 2012 Honda Accord. I checked tire pressure. I also checked for any signs of cupping or uneven wear by rubbing my hand over the tires and inspecting areas that were exposed while parked on the street. Does this sound like a tire problem or something else like a bearing? The car only has 21K miles.

The audio file is here:
http://vimeo.com/75739454

The reference to 29 is just a road. The noise was most noticeable around 45 MPH.
Thanks.

 

It is kind of hard to hear from the audio file.

If it is a roaring type of noise, it may be the wheel bearing. The front wheel bearings were known to fail on some of the 8th generation Accords.

If it is like a "whup whup" noise, it may be a tire cupping issue. Cupping may occur at the edge of a tire; for example, at the edge of the tire (can be the inner edge or outer edge) and not be so noticeable even if you feel the tire unless you're specifically checking for that. Just cupping on one tire edge can create a slight noise.

Try rotating the tires to see if there is a difference in noise, if it changes after rotation, it is a tire or wheel problem.

 

I did have the tires rotated and rebalanced by the dealer. This diminished the noise and if anything moved it to the front so it's probably the Dunlop tire.
I'll get Michelins the next time around. Thanks again.

 

Tough to call by listening. I had a wheel bearing that sounded similar. But since it moved to the front when you rotated them, it must be tire noise.