Humming coming from my 01 Boxster, any suggestions on what to look for

[Jasper7821]

Originally Posted by piper6909

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me. Hunting down which one is a bit tricky. You can try jacking the car up. For the front wheels, try spinning them by hand and see if it feels "crunchy." For the rear wheels, you'll have to run it in gear and listen for it. Just be damn sure you have the front wheels blocked well. If you have a friend who has a lift you can use, that would be the safest. Sometimes they develop some play in the wheel, (but not always) so you can check for any play by wiggling the wheel side to side and up and down.

I first noticed it when I put the top up for the first time and drove on a 2,500 mile trip to California and back. The sound is only a little louder from before the trip. I would think after that many miles if it was a wheel bearing, it would be totally damaged by now and grinding. There’s no grinding sound at all, only a humming directly behind me.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Jasper7821

I first noticed it when I put the top up for the first time and drove on a 2,500 mile trip to California and back. The sound is only a little louder from before the trip. I would think after that many miles if it was a wheel bearing, it would be totally damaged by now and grinding. There’s no grinding sound at all, only a humming directly behind me.

Wheel bearings can last thousands of miles after first hearing noise from them.