When I drive my VW at high speeds there is an odd vibration in the steering wheel. Could this be a problem with the wheel bearings?
If I member correct you have a air cooled v.w. if so it could be the steering damper. super beetles are bad for shakeing. hard to keep wheels balanced.
If it is just vibration - not noise, then check your wheels for balance. Next would be brake rotors.
How do you know the wheel bearing is ok. After driving it for a while, get out and feel the rim to see if it's hot. That's a sign of a bad wheel bearing or could be a sticking brake caliper. It could also be a tire noise. If you rotate the tires and suddenly the noise comes from a different side of the car, that's it. If that's the case, the tire may need to be replaced. I had a car making a strange noise and took it to a couple of mechanics in town. One said I needed a new transmision the other said I needed a new rearend. The third said tread separation of the tire and that was it.
The steering wheel vibration most likely will not be from the wheel bearings, however the humming noise from the front area could very well be from the wheel bearing.... a simple test for this is to drive to an are that is not busy and then slightly turn your steering wheel to one side and listen for an increase in the humming noise.... this will indicate a well worn wheel bearing on the load side ( the right side bearing if you turned the wheel slightly to go left.. and the left side bearing if you turned the wheel slightly to the right) Front wheel bearing noises are also common to C.V Axle replacement and then the large nut at the center of the wheel not torqued properly... good luck hope this helps.....
Usually a growling or humming noise that sometimes goes away when turning one direction.Could be cupped tires too.
