Could a bent rim be causing this noise?

[LennysEleven]

My 88 has a droning sort of noise that comes from the driver side front wheel area, between 40 and 50 mph. I thought it was bad tire but after replacing the tire it still does it. Could a bent wheel cause this? What else could it be? Wheel bearing?

-Nick

[DarkWing6]

Does the drone go away on corners? A bent wheel would casue a bumpy ride, but I don't think it would casue a droan.

[browntown]

Just some things that came to mind: my first thought was wheel bearing. If they're original, it might not be a bad idea to replace them anyways. If they're under 100k or so its unlikely they're shot. Raise the car, see if you can jiggle the whole assembly, could have a blown tie rod. I think you'd know that already though cause your car wouldn't track properly. When you put the new tire on, did the job spin balance the wheel/tire combo? If you bent the rim, the weights might need adjusting to put the wheel in balance. Pop the wheel off, check your brake caliper see if its on nice and tight; it's unlikely but worth a check.