I have an e36 M3. OEM Contour wheels. Bridgestone Potenza tires. At low speed I get a really loud wheel noise. Kinda a whomp,whomp,whomp. There isn't any wheel vibration and the noise appears to go away as I accelerate. What could this be? Wheels need balancing?
Did you figure this out yet? I would guess a tire issue. Irregular wear will cause this as well as excessive miles on some tires. Yokohama AVS ES100's, as well as a host of others, become more noisy as they wear. Also, improper tire pressure will also cause this. Not saying it is not a wheel bearing, but the test for that is to load the suspension on either side by turning the wheel slightly to the left or right while cruising straight and see if the noise gets louder on one side. Also, you can lift the wheels off the ground and spin it listening for groaning or grinding. Check and see if one wheel is warmer near the lugs than the other as well. Good luck...
