Thrumming at HWY speeds

2003 GA 4 dr coupe, 2.2 ecotec w/4sp auto trans.

I purchased this vehicle a year ago for a work car. First thing was to do a full tune and tranny flush. Reprogrammed the PCM. All of my driving is hwy on macadam type roads (Oil w/gravel base). So to say the car is not very well insulated is an understatement. Anyway I digress. Recently I began spending more time on improved smooth roads and noticed a thrumming coming from what appears to be the passenger side. I figured at 145,000 miles the CV's were shot. So I replaced both sides and was suspicious that the old ones looked too good to be bad. They felt solid with no clunking in the joints and the rubber boots were still supple and intact. I also checked the wheel bearings on both side and they are solid also. After getting back on the road I noticed the same thrumming, kind of like an airplane engine vibration. So now I'm worried I may have a Tranny bearing issue.
Today I drove a Hertz rental Mazda 3 and son of a gun if I don't hear the exact same thrumming as in the pontiac. So now I am wondering is this is just something related to front wheel drive vehicles. My last FWD was a 90 Dodge Spirit and I never heard that noise from it. This is my first FWD car in about 18 years.
Any Ideas...???
:banghead:

did you drive on the same road?

I've noticed some roads that had weird bumps or grooves which make noise into my tires... at first I was a little confused then realized it was only that one section of road I always traveled...

he's right on the road on some places it dose it and it don't. but it could be a bad tire your hearing or struts might be wore out. try this take your knee and push down on it purty good and if it don't stop jounsing we call it on third time it don't stop jounsing your struts or sprigs are weak causing it to bounce another way is take your hand and feel around on tred and if it's got chopping in it. it is the struts are weak......

I would think it was the road, the struts on a 2003 are not likly to be bad unless you jump rail road crossings. :lol:

Try driving down a good paved road not a tar/gravel/chip & seal type, those due tend to make excessive tire noise.

No it's not the road. Like I said; on rough roads I could never hear the thrumming because the road noise was so loud. It was when I finally started driving on smoother surfaces that I noticed the sound. Like a prop driven airplane only at hwy speeds. I haven't checked my rear bearings yet and from what I have read here on these forums it may be the source of my sound. Definitly from the passenger side though.

yah but if you new how they loaded and tighten them down before you get them one thing when they put them on trucks let air out of tires and tighten them down then the put air back in tires.plus the first set are only good for about 30 maybe 40mls when they come out.hunter will even tell you that. but yah there are roads and then there are roads.

That sounds more like a tire... a bearing usualy makes a hum or grinding sound.
And thiers not many problems with rear hub/bearing units, just the front.

And if you suspect its your trans take it to a trans shop(or one that can scan for trans codes) and see if thier are any trouble codes for the trans.
If a bearing in it was the problem, I would think it would do it at lower speeds or at least under heavy load(WOT).

this sounds exactly like what I got going on. Did you find the problem? so maybe I can fix mine. Thanks

Welcome to AF will248 !

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