How dangerous is it to keep driving with these conditions? There is no grinding noise, but a definite noise related to the speed of my car. And it’s the right front bearing that needs replacing. I do plan to get it fixed but am hoping to put it off for another week or two.
The bearing is a more serious issue than the cracked outer axle boots.
If you’re sure the right front bearing is bad, I suggest you have it repaired ASAP. If the bearing fails catastrophically you could lose control of the car.
If you’re just guessing it’s a bearing because of the noise, have a mechanic check the wheel bearing to be sure. If it’s just the CV joints you can wait, but not too long.
Axle boots you can get away with for quite some time until the CV-joints start clicking/crunching going around corners. But a wheel bearing failure isn’t something you should put off. The wheel/tire could seperate from the vehicle.
So get the bearing fixed first and now! And don’t worry about the ripped CV boots.
Tester
Well, he’s going to have to separate the axle from the steering knuckle/bearing assembly in order to replace the bearings. Might as well replace the axle at this time instead of sticking the old one back in.