Ford focus rear end noise

i have a ford focus w/ 150k miles. about 8 months ago i was having very load noise from the rear end, the faster I drove, the loader it got. i finally replaced the bearings (actually replaced with a complete drum kit); put on new tires (goodyear triple-tread); still there is rear end noise. even on gravel roads & on snow. even at lows speeds. sounds like rrrrrr. i can’t believe that the rear spindle is bent. when i had the tires put on they did a four-wheel alignment, i check the specs they gave me and it all checked out. any ideas

Have you looked for rubbing on splash shields, park brake cable ? Do this with the car on the ground. When it’s up on a hoist the suspension will flex downward and you won’t see where it rubs. Look also for something dragging the ground.

Ken Green has given you some good suggestions, but I want to make you aware of something that you may not have considered. The unibody construction of the Focus-just like all unibody cars–can “telegraph” noise in such a way that it sounds like it is coming from an area other than the real source of the noise.

Give Ken’s suggestions a try, but if the LOUD noise is still present after checking everything possible near the rear wheels, then you have to begin looking for other conditions that are not related to the rear of the car. Have the front wheel bearings been checked?

I will check those on Monday as I will be able to pull it into the garage @ work. I really suspect it has to do with axle,wheel,tires as the noise seems to have a revolving pattern to it.

This is one of the warnings when installing the rear wheel bearings.

WARNING: Rotate the hub assembly 10 times in the opposite direction while tightening the hub nut to prevent damage to the wheel bearing.

@moosieman so I was test driving a focus today and I also heard the noise. Oddly I was the only one that heard it till the person with me drove. So outta curiosity was it the hub assembly, wheel bearing, rubbing, or from elsewhere on the vehicle?