I have a 2006 Mazda 3 with about 183k miles on it. I just started noticing a “womp womp” sound coming from what I think is around the tire area. I just took it to a mechanic which ended up changing the rear bearings, a front bearing and the rear brakes. However, the sound I am concerned about is still there. The mechanic did mention the CV joint eventually needing to be changed due to wear. I took it back to the mechanic to look into the sound it’s making and he mentioned a part that needed to be changed that was transmitting that sound, I did not get much information on what part it was. However, to be quite honest he did not seem confident in that fixing the problem. I’ve spent a lot of money already and wanted someone else’s opinion before spending more money. I am aware this is an older car, I am planning on getting a new car in a year or so, but I do want to maintain this car in good shape as well.
How many miles on those tires? Could be something wrong with the steel belt inside the tires.
The sound of tread separation. Happened to me on 395 south of Bishop one Thanksgiving 50 years ago.
If this sound is associated with applying the brakes and stopping… the brakes, rotors and tires are where I would be looking.
I would suspect the brake rotors first and foremost. Any competent mechanic should be able to figure this out to be honest. The main clue is “when slowing down/making a stop”.
My money is on the rotors…
Try to determine which tire the sound seems to be coming from, then look very carefully at the tire’s tread. Compare it to the other tires. See any unusual tread-wear patterns developing? Swapping the tires around can also be helpful to figure this sort of thing out. Problematic CV joints don’t usually cause this sort of sound unless the CV boot is damaged/split or bunched up & not positioned correctly. If it’s outer-CV caused it would get noticeably worse when turning , esp a certain direction.