I'm trying to work out whether a low whirling noise that appears to emanate from the front offside of the car when the speedo reads 80mph could be a need to replace the front driver's side wheel bearing.

Took the drivers wheel off yesterday to inspect it and have just taken off the front passenger wheel to inspect and compare that like for like.

Please see the below image of the front passenger side hub. Could someone please explain to me what the central most circular piece of metal is (like a fat letter S)? You will see that this pictured one looks fresh and new. The driver's side one yesterday looked a lot more weathered and the S piece actually looked a little chewed up where the 2 teeth are?

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

That sir is yer driveshaft

When you are driving and you hear the "bearing" noise does the noise get quieter, noisier or stay the same when you turn left or right? A faulty bearing will sound different under load, noticeably around corners.. Previously..
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Can i make the suggestion you change tyres about first! As that is far cheaper then a new hub unit (wheel bearing not available separately)

Most of the time tyres have worn like a saw blade. Run your hand clockwise around your tyre, then anti-clockwise and judge the resistance difference and see if your tyres are wearing like a circular saw blade? That makes lots of noise, commonly mis-diagnosed as wheel bearings

^
I had the same when I bought mine, was convinced it was a wheelbearing or diff.
Mine used to start at 50mph....changed my wheels over to my summer set, and was perfect again.
Question is.....I now have a set of winter tyres, with 6mm+ of tread left on them, do I change all tyres, or put up with the noise?
Would I get away with rotating them?

I would try rotating them but it depends on what tyres they are.
I was told not to rotate my Grabbers as noise will be worse.
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Jay, the "sawblade effect" seams to be a phenomenon with road biased tyres sir... No one has an answer yet

Thanks for the replies. I am learning with your help… slowly!

I've been out at the car since my OP.

@Contraband – The whirling noise comes on when the needle hits 80mph on a straight line on the motorway. When changing lanes left or right, provided the car is showing 80mph, the noise stays on but it is not affected by right and left turns/ lane changes. There is no slow speed whine when turning left or right and there are no grinding brake noises.

@ Craig (CTC) have you/ anyone else any more thoughts on this list please:

1. The tyres are MD fitted Nexen Rodian and they still look nearly new. I’ll check the wear as per your suggestion though thanks.

2. Whilst the wheel was off and checking it, I have just found stuck in the tread of the front passenger tyre, a sharp 1” spring clip stuck between an area of tread and I wonder if that might be the source of the noise (I will road test the car later).

3. The main dealer, at the end of summer 2013, did the following work:

A. Replaced servotronic valve (steering).

B. Replaced the front offside driveshaft seal (interesting to note then that the pictured nearside ‘S’/Teeth look shiny new and the offside one looks tattier/a little chewed?).

C. Replaced the full front diff and the pinion seal.

Ahh, more info... Send it back to the dealer as it could very easily be diff related... What makes you think it's OS or NS anyway?

When the noise comes on/80 on the needle... to hear it more clearly, I've got to lean over the steering wheel towards the windscreen. To my ears, it's coming from the offside area and I've asked a passenger to lean forwards too and they say they can't hear it from nearside. Add to that the items replaced at points B & C (mentioned in my last post) and the fact that the offside 'S'/teeth look a little dog eared, I'm leaning towards the offside.

Edit - did the clockwise and anti clockwise tread resistance test and nothing noteworthy. Road tested car on motorway in driving rain and did not hear the noise at all. Car ran silky smooth and quiet. Hopefully, having removed the springclip that was stuck in the nearside tread and/or taking the wheels off/ the nut re-torque has made the noise go away... but I've a feeling it will be back!

driveshaft end does look quite shiny and new on the pic, could be that its had that side replaced at some point.

if you had something stuck in the tyre it could be the cause of the noise. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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my 2p worth.
the 'S' shape you refer to is the main hub nut with locking 'dents' that go into groove on hub assy spline . this 'nut' would be replaced when worked on, and to a specific torque, or 'torque and undo slightly, and chiseled into to lock.
one question, as mine does similar at same speed, but only if pedal down, -on the overrun, it disappears, so proving diff whine, next question, which one! (or both!)

Okay... Went for motorway drive this afternoon and the noise came on with the needle at 80mph.

To clarify, the driveshaft seal that was replaced was the front driver's side and I've just had the wheel off again to photograph the chewed fat 'S'/ teeth I referred to so you can compare both hub nuts side by side. So the first picture below is the driver's side which the MD told me they did the work on and the second picture is the passenger side. The drivers side 'S'/ teeth look chewed and the passenger side looks shiny new:

Front driver' side hub:

Click image to enlarge

could it be at all possible, that you paid for a drivers side hub repair, but as pictured got instead a passengers side repair. thus the remaining noise, and new fitted locknut 'evidence' your invoice will prove your intentions/diagnosis.
it looks like the chewed one is possibly reused, and the other is original. I believe, they should use a new one each time its removed. cant be expensive.
when we have our caravan serviced the guy always gives us the old dirty hub locknuts, proving they are new ones now on the 'van.

-my 2p worth.

p.s.
if your dealer is 'not in' on the day you go back, he is probably on a customer bullshite course....

@johnboy - Thanks for the observations. Tbh with you when I took the front pass wheel off and saw the shiny hub nut, my first obvious thought was, they've done the nearside and accidentally referred to it as the offside. That said, at the time, it was the main dealer Master Tech who took me round the car after that and other work had been done and he was instinctively pointing towards the offside as he referred to the offside area.

This dealership will be straight with us as they've bent over backwards to get things right before and they know I'm a bit fussy

The car is now booked into the MD in a couple of weeks for the MOT; for a service; I've raised a "warranty claim" today on the once again failing rusty rear arches that the MD bodyshop repaired and repainted only last May; & I've reported a noisy Air Con because when the car is on the move and the left hand side air con button is activated, you can hear that sound of interference like you used to get in days gone by when driving whilst listening to LW radio channels and you could hear the car accelerating/ changing gears through the car radio speakers (well that was the noise I used to get 20 odd years ago when driving the works' H Reg Vauxhall Nova pool car!)

And in the meantime. Tomorrow, I've got a family friend who is a really competent mechanic who is going to have the car into his garage to check out this offside hub nut/ whirling noise at 80mph as well as inspecting the calipers, discs, pads and a giving the car a general pre MOT & pre Service health check. He is not a LR specialist but presumably the points I'm asking him to inspect should not present any problems to any competent mechanic?