Baseball cards in my spokes.
Dear automobile enthusiasts: My Scion (2004 xA, related entries) has started emitting a ticking/clicking sound from its front right wheel. The sound, which really reminds me of a turn signal or of a baseball card stuck between the spokes of a bike wheel, seems to occur in a march: CHIK-chik-CHIK-chik.
It is timed to the speed of the car (not the speed of the engine); I had thought it occurred more than once per tire revolution, but a quick calculation (based on a rough measurement of 4 clicks/sec at 10 mph) proves that it occurs just about once per go-round. No correlation with turning or anything, either.
It’s not so loud that I can hear the sound with the windows up, but with the front passenger’s window down, it’s pretty clearly audible (moreso when I pass a solid object on the right which will reflect the sound). I’ve checked as best I can for stones in the tread and can’t find any. No, I don’t have fancy hubs or spinners or anything; this is the standard, el-cheapo plastic hubcap (which appears securely fastened, if slightly curb-scraped).
Thoughts?