I just got my baby back from the mechanic and all the wheel bearings
were fine.It turns out that the exaust was broke in 2 places.The guy
we got it from said it was a blown gasket in front of the catyletic
converter,guess he didnt check it out as good ss i thought he did.Well
the pipe was rubbing on the drive shaft making that metal to metal
sound,combine that with real noisy tires and it sounds like a
bearing.I fixed the exaust and now as long as your in the snow its as
quiet as can be.These noisy tires will get changed out in the spring
but will keep them around for next winter because they give excelent
traction in this slipery Michigan snow.At $3000+$300 in repairs this
car was a steal,worth twice that much in my opinion,even with high
mileage.

I love my impreza,
Ed