wheel bearing caise brake wear?

[mmorningstar]

We have an 02 Explorer EB 4.0. Noticed the driver side wheel was getting more brake dust than the passenger side, pulled the wheel off, pads are really low. At first I was thinking the caliper might have been seized, but after searching some I think it may be the wheel bearing, anyone experience accelerate brake wear with a bad wheel bearing?

I should say that it is not noticeably loose when I try to move the wheel while it's jacked up, but I have noticed the increased noise like I'm running snow tires or MTR's, so I'm thinking the bearing is on it's way out....

Any input appreciated.

and yes, I typo'd the title, laptop, sofa, watching East Bound and Down. lol

 

[matt0248]

In theory yes. The caliper is mounted to the suspension knuckle. The rotor is mounted to the hub/bearing. So if there is some movement in the bearing the rotor can wobble and touch the pads and over time wear them out. Keep in mind that the forces on the bearing when driving are a lot more than any force you can pu ton it by trying to wiggle the tire.