When I bought my 99 a few months ago, I noticed a bit of road noise on the highway. I thought it was just the really really crappy tires that were on the car. I've also heard this could be related to bad wheel bearings.

The noise is definitely speed sensitive, so it could be either. I guess the only way to check is to jack it up and put it in drive to see if it's tire related.

Any other easy ways to check it?

 

jack it up, grab the top & bottom of the tire, shake the wheel from top to bottom. any looseness is a sign of bearing (or ball joint--front). do all wheel the same, and spin the rear looking for roughness and noise(roar)