Hello everybody! I just found you guys today while searching for answers. I know you may not like the name but this is my first Pontiac after 7 straight Chrysler products. (my first was a Cuda, 18 years ago.)
Anyway, on to the unsolved. I have a 2000 SLE. Only mods are exhaust stuff. 41k miles. no problems until now.
When it hits about 35mph a whine starts coming from the front end, I swear it sounds like the sound mud tires make on a 4X4. The faster you go, the higher the pitch of the whine. I can't detect any vibration while it is hapening. I have looked all over the front end for loose plastic, rotated the tires front to back and basicly gone nuts for two days trying to figure it out.
The noise stops when you go around a curve to the left, but continues as always to the right.
I've thought maybe wheel bearings, but it doesn't sound like bad bearings I ever heard before. Plus it only has 41k miles. Kinda early for bearings.
Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

It sounds like a wheel hub assembly is failing prematurely by the description that you give, that'* just my guess. I've had experience with an older Bonneville isolating those type sounds to a left front hub assembly. When driving car straight line with that whining noise I would just apply slight left turn and it would be quiet for a second or two (change in dynamic loading on wheel bearing). Mine sounded like a turbine coming up on the governor when it showed signs of failing. There will probably be some forum veterans piping in on this one soon enough.

Try shaking the front wheels in and out while the car is sitting there. Is there any play? When the bearing went bad in my 89 it sounded like a low humming noise. And the symptom you described of it going away when you go around curves in a certain direction is typical of a bad bearing.

Sometimes a bad strut can fool you, but the difference in direction of turn is classic. I'd bet a hub/bearing assembly. You're right, it'* way early, but there'* always a bad apple lurking around.

Do like Fuddy said. Jack up the car and check that sucker for play. If it'* in the early stages of failure, you may not detect any, but then again, you might. With your symptoms, I'd be real tempted to shotgun the hub.