Problem with Maxima, Shimmy Shimmy ya

[s13rookie]

sorry for the long post

I was driving home from work tonight in my 1996 maxima, and my car started shaking/vibrating like crazy. I pulled over thinking i had a flat tire. but the tires are fine.

When im going slowly, it almost sounds like a plastic or rubber bumping from the front drivers side wheel. As i get going faster, a second sound begins, but this one is a metal thumping. Both sounds seem to happen on a rythm as the wheel rotates, but there is a slight differance in the timing of the sounds. When i am accel'ing, or braking the sound and vibration goes away and the car is smooth. Its only when i am coasting, going a steady speed, or when i let of the gas to shift that the car that it shakes.At highway speeds the noise sounds exactly like a helicopter over head.

Before i got home i pulled into a large parking lot and slowly did a couple figure 8's, but it made no sound and didnt vibrate. so i would think the cv joints are fine.
When i got home, i pulled the front wheel off, hoping maybe it was a stuck caliper or something, but it wasnt. All of the suspension pieces seem to be fine.

Does this sound like it could be a wheel bearing? What else could it be?

Any help would be appreciated, as this is my only legally running car at the moment and i have a 40+mile commute each way.

Thanks,
Matt

p.s: I hate FWD

[LB.Motoring]

I would only think like check it all out, arms and shit, check alinement etc.