update: when i hit a bump, for instance going out of my driveway where it dips down about a foot and then raises back up to street level, i am hearing something in the front end... almost like the fender is scraping the ground, but there is no contact. i recently had a new scratch protector put on the bottom of the fender, old one was cracked and split in half. started hearing this sound soon after the replacement, but it might not be related. anyways, weird that i'm hearing both these sounds now at the same time... sounds like grit when i'm turning sharp and sounds like something is coming away from the fender on bumps. sway bar maybe??