How "smooth" should a wheel bearing be before installation?

[SuperHerman]

On my Saabaru that noise ended up being horrible Firestone 710 tires. They didn't last 15k. I did the bearings and the noise remained. Thought it was my differential, but the oil was perfectly clean (twice).

Changed the tires and all noise was gone.

Shop around for SKF bearings - I looked for a few hours and found them fairly cheap relative to normal prices - I do understand your predicament. Maybe install what you have and see how it goes.