The factory web spoke wheels on my 05 MCS are making noise. When driving the wheels click like there is a rock stuck in the tire tread. When the car first rolls after being parked for a while I get some louder popping and clicking from the wheels for the first ten feet or so. This issue was brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago by a thread started on Mini2, the poster said his dealer was replacing his R98's. Anybody else notice noises coming from their Web Spoke Wheels? The wheels are a true two piece design and I think differential expansion of the rim and center section of the wheel is causing tension which is released as the load changes on the wheel as it rotates.

 

I have not noticed any noise coming from the wheels as you
described. I only have about 500 miles on the car, but no noise from the wheels.
Could the noise be comming from the brakes? Maybe the Ebrake is not fully releasing.... Don't know how the wheels could be at fault unless they are rubbing somewhere...
Keep us updated... good luck

 

did you atempt to retourqe the bolts holding the rim to the spokes?

 

No, I have not retourqed the bolts that hold the center section of the wheel to the rim. I am taking the car into the dealer this Friday for some other work and will have them take a look.

 

I have the same problem. Never tried to retourque them. Let me know what your dealer says about it.

 

The R98's are a two piece wheel, the center section is manufactured separately from the rim, then bolted together. The noise I hear I believe is being generated between the mating surfaces of the two pieces.

 

WOW!

My car is doing this very same thing and it's driving me absolutely crazy! I've been trying to figure out where the heck the clicking sound was coming from and then I stumbled onto this thread. Never in a million years would I have thought that the sound was coming from my web-spokes??? I was thinking that it was the ABS sensor or possibly something wrong with my JCW brake calipers. Guess that I'm going to have to go out and take a look at the rims now.

Does anyone know what torque spec the rim bolts on the web-spokes should be tightened to?

 

When I back out of my garage with the windows down the noise is the loudest. That is if the car has been sitting for a while and with the boundries of the garage to reflect the sound back, I can hear it coming from each of the four corners of the car. The noise is similar to a hot engine just after being shut off, some creaking and popping for the first few wheel rotations.

 

It might not be your wheels. Look up "what makes a mini click". There are two different clicks, one if from the halfshafts and the other is from the engine internally somewhere, i forget. Mine is clicking/ticking, and you hear it best when in a tunnel/garage where the sound echos and I DO NOT have R98's. I am bringing mine by the dealer as well.

 

There may be more than one source of the noises I'm hearing. I hear noise from all four corners of the car when it begins to roll (think it's the wheels) and I hear a ticking like a rock stuck in the tire tread when I'm cruising (may be something else).

 

There is another thread on this somewhere. People were getting wheels replaced under warranty because of the problem. I gotta do some searching to find it...

 

If you read the MINI2 Forum there is an active thread there on this issue.

 

I have a March '05 build and 6400 miles on the clock and I have no clicking. After reading the thread on MINI2 I drove around with my windows down and no sounds are coming from the wheels. I hope it stays that way!

 

No clicking here either - 1700 km on the car so far.

 

no clicking here at the 550 mile mark... but I will be listening for any problems...

 

I noticed a noise coming from my front drivers side once per revolution within 2 days of picking up my Mini back in March. When I brought it into the dealer, after hunting for a bit, was an inspection sticker left on the inside of the strut, that made contact with the wheel as it revolved.

Infin3

 

Watch that torquing... My MA told me that these should never need to be tightened. Maybe these bolts are weak.... one of mine had the head stripped off at the factory

 

Has anyone got this issue resolved???? I have the same problem. I am three plus hours one way from the closest dealership, and I don't want to drive out there to have them turn me down.

 

All these posts and complaints....

I to have had this problem for a while now.. but i dont think i had mine till i brought it back from teh track.. but its sounds like the same problem exactly. But mine sounds like its coming from, at times the left right and back of the car. I can not pin point its location.

SO... all thse posts.. but no posts back to WHAT it is. I am buying some new wheels and pads and should be here soon.. I will post back if that solved the clicking.

updates please!

Terry

 

I've had R98 wheels on my mini for 57,000 miles and have never heard any clicking noises coming from my wheels

 

I have an 2006 Cabrio S with the web spoke wheels. After exhaustive analysis of the "clicking sound" I could not determine where it was coming from. I started by moving the wheels around and the sound moved with one of the wheels. So of course I figured it was the two piece design and the mating surfaces causing the problem. It only seamed to happen on hot days. I only drive the car on weekends when I can drop the top. The car sat over the winter and when I took it out the first time this spring the noise was unbearable. Not only was there a "clicking" sound but also a "whumping" sound.

I went through all the forums and came to the conclusion that it was a bad wheel bearing. I purchased a new rear wheel bearing from my local auto parts store ($160.00 US) and replaced it last weekend. The sound did not go away. While I had my tools out I grabbed my 8 mm 12 point bit and checked the titanium bolts that hold the two piece wheels together and all 14 bolts had loosened. The other 3 rims were just fine. I retightened them with my torque wrench set at 28 ft lbs. and then went for a test drive. The car sounds like new again. I am not the original owner of the vehicle so I am not sure if the previous owner fiddled with the titanium bolts or they have become loose on there own. I did remove the new wheel bearing (returned to store) and replaced with the old and it still sounds great. I wll keep an eye on the bolts and will eventually remove and reinstall with loc-tite.


If you do need to replace the wheel bearings you will need to remove or disconnect the following:

• Wheel assembly (duh!)
• If doing the rear hubs then loosen the rotor screw before removing the caliper so you can use the e-brake to stop the rotor from turning.
• Remove the brake caliper (tie to body without strain on hose)
• Remove the brake rotor.
• Remove the bolts holding the wheel bearing from hub. Save one last bolt at finger tight, so you can hold the hub with one hand and romve the last bolt preventing the hub from falling to the foor.
• Reverse for re-installation.

You do not need to mess with the trailing arm, abs sensor or the stabilizer bar as some repair manuals indicate. All the wheel hub bolts are reachable with a socket wrench with extension.



FYI , here are the torque settings for the following:

• Wheel hub to trailing arm; (4 bolts) torque bolts to 41 ft. lbs. (56 Nm)
• Brake rotor; (T-50 Torx bit)torque bolt to 20 ft. lbs. (27 Nm)
• Stabilizer bar, if equipped; torque new nuts to 41 ft. lbs. (56 Nm)
• Brake caliper; torque guide pin bolts (2) to 48 ft. lbs. (65 Nm)

Hope this helps!