I am following the instructions I got from the forum manager, and am introducing myself.

I just bought a 2008 Mini Clubman S (no manual -- who keeps a manual for heaven's sake!). I bought in from one of the banks here in town. It was a repo. So it's getting its 78 point inspection today, along with an oil change.

I do have a question: Are mini's normally loud when you get up to 65 mph? There is a loud noise in the rear end, like tire noise, and I just wonder if that's normal.

Tony DeWitt

 

MINI's are not the quietest cars on the road. The noise is probably tire noise. Most tires get louder as they wear. Call back to your shop and see if they checked the rear end. With my limited knowledge the only other thing I can think of is rear bearings but have not heard of that as a problem with the MINI. Try to take some sweeping turns and see if the noise shows up. If it doesn't then I'd go with your first guess.... tires.

 

One more thing you can try... I've noticed tire noise will change depending on the road surface. Nice smooth asphalt is much quieter than rougher surfaces. Try driving on different surfaces - if the noise doesn't change, it might just be something mechanical.

Mike

 

Is the suspension modified at all (lowered)? My rear tires have started cupping due to alignment, and they make a very noticeable droning sound at Almost any speed. I rotated tires and now the sound is at the front but much more tolerable.

Could also be the wheel bearing as that sounds similar.

First thing I would do is rotate front to back and see if that changes the sound.

 

Hi Aldewitt,

This may be normal behavior for the Clubman. I've noticed the tire/road noise is more pronounced coming from the back of the car than from the front. I'm waiting impatiently to get regular (non-run flat) tires since that is suppose to make the car much quieter.