My mini has developed a bit more road noise here recently...
Its a "thumping noise" coming from the left hand rear wheel....

I still have runflats, and their pretty noisy to start with, but this sounds like a flat spot on the tire even though their is no flat spot.

I have some questions
-1- what does a bent rim sound like?
-2- could this be a suspension issue?
-3- am i just worrying about nothing?

 

A bent rim sounds just like an unbent one, unless it's bent so badly that it's hitting something, in which case it's probably not driveable.

It could be a suspension issue, but it's more likely to be a tire issue - but I'm just guessing since the only description you give for it is a "thumping noise"

I think the first thing I'd do is take it to a tire store and check your tires for either something embedded in it or for a bubble - caused by hitting something in the road - a pothole, curb, or whatever....

If you don't find a problem, move the front tires to the rear and see if the noise moves or goes away, if it does - you have a tire problem, if it doesn't you need to look further.

 

Thank you DAVE

 

Definitely having the same issue myself...
I have been doing a lot of work on the car, and have had one of my friends drive it so they could hear the noise that I'm talking about.

Checked the CV joints, they are fine.
Checked the axle nut, its tight and ok.
Checked the wheel bearings and they are fine as well.
Not the motor mount either as I just replaced it with the solid TSW unit.

I'm almost 90% sure its the tires..

It's like a frog moaning noise coming from the runflats...

I have a couple of theories,
when I bought the car used they did a patch job which is a big no, no..
or the sidewall is trashed on the inside, idk from maybe low air pressure from sitting at the car lot or driving with little to no air in them...
or maybe a bubble in them...

or something imbedded in them (like a nail)...

tomorrow I'm throwing on my new H&R springs so I'll let you know what I find if anything.

It is driving me nuts though.

Next step maybe is to go to a tire shop that specializes in runflats...

 

Im with you, Ive tried most of the things you just listed...It seems to be the tires, I still have 10-15k worth of life in them and cant justify buying new ones yet. I guess the noise is going to haunt me until i do.

 

Same here, mine have about 10k plus worth of tread left, and don't need to buy new ones yet.

Yes I hate the runflats, and "normal tires" even top of the line performance ones are cheaper, but I still don't have the money to get them, and don't want to trash my current ones when they have so much life left.

 

My husband had the same type of noise in his 06 Ion and it turned out to be a blow out in the tire that hadn't quite got past the steel cords. It sounded like he broke a strut. The next morning after hearing it, the tire was flat. I'd check the side of the tire that you can't see. Maybe it'll be some simple like that!!


Good luck!!!

 

This sounds wierd - but I heard a while ago that sometimes the fuel pump can make an odd noise like that while the car is running...

 

Well Ladies and Gentleman...Start saving your pennies for new tires...

I took my car apart tonight. I usually disassemble my cars twice a year for a very extensive cleaning. Tonight i took the interior seats and additions out. I also put the car on stands, and took the wheels off. While i was cleaning the tires i noticed that the inside tread was cupping. Only about 1.5-2 inches on the very inside of my rear tires. I also noticed the front tires are also showing the begging signs of cupping. So problem solved for me. Tires are next on the list.

I hope this helps-