Hello, new to the forum. My dad has a 03miata and its making some noise from the rear while driving. Sounds almost like the sound big treaded truck tires make on the pavement. That loud brrrrrrrm noise. Its a rough sound.Its only happening while driving. I thought it might be the brake pads butthen itshould only happen when you press the brakes. Its happening all the time while driving. Could the rotors be warped and while they are turning they are hitting the pads making this noise? Or is something possibly wrong with the rear end? If so, what?

I took one of the rear tires off last night and took the pads off. One was pretty much down to nothing and the other had a little left on it. Should they be equally worn? If so, could the rotor be warped causing one to be more worn than the other?

Has anyone removed the rotors from a miata? Looks like just one bolt/nut holding them on but it seems to have some kind of pinch/dent on it keeping it place? Is there anything special I need to know or have to remove this bolt/nut? The rotor itself doesnt seem that worn, no channels or grooves in it.

Please let me know ifanyone can help.
Thanks
george

 

More likely a bearing or tire if noisy all the time. While driving swerve left/right and see igf the noise changes. Turning puts a load on the bearings so if the load is on the right side and the noise is louder then a right side bearing is bad. If it gets quieter a left bearing is bad. As far as uneven brake pad wear it is common for caliper slide pins to get moisture in them and stick. Clean and lube the pins before reinstalling the calipers.

 

Have you tried putting the rear end on stands and removingboth rear tires? Listen at a fast idle in different gears. If it's not obvious where it's coming from, touch different areas with a long screwdriver with your ear on the handle. Sometimes a 2 or 3 foot length of garden hose used the same way works.