Help diagnosing rear end vibration

I picked up a half-shaft and hub assembly from Mazda heaven yesterday. But not sure it will help me at this point. Once I got home I jacked up the car, put it in drive and let the wheels spin while in the air. I noticed a light clinking or clicking sound coming from the right rear of the car, could this be a bad half-shaft?

I also can visibly see the wheel, bobbing up and down as it spins. I decided to mark the ‘high’ spot while it was spinning. After doing so, I removed the wheel, turned it 180 deg clockwise and remounted it. This way I figured if the hub/axle was bent, the new marking would be on directly opposite (top/bottom) of the tire. Well, while spinning I marked it again, and the marks were in the same spot as the first go around. This makes me think the tire is worn unevenly and ‘bent’, somehow.

Next I marked the relationship of the tire markings to the hub and proceeded to move the driver side rear tire (#2) to the passenger rear hub to check if and where it would ‘mark’ while spinning. This wheel/tire while spinning has a less severe rotation flaw. After checking the very small mark on tire #2 to the mark on the hub, I noticed that they do not line up, but are off by about 30 degrees.

After this test I checked the hub for any ‘play’ and found none.
Other than the clicking noise coming from the right rear, I cant see anything wrong with it.

Maybe it’s the tire itself. Maybe its more than that. getting stumped here.

Have you checked the wheels (not the tires the wheels) already?

A bent half shaft shouldn't cause the tire/wheel assy to appear to wobble. A screwed up hub might. The clicking sound could be a bad CV joint but that shouldn't cause your wobble either.

I'm leaning towards bent rim right now.

How about putting the spare tire on it and see if the results are the same as they were with the other tire.

i have already moved wheels around and the vibration remains in the same rear right corner. i have had the wheel examined, according to three guys at discount tire it is not bent.

the wheel is not wobbling left right, as in the case of a weak/broken hub, it is moving in a way that lends me to believe the tire itself has lost integrity and is no longer perfectly round.

I've seen tires with a steel belt that breaks in them. About the same sensation you're describing.

If you've swapped a front wheel to the back and it's still doing it in the rear then it's go to be something else.

Took the wheel and tire back to have it pressure tested and balanced...it is fine.

I'm starting the rear hub swap tonight.

replaced rear hub, which fixed the problem. old bearings were shredded and full of metal shavings.

was this happening all the time? just under acceleration or cornering? i have a vibration from right rear but only when accelerating during a left turn.. when it does it shudders pretty hard. i was thinking bad shock...

patf- my vibration was always there. if your problem was with a bearing, it would always be there and would fluctuate with speed, not with cornering.