vcpatel

I installed my Espelir GT Springs last week, and am very happy with the drop and ride quality, but have ran into a small problem.
It seems that occasionally when the suspension unloads, as in... "dropping" off of a bump, i hear a clunk coming from the rear passenger wheel.
At first, i thought something might be loose, so I reassembled everything. After checking everything for tightness I reinstalled the strut but to no avail. I still hear the clunking noise, and it might actually be getting worse.
I did a search and found that a clunking is heard when swaybars arent torqued in properly, but the problem seemed to apply only to front aftermarket sways. I only hear the problem in the back of the car, and only one side to boot.
Any ideas?? defective springs?? My car never made this sound before, and although i know that everything is tight, and my suspension isnt going to fall apart at any moment, the sound still bugs me. I also had an alignment done, still the same sound.
I'll put up pics of the drop soon.

R888

I believed you have missed the plastic cup holder during installation or the plastic cup has been wore out. I remember the old days when some of my BMW buddies cut the springs in 1 inch and took out the plastic cup holder to get an agressive look.

Hope it helps!

Mazda-Rati

I've had 3 different types of springs on my rx8 (Eibach, H&R and now Espelir) they all have made the clunking sound. It's the front right wheel for me though. I'm starting to think it's the sway bar end links or something. Take a look at this...It might help

https://www.rx8club.com/search.php?searchid=2138736

chrism

got mine in and no clunking....they seem to be a more aggressive drop than other springs though....after settling my rears are tucked and the fronts have just a little room now...the ride is not bad at all and the car is much flatter in corners

vcpatel

All my endlinks have been tightened with an air wrench, so they're def. not loose.

I think that there might be a problem with the way I set up the shock. I guess i'll be tearing it apart again... *sigh*. haha, thanks so much for the info guys. I'll look for that plastic cup when I disassemble.

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated.

ucleadguitar

iTrader: (1)

Definitely check to make sure the springs are sitting perfectly in the plastic boots and I had that problem on my Mazda6. The most annoying sound when you hit a bump and hear the clunk...took it all apart and it was a endlink that worked its way loose...try loosening all the end links and retightening them again.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Depending on the drop...the RR seems to be a bit clunky on mine doesn't matter what I do. I've had them in/out a few times...and never seem to get it completely gone. I added a piece of Vinyl tubing and some silicone grease to the top most spring coil...and it seemed to help.
The other thing to watch is the rubber donuts at the top of the rear...if you aren't careful there...they can make noises

brillo

IMO, the back suspension is kinda loose for lack of a better term when you mix the stock top part of the suspenion unit with any lowering springs/shocks. Considering that I can put the MS suspension back together without a spring compressor, it seems there is a little wiggle room that can cause noise.

one thing you can add are the spring caps from the Mazda 6, they had supension noise issues and the dealers have little plastic caps that slip over the top of springs. Ask your dealer for two sets for the rear. I used them and they help alot.

vcpatel

Yeah, experiencing the same problem as most of you. Seems that it gets better with load. I took three friends home in my car after new years, and i didnt hear the clunk once. Once dropped off, and it was only me, it came back again. I think the lowering springs leave too much wiggling room in the rear as brillo has mentioned. I managed to take apart and install everything without a spring compressor as well.

If nothing else works, I might just get some dynamat or something to deaden the sound until i look into those spring caps.

It's really surprising that this is a pretty common issue, I thought that I might have just done something wrong. Well, to hell with it, i'll just deal with it for now.

Thanks so much for all the help guys, feeling a little more comfortable now.

Endless Rotaries

iTrader: (6)

When your suspension is loaded, i.e. car on the ground have you stuck your head under the rear bumper to see how close your Stock rear Sway bar endlinks are to anything on the undercarriage? I ran into this problem with my AP sway bars becasue i lowered my car about 2.5" with coilovers. It's possible it may be the same problem with yours.

What sways do you have and what endlinks?

Rishie

devildog1679

Put in my MS springs & shocks this past weekend. Greta ride but I have the same exact noise. Anyone who has dealt with it for a while, is there any longterm issues?

auzoom

What sort of spring rate are you running?

I am having exactly the same problem with my coilovers and have been told the problem is a mix of the overly high spring rate (7kg on the rear where my problem is) and a faulty internal bump stop. I am dropping the spring rate to 5kg on the rear and replacing the strut and we will see what happens.

Cheers

Andrew

devildog1679

I'm running the MS suspension. I just did some more research and found that this is normal. Guess I just have to deal with it.

auzoom

Hmmm, would have to disagree with that. If everyone had it then I would say that possibly, but they dont so I would be making a warranty claim.

rexi888

I have the MS suspension and I too get the odd clunking from the rear passenger side . Have had the car back to the suspension shop and they cant find anything wrong. As long as everything is installed correctly and is tight , the odd clunk doesnt bother me.

Regards
Rexi

devildog1679

Brillo had the same issue, He tried to fix it with the Mazda 6 fix of adding some caps or something. he stated it lessoned the sound but its still there after a year. So I guess it must be normal. Since you've had it to then no worry's on my end. Thanks.

apotocki

Hey everyone....boy this sure brings back memories! I had a coupled threads on this same issue a year or so ago! Hopefully, you have this same problem as below and this saves you many hours of taking everything apart and putting it back together to no avail. This bothered me for the better part of 3 months before I finally figured out what the problem was.
I had this problem (loud banging/clunking) coming from my rear after installing Eibach springs. It occured whenever I went over just about any type of 'sharp' bump in the road. Sounded like a shock or something was coming right through the trunk.
Well.......after ALOT of discussion and experimentation, I discovered that my AFTERMARKET exhaust was the culprit. I have a RX7Store Magnaflow cat-back system and the pipe from the converter was hitting underneath near the rear diff....there was not enough clearance with the springs installed. It looked ok upon visual inspection but I was able to figure out where it was hitting and 'customize' the pipe with a hammer (I know, not quite a professional way to fix something, but I was mad and it worked!).
After this, I don't have ANY noises whatsoever and the Eibachs along with Koni yellows are great!
Not sure if the same problem (exhaust pipe from converter) would be an issue with the stock exhause but it is certainly worth looking at!
Good Luck.

Alan

devildog1679

Thanks, i'll look into it when I get home.

kinchu007

iTrader: (1)

Any updates on this? I'm looking to maybe get Espelir springs this week!