umpuck

I was parked...and when i changed it to first and started to make a sharp turn....i heard some clanking. GOOD BAD or just FORGET ABOUT IT!

tripwire

fugedaboudit. unless you ran over an armadillo or something.

rx8daniel

I have a similar noise. Only in similar circumstances. Don't worry about it unless it changes and/ or happens a lot. This car seems to have a couple adjustments it goes through at early movement, at least one is documented in the owner's manual. they call it a valve, and say it happens after turning the car off.

umpuck

yeah making sharp turns at really low speeds i have clanking noises.....but im probably gonna just forget about it.

tripwire

maybe I should turn my stereo off and put down the windows for a few days. Is this something you're hearing in the interior? I would imagine that some of those parts are just starting to get comfortable moving around as they are brand new and all.

91vert

Mine makes some kind of funky noise when I first take off after starting the car up. It sounds kinda like a clunk and then a short whirring noise. Sort of like a pump of some kind kicking on and building pressure. Anybody else hear that? It is not the A/C compressor.....I know what that sounds like. It sounds more like it might be the steering motor or maybe the ABS system?

I can kind of feel it through the steering wheel, so I'm leaning more towards it being something with the steering.

stownz

You know what, I heard the same noise on my car. I thought it was my case for my eyeglasses sliding in the side door pocket. When I removed my glass case, I heard it again. I made sure everything was secured. I don't know where that sound is coming from.

tripwire

Yeah, that clunking noise right after you start it up? I have heard that also, and was wondering what it is. You can feel it through the steering wheel.

notdeafyet

It's ABS brake test. The "clunk" is "by-design", forget about it. Yes, it is disconcerting at first but, again, not a problem. I'm pretty sure it only occurs when you first roll away in the forward direction (either doesn't happen in reverse or I haven't gone fast enough in reverse to hit a threshhold speed that triggers brake test)...

fd3s800

Thanks notdeafyet, that make me feel better :o

eccles

I think we're talking about two different noises here. I hear the ABS self-test every morning, and it's not what I'd describe as a "clunk", but more like a soft grind or chatter.

However, my wife complained of a clunk when engaging first gear which I had never heard when I drive, so I took the time to analyze our different driving habits and develop a hypothesis.

I noticed that I tend to depress the clutch at least a second before engaging first, while she tends to depress and select almost at the same time. What I think is causing the clunk is the synchros rapidly decelerating the gearbox input shaft from around 800rpm (which the engine is spinning it at at idle) to zero (to allow it to mesh with the stationary output shaft).

If I consciously duplicate her style, I can get it to clunk too. Try depressing the clutch a little earlier when you're getting ready to pull away, and see if your clunk goes away.

leesims

Hey guys! THis is the first post/reply for me but I have been reading for some time now. I was waiting for my rx-8 to come before I got knee deep into discusion. I agree though about the noises. It throws me for a loop. The one that scares me is the one when you turn at a hard angle at low speeds. I just don't see what the hell whould make that noise. Is everyone also getting god gas mileage? I seem to be fuling the car a smuch as driving. Oh, how I do love how it drives!
Velocity red MT/GT rotary appearance package
Picked it up on Saturday and already have 500 miles on it!
Lee

Gyro

I get a funny "rear Diff" sort of noise/feel at low speeds, I feel it from the rear end......anyone else?

Boozehound

I'd have to go with eccles on the noises - mine makes a few noises when I first get going, and likely as not it's probably the synchros and linkages. Those are really the only noises I get from the driveline, and any other noises are from a periodic squeak or rattle that the dealer will hear about as soon as I get a break from work.

neit_jnf

Maybe one of the noises can be the electric air pump of the cold start system?

Spin9k

I always start in reverse when leaving the house, and a always hear the 'CLUNK' noise. First time I was more than surprised, sounds like a 10lb rubberized weight falling off and hitting something. Now I just ignore it, must be by design whatever the heck it is as the car goes like crazy, never hear it after that 1st back out of the driveway period.

I've never heard, hope I never hear, and noises when turning, now at 750 miles.

TybeeRX-8

Maybe it's not relevent, but when I pull my Miata into the garage, pull the emergency brake and leave it overnight (particularly if it's after washing or driving in the rain), and then back out in the morning, I too get a big "clunk". I've always thought it was the emergency brake releasing (after I lowered the handle). That is, the brake itself sticks and doesn't fully release until I move it. I don't have ABS either. In any event, after the first movement, it doesn't happen again, so I've not worried about it.
So, for new "8" owners (still waiting for mine), just remember...
4 yrs./50,000 miles, free loaner!