Advice on noisy rear suspension (right side)
 

I have had a nagging noise in my rear suspension for a while ever since I installed my Mazdaspeed suspension.

It only seems to come from the right rear of the car, I’ve sat back there and I’m pretty sure that’s where its coming from. I tend to hear it only when I drive over manholes that are sunk into the ground, as opposed to speed bumps, which are more like hills. Most of the time I don’t hear anything, but Houston has some potted roads, so driving to work I can hear the pop? Sound just from the bad roads.

I “think” what I am hearing is the spring shifting or popping under certain conditions, why the right side would pop or shift and the left doesn’t is beyond me.

I did notice that when installing both the Mazdaspeed and Racing Beat springs, that the rear spring/strut combo’s seemed loose (as in the spring was kinda loose, I could even put the whole combo back together with the lowered springs without using the spring compressors) with the lowered springs, no matter how tight the top nut was tightened.

Did anyone else notice this “looseness” in the rear suspension when they installed lowering springs?

Anyone else get any noise back there? I installed some plastic coil insulators on the bottoms of the springs but that didn’t seem to help.

Could I be hearing something else? Exhaust rattle? Sway bar link that is bad? I just don’t get why the right side makes the noise when the left doesn’t, I installed them the same way.

I’d appreciate any ideas or comments.

I noticed after I installed my tein's with tstock shocks that one of the tie bars was hitting the (i think) the camber rods mount box. I say this because when I hit bumps, pot holes that the right rear makes a bang noise. I figured I installed the shock/spring wrong. Nope it's in right..

I know it not explaning the tie rod members right so I'll take a pic and post when I get home tonight.

someone a while back had the same issue with eibach springs. dont remember how it turned out.

beers :beer:

i ahve that issue..

mine creaks sometimes too.. ive been told i have a lack of preload.. because im excessively lowered... meh..

bump

If my memory serves me right, i remember reading someone's post about a sleeve type thingy that the mazda 6's put on their springs for having a creaking sound. The person said they had put it on their rear MS springs to deal with the creaking sound. Sorry that wasnt much help, but maybe the person who wrote it will read and chime in?

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...spring+problem

funny you were helping in the thread.

beers :beer:

I had the same issue with my mustang springs after I installed eibach's. I solved the problem by installing the rubber sleeves that HERO mentions above.

I've installed the sleves on the bottom of the springs, but not the top. I guess I'll try the top and see if that helps.

Yep....I'm the guy with the banging noise problem after installing Eibach's. I have yet to resolve it. I did have the need to take the car to the dealer for the gas tank recall and when there, I asked them to take a look at it.
The response that I got was the noise was due to my after-market exhaust (RX8Store - Magnaflow) pipe hitting the undercarraige and/or the rear suspension - where the links bolt to the middle car brackets (I know this description is poor) when going over bumps and such. They wouldn't do anything about it as it is not a OEM problem (understandably).
Anyways, I removed the Eibach's and put the rear springs back to stock. The noise is greatly diminished...only occurring occasionally over stuff like railroad tracks and big bumps. I left the OEM rear springs on.
Also, I did remove the pipe from the cat to the muffler and did some 'customizing' with a hammer to one spot that it was obviously hitting (near the gas tank). I still need to get back under and 'customize' (I think it may be best to take it to a muffler shop though) a couple other spots. This may be the problem a few of us are experiencing as the pipe from the cat to the muffler is much larger in diameter than stock - placing it closer to alot of things and this is magnified when the car is lowered a bit.....I think.
Anyways, the car is in hibernation until warmer weather so I won;t be working on it for another month or two......I'll let you all know what happens. I do want to resolve this as I really like the look of the Eibach's!

Alan

thanks for that update. very useful info.

beers :beer:

When I put RB springs on the rears, I was able to do with without a spring compressor also.

Have you tried getting the car off the ground loosening everything up then preload and re-torque everything to spec? I also went with all the high ranges on the torque specs for the nuts on the top of the struts that are accessable through the trunk.

After i installed my Teins My right side rear started to make a knock noise.
noticeable after hard left turns and bumos/potholes.
So I looked soon after I put the springs in and this is what found.

At least in my case the camber rod looks like it hits the mounting pocket indicated by the red arrow.

I only have noise on the right rear and and this is the only clue i have that make this knocking noise.

I have already done the jack in air and loosen and torqe on ground.
Also the spring rubbers on the top part of the coil.

I just have to live with it.

interesting. wonder why it would only happen on the right side? maybe the weight of the driver on the left?

I'll check that also, see if I see the mark

I am guessing that if your assembly is loose what is happening is that spring seating movement when unloaded is making the noise. At least that is where I got to w/ my Tein Basics. I think RX4life may be experiencing the same thing. Under load it is fine, its only when unloaded over larger abrupt bumps/recessed manholes that it makes the noise. Its been at the dealer and a buddy and I uninstalled and reinstalled and checked all fastners. Emails to Tein said it is fine if the assembly is loose when unloaded. Other than the noise the suspension has been stellar.

Good luck, let us know if you do find the cause and/or a fix. Cheers.

M

Interesting. I looked at my camber links as well. I also have the same mark on my right side. Could THIS be the culprit of the noise?!?!?! Maybe it really isn't the exhaust?!?!? But.......why wouldn't this be a problem that alot more folks are experiencing? It does make sense that when the car is lowered in the rear that it places all the suspension components that much closer to everything else. But why only the right side?
But.....again....why aren't more folks experiencing this. I even met up with another local 8er that has Eibachs all around. Went for a ride, he has NO noise....yet I do.
Hmmmmm......this really have me stumped. Sooooooo many questions around this. Anyone with input/idea's?

Alan

I think I have this problem on a totally standard car... I have the same clonk - the car feels like it 'drops' very quickly after a pothole/drain cover/long speed hump (short ones seem okay) and when making slow, tight left turns - like an axle tramp behaviour.

It hasn't always done it; it has developed as a fault well, today, at around 900 miles. I'm trying to find a dealer I can take the car to to check for something causing it.

Where would the bump stops be on the car's suspension? Surely the bump stop should stop the suspension compressing to the point that the camber control rod hits the cutout. I'm wondering if one has fallen/broken off.

just take a die grinder and remove some metal from the stiffening tab in the area where the radius rod is banging into it

it could just be that RH tab is being welded a bit out of place or is not quite clearanced enough, a chassis is composed of numerous parts welded together and tolerances stack up, etc, they're not necessarily identical LH vs RH like a part machined on a lathe ...

I don't think the radius rod is the problem, at least in my case.

I took my car to the dealer and whilst there, I looked under a brand new Evolve in their showroom - and it has the same mark on the camber control rod. Also, there's so evidence that the rod is hitting the subframe on the actual subframe.

On mine, the fault has been - correctly, I think - diagnosed as a faulty shock absorber. It has leaked and the clonk is caused (apparently) by the disk in the damper hitting the oil inside the shocker.

This makes sense both with the slightly undamped feel of the car and the situations where it is most apparent, and the fact that the damper was visibly leaking when examined from the right angle in the dry.

I have Tein's S-Techs, and I have that clank when I go over speed bumps and cracks. But it's the front right side. I had the car in for an alignment after the spring install and that's when I started hearing it. I'm surprised no-one has been able to pin point it. I also had the service manager sit in but with his weight, the sound wasn't apparent.

any updates to this? My MS spring/shocks are doing the same exact thing! they are also uneven in the rear. I think, off the top of my head, the rear right was lower than the rear left........

well, to update a lil bit myself, I went and re-installed my rear springs and added the rubber inserts (both top and bottom of both rear springs). The noise from the rear right, thus far, is gone. I haven't ran over any big potholes, not that im planning to, but so far the sound seems to be gone. Unfortunately the rear left still sits lower than the rear right....... that is getting rather annoying.......

Hero do you have any pics of the rubber inserts? I have no idea what I should get as my rear suspension is making a squeaky noise too when going over speed bumps/potholes/etc? Any help would be appreciated.

Mine has had the same noise and I cured it by lubing the sway bar bushings in the rear with Prothane grease. I am running Racing Beat in the front and an adjustable rear that I built myself from a stock bar using stock bushings. The front bushings should be considered a maintenance item and lubed periodicaly as well.

Hope this helps.

thats right the stablizer bushings in front are maintenance item if you lower your car.

I have S-Tech with factory shocks and it was fine for 2 years. Until then I got my new light weight rims with 245 tires. The supsension can't handle anymore all those wierd sound appear all of a sudden.

Then I bought the Tein basic and its all fine now. No more annoying sound from anywhere except for rattle interior.

The best choice is to buy coilover. You won't regret it.