Koni's clicking like crazy

[dude8383]

So I have the standard adjustable Koni's on my car and anything less than full stiff I get crazy clicking when I hit bumps. It only happens with the fronts though. I was wondering if anyone else is plagued with the same problems? If they're on full soft it feels like the shocks are just blown...

[sticksdaman]

Are your collar nuts securely tightened?

[dude8383]

Are your collar nuts securely tightened?

yup this is the first thing that i checked! it wouldn't be a bad idea to check again but without that bloody tool its a pain in the ass to tighten them when they're on the car.

i have a good feeling that it may be the strut mounts but they're both relatively new!

btw it was nice to meet ya at bimmerfest east.

[jlevie]

I've never heard of Koni SA shocks clicking, regardless of their rebound damping setting. So I'd suspect something else is responsible for the noise.

In my opinion, the ideal setting for the Koni shocks is the least amount of damping appropriate for the springs used. The adjustment is only for rebound and having a setting too high for the spring rates prevents a wheel from faithfully following variations in the road's surface, which reduces contact patch and thus grip. If you want a stiffer suspension, switch to springs of a higher rate and then adjust the Koni's to match.

[dude8383]

I've never heard of Koni SA shocks clicking, regardless of their rebound damping setting. So I'd suspect something else is responsible for the noise.

In my opinion, the ideal setting for the Koni shocks is the least amount of damping appropriate for the springs used. The adjustment is only for rebound and having a setting too high for the spring rates prevents a wheel from faithfully following variations in the road's surface, which reduces contact patch and thus grip. If you want a stiffer suspension, switch to springs of a higher rate and then adjust the Koni's to match.

I understand that there needs to be a specific setting to match the springs, however I've noticed that the clicking only goes away on full stiff which just doesn't make any sense...

I'm going to take a look at everything this weekend because its driving me nuts!

[Wh33lhop]

I've never heard of Koni SA shocks clicking, regardless of their rebound damping setting. So I'd suspect something else is responsible for the noise.

In my opinion, the ideal setting for the Koni shocks is the least amount of damping appropriate for the springs used. The adjustment is only for rebound and having a setting too high for the spring rates prevents a wheel from faithfully following variations in the road's surface, which reduces contact patch and thus grip. If you want a stiffer suspension, switch to springs of a higher rate and then adjust the Koni's to match.

You can use Konis single adjustables to fine-tune the transient response handling of the car, i.e. firm up the rears and the rear will become "loose" on corner entry (assuming you are braking), firm up the fronts and the front will become light on corner exit. This is helpful especially if you have a spring-strut setup as opposed to coilovers where you can just swap out to different spring rates.

Obviously "tuning" your struts is no replacement for changing your spring rates, but it can still help dial in the behavior of the car more to your liking if you don't yet have the capability for the latter.

To the OP, I've had about four different sets of SA Konis on my old car, three of which wound up blown at one point or another, I've had some strange noises (thumps) but never any clicking. For what it's worth. IIRC they were a twin-tube oil shock insert design.

[graphikg]

I always have a popping sound coming from my suspension, it sounds exactly like the popping/clicking from a rollercoaster on your way up before the big drop. I have tried to figure out what the noise is, but it sounds like the camber caster plates. I have GC camber caster plates (metal ones with no rubber) which go directly to the housing in the engine bay (which is metal) to the hats (which is metal) which sit on top of the strut inserts (metal). I think thats where my popping is coming from. I have no idea how to get rid of it. Check if thats your problem

[dude8383]

i actually bought brand new strut mounts and will hopefully get around to replacing them this weekend. i have no idea how old these are but i think that the noise is coming from them.

[ACVC325ix]

I always have a popping sound coming from my suspension, it sounds exactly like the popping/clicking from a rollercoaster on your way up before the big drop. I have tried to figure out what the noise is, but it sounds like the camber caster plates. I have GC camber caster plates (metal ones with no rubber) which go directly to the housing in the engine bay (which is metal) to the hats (which is metal) which sit on top of the strut inserts (metal). I think thats where my popping is coming from. I have no idea how to get rid of it. Check if thats your problem

I know this post is very old but I just started noticing this same "rollercoaster" kind of noise coming from my front driver's side suspension.
I have no mods done to the suspension(yet) so anyone have any idea what this could be?
Cheers!

[dude8383]

What kind of setup do you have? Is it all stock?

[ACVC325ix]

What kind of setup do you have? Is it all stock?

Yes it is still stock all around

[dude8383]

Check your strut collars, strut mounts and any play in the control arms. All of that stuff can contribute.

[ACVC325ix]

Check your strut collars, strut mounts and any play in the control arms. All of that stuff can contribute.

Thank you!!

[Pavlo]

Konis do click at times. Sometimes the base valve for compression comes apart and clicks and sometimes the rebound shim clicks. Since it goes away when full stiff, it seems that the problem may be on the rebound adjuster. You can get a cheap stethoscope and have a friend shake the car while you listen and feel various parts. Swaybar end links can also cause a clicking sound.