Front suspension clunking noise

Hello! I am writing here since I am running short of ideas (almost). I refreshed the entire front end of the car in summer of 2022 : new arms, tie rods (inner/outer), stabilizer links, everything anew. I put a pair of Ceika Coilovers at the time, did an alignment and had no issue whatsoever. Fast forward 6 months later, I hated the Ceika (way too stiff for the back roads here in Bay Area), so I put new Koni Active (red) shocks, with Eibach springs, of course threw in new top mounts and bearing for good measure, and added an Eibach sway bar. Since then, I have clunk in the front end, both left and right, it happens mostly on rough pavement, sometimes on small bumps, sometimes not, sometimes on big bumps, sometimes not. If the car is loaded, it comes more often. Car behaves perfectly, even drove it at Laguna Seca, no issue whatsoever... Except this clunk. It's a very "dry" sound like metal against metal, and seems to come from the around the struts... I have been chasing this for over a year and I still don't know what it is and it is getting on my nerves. For peace of mind, and to rule out any parts failure : - I changed again one side of suspension arms, and sway bar links -> no change - I put another new set of strut mounts and bearing -> no change - Put back the OEM sway bar -> no change Everything is new, there is no play, alignment is good, car drives super well... Is it possible that the shock themselves are the issue? Bad parts, or not working well with the shorter Eibach springs? Or am I a ****ty mechanic and put something wrong (twice...) Anyone has a similar experience. I am resigning myself to throw new shocks in, but I don't want to waste good parts.

Quotes source post: 19654846

Just a thought with shorter springs and standard shocks, have you checked if spring is loose at full suspension droop.? Easy check for this... Jack up car from front jack points, letting wheel hang all the way down. Grab the spring and see if you can move it in the strut

Could be the springs twisting in dirty perches. When they are compressed they twist slightly and if the coefficient of friction between the spring and the perch is high enough it will not twist smoothly, but in short spurts. They make inserts that are slippery and let the spring rotate easier. Also, the top mounts are another possible cause. Check the bolts that hold those to the fender well.

Never mentioned bump stops, did you replace those when you went to the Koni shocks?

Bump stop are new. Springs are holding firm and in position, no play. By the way, the noise occurrence is the same if turning the wheels or under braking, this does not change anything.

I wish I could help you, as it sounds like I have the same issue. I also have taken everything apart and could not find anything. Comes from the passenger side. I dalso had a popping noise when turning the wheels, which I discovered to be the coil spring binding because it wasn't seated. I fixed that, but it has since come back. Strut mounts and bearings all looked good. Tierods all look good. I am also frustrated, as I have been chasing this for a year. I feel your frustration.

That really does sound like the noise that springs twisting on the perch make. When the spring is compressed it will also twist or unwind. If the perch and spring are sticky, the spring does not freely unwind, but does so in a sudden burst. The result is a pop or bang. This is one solution: https://3dmmotorsport.com/products/s...hrust-bearings The issue I might have with those is the bearings will pick up dirt over time (no personal experience from me). However, I have heard from a few users that they seem to hold up. UPDATE: The non-needle bearing thrust bearings are called Swift Sheets . These may be better since they have no rollers, just two metal plates with a sheet of some kind of slippery composite material to reduce friction.

Quotes source post: 19656699

I get that but I put new bearings, new shocks and new mounts, but the noise happened from day 1. I even changed the bearings again to be sure and no change. (and the previous ones were perfect).

Just make sure there isn�t anything loose in the frunk

Remove the front dampers and have them checked by an authorised Koni service centre. My guess is there�s an issue with them. It may be worthwhile speaking to these guys in the UK first : https://centergravity.co.uk as they�ve engineered a Koni kit for our cars and I believe they had similar noise issues � Send an email for the attention of Holly, Chris and Pete : [email removed]