Bilstein B14 coilovers popping

[xxBrun0xx]

Hey guys,
Been searching and not had any luck. Recently installed Bilstein B14 coilovers. Was on TRD Springs for over a year before that with no issues. All other suspension is stock except oem front camber bolts. Using short bump stops in rear without any dust covers. Stock top hats. Getting a popping sound when driving slow over bumps. The coilovers are set to about 10 threads below the bottom, which leaves me about a 1 finger wheel gap (not sure how much lower than stock this is). Never had this noise before the coil install. Any ideas? Everything seems to be tight, alignment is done, running 18x8 sparco assetto gara wheels with pilot super sports that do not appear to be rubbing.

[asdf]

What kind of popping are you getting? Is the sound coming from a particular corner (front/rear/driver/passenger)?

The usual first checks are to double check the top nuts to make sure they are tight and to check your endlinks

[xxBrun0xx]

Sounds like it's coming from front driver side, but hard to say. Top nuts are definitely tight, will check end links tomorrow. Going to try disconnecting them and seeing if the noise goes away

[Kostamojen]

Check your front swaybar clearance.

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Check your front swaybar clearance.

What would be the first thing it would hit?

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

What would be the first thing it would hit?

You control arms probably.

The mounting points on the B14's are a different location than stock. I had to run adjustable endlinks to make sure everything cleared properly.

[xxBrun0xx]

So I didn't realize these were out of the manufacturer's recommended range when I first installed them, I've since adjusted them to be at the top of their recommended range, and still have the same popping sound. Seems like it comes from both front and rears, and from both sides of the car.


Do I need to unload the sway bar mounts and retighten them with the car on the ground? Or maybe I need shorter end links? Sway bar and end links are both stock, but don't appear to be hitting anything (with car lifted up and wheels off, tried using jack to move suspension through it's full stroke and there's no contact I can see).

[Dembo]

Did you torque up the endlinks with the car on the ground / with a jack under the arm to simulate the same?

The popping I had with my KWs (also using OEM mounts) was simply not tightening the top nuts enough.

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by Dembo

Did you torque up the endlinks with the car on the ground / with a jack under the arm to simulate the same?

The popping I had with my KWs (also using OEM mounts) was simply not tightening the top nuts enough.

I did in the rear, but haven't tried this in the front. Part of the problem is that you need 2 Jack's to do this since you have to keep both sides level and can't do this with wheels on the car, unless you know a trick?

[Dembo]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

I did in the rear, but haven't tried this in the front. Part of the problem is that you need 2 Jack's to do this since you have to keep both sides level and can't do this with wheels on the car, unless you know a trick?

No I don't. I did one side at a time with the one jack, which I know isn't right but it's still got to be better than torquing them at full droop.

I read a thread on here where somebody had some clunks due to not tightening the endlinks at the right height, which is why I was careful to do it.

[xxBrun0xx]

So just to update this: I tried loosening and tightening all endlinks, no difference. I talked to Bilstein customer support, who said I had about the right number of threads above the center nut, and that it was possible the popping was being caused by the spring rotating in place. Doesn't make much sense to me, since I would think I would get noise when turning the wheel rather than going straight. The noise isn't horrible and the car rides great, so I've given up on fixing this.

[Kostamojen]

Originally Posted by xxBrun0xx

So just to update this: I tried loosening and tightening all endlinks, no difference. I talked to Bilstein customer support, who said I had about the right number of threads above the center nut, and that it was possible the popping was being caused by the spring rotating in place. Doesn't make much sense to me, since I would think I would get noise when turning the wheel rather than going straight. The noise isn't horrible and the car rides great, so I've given up on fixing this.

Did yoi lubricate the mounts for the springs?

[strat61caster]

Keep the blue plastic discs on the adjustable perches. I never lubed the springs because they get clogged with dirt and dust when dry.

All my suspension noises have been top hat and sway bar related with my Bilsteins. One time the top nut was loose on the front but I'm sure that's not it here. I ran stock sways and stock end links for months without issue, but I never slammed the car really low. They are dead silent right now but I had noises for weeks at a time I couldn't solve (turned out to be rear lca and rear sway end link tolerance issue when I thought it was my janky spring adapters).

[xxBrun0xx]

Originally Posted by Kostamojen

Did yoi lubricate the mounts for the springs?

No I didn't. You talking about lubricating between the rubber isolator on top of the struts or lubricating between the spring and the plastic washer between the spring and the collars on bottom?

Originally Posted by strat61caster

Keep the blue plastic discs on the adjustable perches. I never lubed the springs because they get clogged with dirt and dust when dry.

All my suspension noises have been top hat and sway bar related with my Bilsteins. One time the top nut was loose on the front but I'm sure that's not it here. I ran stock sways and stock end links for months without issue, but I never slammed the car really low. They are dead silent right now but I had noises for weeks at a time I couldn't solve (turned out to be rear lca and rear sway end link tolerance issue when I thought it was my janky spring adapters).

I've got the blue plastic disks on the perch, and you're right, everything gets dirty very quickly. I wonder if the rubber on the top hats needs to be replaced. Got it assembled from the previous owner and haven't been able to remove the nut that holds the top hat to the strut in either front assembly. Ideally, I'd like to get a go-pro or some type of camera in there so I can see what's going on when I get popping.