Noisy Coilovers!

[Ryanrb25]

hey guys,

Using the basic TIEN (height only adjustable) coilovers with pillow ball tops in them, Its been brought to my attention by a few people lately that they are noisy as hell. Everytime i go over a bump they make noisy clunking noises. It seems to be getting louder and louder...They are still very stiff, they aren't showing much sign of wear except for this...or is this normal for pillow ball tops?

thanks guys

[T04GTR]

are they tight? usualy they only squeek. all the bolts etc etc dont come tight out of the box.

[Ryanrb25]

nah, ive checked everything...you talkin about the nuts on the strut towers and the one on the control arms? what other bolts are there?

[Bullet32]

Ive got TEIN Coilovers and they are silent, but mine are the ones that are re-designed by Fulcrum to better suit Aus roads.

Are yours imported?

If they are they're probably not very well suited to Australian roads and they will be extremely stiff, a friend of mine put Jap spec TEIN's in his R33 and it was so stiff that you needed a kidney belt to ride in it and they were also very clunky, it sounded as if they were loose but we checked every bolt and they were all fine, I think it has something to do with the internals of the shock- when they get older they start to get very noisey, so he took them out.

However Ive had mine for about 12 months now and they are as quiet as they were when they were new.

[Ryanrb25]

yea i think they are imported ones...not sure how to check...but they are very stiff.

[adam-__-]

If everything's tight, I think your shocks could be stuffed.

[Eug]

coilovers with pillow ball tops in them

is this for your skyline?

aren't pillowballs for macphersons?

[Ryanrb25]

yea....its the ball point tops on the hat things im talkin about.....if the shocks are stuffed how come they are stiff as f**k??

[lanky71]

I got Teins Super Streets and mine only make a clunk noise if i hit a bump which i would expect lol - But my rear left hand side one does squeek but haven't had time to remove back seat to check it isn't anything in there but apart from that silent.

[GTRsean]

I've got tein ha coilovers (Jap spec) at the moment and the rear ones clunk, especially at low speeds. They still work fine, but am sure somethings loose inside or worn out.

I like the way they ride, so going to Aus spec one's will be softer and I'll need to get some whiteline swaybars to reduce the bodyroll I'm gonna get!

[Ryanrb25]

im gonna pull the car apart now and ill keep ya posted as to what they are and whats going on.

[Scooby]

if it's a rattly knock it's the pillow balls, if it's kind of muffled it's the shocks.

[Ryanrb25]

yea its kinda rattley... i just had a look and it says HR on them.....what sort are these...everything is tight...didnt check the top of the strut towers tho....they didn't move at all with a bit of persuasion

[adam-__-]

yea....its the ball point tops on the hat things im talkin about.....if the shocks are stuffed how come they are stiff as f**k??

The stiffness of your ride is from the springs spring rates aren't they?

[AZN25T]

Unfortunately, that's just the way Tein HR's (HR's are high springrate coilovers just like HA's, but without all the adjustability) end up after a while. Most are fairly old now and just about every car I've been in that's had them rattled like crazy. I say time for an upgrade!

Edited September 12, 2007 by AZN25T

[mjones]

yea its kinda rattley... i just had a look and it says HR on them.....what sort are these...everything is tight...didnt check the top of the strut towers tho....they didn't move at all with a bit of persuasion

hr's are as stiff as sh*t and ha's i have a half set of each sitting in the shed for that reason,go and grab some of the aus spec ones handles and rides like a completely different car.also when i pulled my hr coilovers out and pulled them apart they had next to no oil left in them!

[sloutch]

My experience with Tein suspension has been a nightmare. . They are the stiff-est i've came across. Have since changed them to HKS suspension.

Those with jap spec teins might want to send them to Fulcrum to get them reconditioned when they start to make noises. Fulcrum will probably rebuild them to be more suitable for australian roads.