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alex_mathews
12-01-2003, 12:30 PM
I had mine installed a few weeks ago. I was wondering if a sound I'm hearing is normal. I think I hear a metal knock sound from the rear right when the coilover completely compresses. I have about an inch gap in the rear, and the dampening is set to 2 half turns from full soft. I've had it at 4 half turns which made things stiffer, but didn't get rid of the knock sound from occurring. I notice it knocking particulary when hitting dips at a speed greater than 15mph. So, I think the coilover completely compresses when coming out of the dip which is when I hear the knock. I don't think this is happening with the left rear, and it definitely doesn't happen in the front unless I hit a pretty big pot hole.

If it's not normal, what could possibly be the problem? I'd like to have an idea before I take it back to the shop that installed the V2s for me.

Thanks,
Alex

fsugatorbait
12-01-2003, 02:59 PM
I dont have that sound but all 4 of my coilovers make a squeaking sound at low speeds (5-15 mph) going over bumps. These are my first set of full coilovers and can only compare them to my boys old 99 si with type flex that i drove and his made a similar noise, but im not sure if this is normal or not. The ride hasnt changed that I can tell, but does anyone else have this with theirs?

alex_mathews
12-02-2003, 10:18 AM
I've sometimes heard a squeaking sound from the rear, but not the front. When I've had the panels off in the back, I definitely heard a squeaking sound over all bumps from the rear right. I'm not sure if I heard the sound from the rear left. So, for me it might just be related to whatever is going on with my rear right coilover.

silver02
12-02-2003, 11:44 PM
Just talked to Glen today from HPA and he said that the noise is ok, they all do it. But he is talking to KW to see if there is a fix. And as far as the other noises it could have something to do with ride hight. He told me that for the struts to function properly the car has to be set at no less than 1.5 inches lower than stock. Stock ride hight is 12 inches from the center of the wheel to the bottom of the fender.

alex_mathews
12-03-2003, 07:40 AM
Originally posted by silver02
Just talked to Glen today from HPA and he said that the noise is ok, they all do it. But he is talking to KW to see if there is a fix. And as far as the other noises it could have something to do with ride hight. He told me that for the struts to function properly the car has to be set at no less than 1.5 inches lower than stock. Stock ride hight is 12 inches from the center of the wheel to the bottom of the fender.

Thanks! I'll have to measure the drop to make sure it's at least 1.5 inches, but I'm fairly sure it is.

fsugatorbait
12-03-2003, 08:36 AM
Sounds good, keep us posted, this creaking/sqeeking sound is pretty annoying.

Glen@KW
12-03-2003, 04:33 PM
I have sent this in to engineering, and the squeak you hear is the transition of the valving inside the shock.

My team is working on a solution to this, and I will keep all of you posted.
:)

fsugatorbait
12-03-2003, 08:13 PM
Originally posted by Glen@KW
I have sent this in to engineering, and the squeak you hear is the transition of the valving inside the shock.

My team is working on a solution to this, and I will keep all of you posted.
:)

Thanks Glen for the great service! :)

alex_mathews
12-04-2003, 04:03 PM
Originally posted by alex_mathews
I had mine installed a few weeks ago. I was wondering if a sound I'm hearing is normal. I think I hear a metal knock sound from the rear right when the coilover completely compresses. I have about an inch gap in the rear, and the dampening is set to 2 half turns from full soft. I've had it at 4 half turns which made things stiffer, but didn't get rid of the knock sound from occurring. I notice it knocking particulary when hitting dips at a speed greater than 15mph. So, I think the coilover completely compresses when coming out of the dip which is when I hear the knock. I don't think this is happening with the left rear, and it definitely doesn't happen in the front unless I hit a pretty big pot hole.

If it's not normal, what could possibly be the problem? I'd like to have an idea before I take it back to the shop that installed the V2s for me.

Thanks,
Alex

Hey Glen,

Any input on my original inquiry above? Thanks for looking into the squeaking that others and myself have reported.

Thanks,
Alex

fsugatorbait
12-18-2003, 07:49 AM
Originally posted by Glen@KW
I have sent this in to engineering, and the squeak you hear is the transition of the valving inside the shock.

My team is working on a solution to this, and I will keep all of you posted.
:)

So any news of the problem, all 4 of mine are squeeking and the ride seems to be getting a little softer. :(

Glen@KW
12-18-2003, 07:13 PM
Thanks for the posts. I have recieve two versions of problems

1. A squeaking sound from the shocks.

2. A knock in the rear.

On the first, I need some more input on the noise. Please let me know what kind of squeak you are hearing. Is it more of a high pitched swoosh sound (like fluid rushing through a partially closed valve), or is it more like a rusty spring or squeaky door sound?

Unfortunatley my engineers have not been able to reproduce the knock, so I am going to need some more help here.

Dont worry, we will get this solved!

alex_mathews
12-18-2003, 07:35 PM
Glen,

Ok, I'll try to describe the knock a little better. I do have to say I'm not sure if it's something wrong with the coilover, or something wrong with the installation.

I've noticed the knock mostly when going over dips. When I enter the dip, it feels like the shock compresses some, then when coming out of the dip, it completely compresses and I here the knock, which I'm guessing is coming from the force of the shock fully compressing against the frame. For the most part I only hear it from the rear right, but I've heard it on rare occassions from the rear left. If I was hearing it equally from both sides, I would probably consider it normal or that I have something not setup correctly. I verified that both the rear dampening settings are the same (1 full turn from soft). Besides hearing the knock, everything feels fine, but that might not mean much since this is my first experience with coilovers. I haven't had a single issue with the front set.

I haven't spoken to the shop that did the install yet, because they are kinda far away from where I live now. Plus, I wanted to have an idea of what could possibly be wrong before I spoke to them.

Thanks for looking into my problem.

fsugatorbait
12-19-2003, 09:42 AM
Originally posted by Glen@KW
Thanks for the posts. I have recieve two versions of problems

1. A squeaking sound from the shocks.

2. A knock in the rear.

On the first, I need some more input on the noise. Please let me know what kind of squeak you are hearing. Is it more of a high pitched swoosh sound (like fluid rushing through a partially closed valve), or is it more like a rusty spring or squeaky door sound?

Unfortunatley my engineers have not been able to reproduce the knock, so I am going to need some more help here.

Dont worry, we will get this solved!

Glen,
The sound is like a squeaky door, kinda like errrree errrree. It started at low speeds going over speed bumps and then progressed into being heard at normal street driving speeds (<35 mph) going over bumps.
Phil

greenguy
12-19-2003, 09:54 AM
I have the sqeak, but not the knock. Love mine very much!
BTW: just waiting to install those damn pillow ball mounts! That should make the v2 "just like heaven" (to quote the Cure;))!

Glen@KW
12-19-2003, 10:24 AM
For the squeaky door sound, check to see that the rear springs are aligned properly on the upper mount.

I had one of my RSX customers have the same issue, and somehow the springs had shifted slighly and were rubbing on the factory upper spring perch.

jack up the rear and see if this would be the case. should be easy to see any yellow powdercoat that might have rubbed off.

Let me know!

fsugatorbait
12-19-2003, 10:27 AM
Originally posted by Glen@KW
For the squeaky door sound, check to see that the rear springs are aligned properly on the upper mount.

I had one of my RSX customers have the same issue, and somehow the springs had shifted slighly and were rubbing on the factory upper spring perch.

jack up the rear and see if this would be the case. should be easy to see any yellow powdercoat that might have rubbed off.

Let me know!

Ill check that out as soon as I can. One other question, what is the main benefit of the new upper bearing that you offer for the front? What differences will it make? thanks.

Glen@KW
12-19-2003, 11:21 AM
On many of the 2001+ Civic and RSX cars out there (coupes and sedans mostly) the upper factory bearing that is suppose to allow the suspension to rotate when you turn the wheel is failing. You may have heard many discussions on popping noises in the fronts of many cars, this would be the issue.

To combat this issue, the KW unit replaces this bearing and ensures that the assembly rotates as intended.

Two added benifits are the solid mount creates less play in the front suspension, and we have added in a castor adjustment so your alignment pro can dial in even further than before!

The only downfall is actually also a positive. As the mount is solid, there is a small amount of vibration that can be expected, but you will have more accurate steering, and less play in the system.

Hope this helps!

fsugatorbait
12-19-2003, 12:29 PM
Originally posted by Glen@KW


...added benifits are the solid mount creates less play in the front suspension...

The only downfall is actually also a positive. As the mount is solid, there is a small amount of vibration that can be expected, but you will have more accurate steering, and less play in the system.


thanks, that is just what I was hoping to hear, if you can get this squeekin worked out, ill definately be ordering the upper bearing. I was looking for a way to increase the stability and response of the front suspension. :)

alex_mathews
12-26-2003, 06:23 PM
Glen,

Today I was able to cause the knocking even more from the rear right coilover. I had bought a few cans of paint and some other hardware supplies. When driving over the majority of the medium bumps, dips, and pot holes the rear right bottomed out (knocked). Since it happened so many times, I noticed scrapping along the outer edge of the tread of the tire (215/45/17) from rubbing. I don't see the same type of scrapping on the left tire, which makes sense because I barely ever hear a knock from that side. I'm going to have it checked out ASAP.

Thanks,
Alex

fsugatorbait
12-29-2003, 01:52 PM
Glen, I checked out all four corners and the springs were seated correctly in the upper perch. I dunno? :banana:

alex_mathews
12-30-2003, 03:41 PM
Originally posted by alex_mathews
Glen,

Today I was able to cause the knocking even more from the rear right coilover. I had bought a few cans of paint and some other hardware supplies. When driving over the majority of the medium bumps, dips, and pot holes the rear right bottomed out (knocked). Since it happened so many times, I noticed scrapping along the outer edge of the tread of the tire (215/45/17) from rubbing. I don't see the same type of scrapping on the left tire, which makes sense because I barely ever hear a knock from that side. I'm going to have it checked out ASAP.

Thanks,
Alex
My mechanic said the only thing that could be done was to raise it up some, so that's what he did. I drove around quite a bit today, and it's a bit better. But, I can still get it to knock against the frame. I guess there is a bit more weight on the rear right because of the exhaust, and that's why I only have the problem on the right and not the left. I guess the roads around me are worse than the other V2 owners on the board. Would making the dampening stiffer in the rear help any, because I still have it set 1 full turn from soft?

fsugatorbait
12-31-2003, 07:06 AM
Alex, try turning the dampening up to about 1 full turn from hard, which is how I have mine set front and rear, and see if that helps the problem.
I noticed that you live in Jersey, were plannin on having a meet at ATCO on sunday the 18th, if you can make it id like to take a look at your car and compare the v2's.

alex_mathews
01-02-2004, 08:50 AM
Originally posted by fsugatorbait
Alex, try turning the dampening up to about 1 full turn from hard, which is how I have mine set front and rear, and see if that helps the problem.
I noticed that you live in Jersey, were plannin on having a meet at ATCO on sunday the 18th, if you can make it id like to take a look at your car and compare the v2's.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have an RSX Type-S rear sway to install first before I mess around with the dampening. So, I'll see how it feels after I install the bar. If I'm still having a problem, I'll adjust the dampening as you suggest.

I'll definitely try to make it to ATCO on the 18th, though I probably wouldn't race.