Elise Suspension Problem

[Aston77]

Guys, Was wondering if you can offer me some advice. I have had my Elise for a couple of months now and even on the test drive when I bought it I notice a large knock/bang from back end (passanger side only). It sounds as if the damper is not providing enough resistance and its being stopped by something other then the damper itself or maybe its stopping because the damper will simply have a limit to the due to the length of the damper barrel itself.

Its only noticable going a speed bump or hitting a decent size pothole but I'm convinced its not normal as the opposite corner (drivers front) seams to raise a little when coming down of the speed bump.

I'm totally fed up as I asked the previous owner on the test drive if that was normal to which he replied "yes, that's elise suspension for you" But in reality I think its something more then that.

Anyone had this before on there elise and more to the point how much is this going to cost me to put right!

Cheers Guys

A77

Edited by Aston77 on Friday 16th November 10:27

[Gooby]

Not normal. Look on the bright side - good oppertunity to fit Ohlins all round and get a great geo!

[Paul RN]

The elise suspension makes a few 'sounds' although how many miles have you got on the car? I take it the 111S in your profile?

[whygee02]

Aston77 said:

Guys, Was wondering if you can offer me some advice. I have had my Elise for a couple of months now and even on the test drive when I bought it I notice a large knock/bang from back end (passanger side only). It sounds as if the damper is not providing enough resistance and its being stopped by something other then the damper itself or maybe the stoping because the damper will simple have a limit to the due to the length of the damper barrel itself.

Its only noticable going a speed bump or hitting a decent size pothole but I'm convinced its not normal as the opposite corner (drivers front) seams to raise a little when coming down of the speed bump.

I'm totally fed up as I asked the previous owner on the test drive if that was normal to which he replied "yes, that's elise suspension for you" But in reality I think its something more then that.

Anyone had this before on there elise and more to the point how much is this going to cost me to put right!

Cheers Guys

A77

Aston I have the same on my elise s2. My rear rivers side makes a banging noise when I go over bumps etc. It had a service and MOT last month and I mentioned to the guys at formula 1. They checked it out thoroughly and said there's nothing wrong.

It does seem odd tho how its consistently the same corner of the car, other 3 corners dont do it.

I've just come to live with it as being a 'feature'.

Stick a post up if you do resolve it, as I'd be keen to see the outcome.

[ptp170]

I had exactly the same thing with my S2 when I first got it. Dreaded going over speed bumps as it sounded like someone thumping a hammer on the rear corner of the chassis. Turned out the shock had failed and only allowed about 1 inch of travel before suddenly stopping (hence the loud cringeworthy thud).

[whygee02]

ptp170 said:

I had exactly the same thing with my S2 when I first got it. Dreaded going over speed bumps as it sounded like someone thumping a hammer on the rear corner of the chassis. Turned out the shock had failed and only allowed about 1 inch of travel before suddenly stopping (hence the loud cringeworthy thud).

Waas that an expensive repair can you remember?

[Aston77]

Sean, just phoned Chris at F1... and new shock only takes them about 50mins to fit... shocks vary in price but standard ones are about £100 each and its apparently wise to do both rears together. Mine is going into F1 next week for a check out, will let you know the result.

A77

[ptp170]

whygee02 said:

ptp170 said:

I had exactly the same thing with my S2 when I first got it. Dreaded going over speed bumps as it sounded like someone thumping a hammer on the rear corner of the chassis. Turned out the shock had failed and only allowed about 1 inch of travel before suddenly stopping (hence the loud cringeworthy thud).

Waas that an expensive repair can you remember?

Rear shocks are slightly more expensive than fronts (only by a couple of quid though!)

You should be looking at between £85-£88 each shock, I did the fitting myself and it was surprising easy compared to other vehicles that I've done shocks on in the past!

[whygee02]

Aston77 said:

Sean, just phoned Chris at F1... and new shock only takes them about 50mins to fit... shocks vary in price but standard ones are about £100 each and its apparently wise to do both rears together. Mine is going into F1 next week for a check out, will let you know the result.

A77

Great - cheers matey price could start to climb tho...
Shocks = £200
Labour = £120
VAT = £56
Total = £356

but if it needs doing, its fairly important I'd say. Would be interested to know if Chris views this as a mechanical failure or wear and tear. Makes a difference to whether my warranty would cover it should I need it doing.

[Aston77]

Sean, F1 said it could be a number of things that would produce a knock... F1 would need to diagnose the problem themselves. I reackon you would have to have a hell of a good warrenty to get shocks covered as they are classic wear and tear items.

[whygee02]

Aston77 said:

Sean, F1 said it could be a number of things that would produce a knock... F1 would need to diagnose the problem themselves. I reackon you would have to have a hell of a good warrenty to get shocks covered as they are classic wear and tear items.

I'm sure you're right about the warranty, wishful thinking. F1 did check mine over a couple of weeks back during an MOT and it got a clean bill of health - banging is still there tho

[Mark B]

Sounds a bit like a ball joint banging... Has anyone checked these for you? There shouldn't be a bang as such. Dampers failing are more of a knocking rather than a harsh bang.

I had no oil in my Koni's just prior to changing them and it still didn't bang through pot holes or over speed humps.

[Aston77]

Mark,

I understand what your saying... after all the impact absorbtion is done by the spring... the damper simply stops you bouncing along after the impact! Needs some more investigation I feel.

A77

[Mark B]

I've got a couple of ball joints gone on mine. The car is comign off the road in about 2 weeks for winter... New ball joints all round, wheel bearings, track rod ends, bushes, drop links and some nice shiny Koni LSS

Motobuild are £10 a pop for ball joints

[Sam_68]

It does sound like one of your rear dampers has failed.

First checks I would make:
1) 'Bounce' the rear of the car on either side. If the damper on one side has failed completely, is will offer noticeably less resistance and will seem 'springy' when you release it, bouncing up beyond the 'at rest' position before settling back.

2) Take the wheel off on the side you suspect the damper might have failed. If it has gone suddenly, the chances are you will be able to see the oil staining on the damper body, where the oil has leaked out after the seal on the damper blew.

Contrary to what Mar B says, a failed damper can cause a very alarming banging... I know from experience on my old S1. If the damper has gone altogether, hitting a bump throws the whole wheel clear of the road and it bangs against the structure with quite a thump!

[Paul RN]

Mark B said:

some nice shiny Koni LSS

Koni LSS don't have much of a life span (30/40k) and you can't refurbish them, so I'd hope yours arent too old.

S2 bilstein suspension or Nitrons (etc) are the norm upgrades for S1. I can firmly rate the nitrons, but with fitting and upgrated toe links the costs get quite high! Always positive feedback on the S2 bilstein on S1s and they come in a cheaper price, plus you can adjust the ride height the same as LSS but through brackets.

[LotusEater666]

Mark B said:

I've got a couple of ball joints gone on mine.

How do you know when they're knackered?

Edited by LotusEater666 on Friday 16th November 13:53

[whygee02]

Dont think mine sounds like a damper gone then, it more of a gentle knocking sound when I go over a bump. A bit like if you imagine a traditional car with spare wheel under the boot, and you hadnt secured the hardboard (or whatever material) latch properly in the bottom of the boot. Thats the kind of sounds I'm getting, if that helps describe it.

[Mark B]

Paul RN said:

S2 bilstein suspension or Nitrons (etc) are the norm upgrades for S1. I can firmly rate the nitrons, but with fitting and upgrated toe links the costs get quite high! Always positive feedback on the S2 bilstein on S1s and they come in a cheaper price, plus you can adjust the ride height the same as LSS but through brackets.

Nitrons are the norm upgrades when money is no object and when the average driver has more money than sense.... I would suggest 90% of Elise owners couldn't tell the difference between one new damper and another and certainly don't make use of Nitrons on a track and for the road are pointless....

For what its worth, I am taking my S2 Bilsteins OFF in replacement for the LSS. The items I have are low mileage and give me the possibility of having adjustable height and damping and I will be able to play with spring rates in the future and keep the ride heights how I want them for a more track focused car without having to order bespoke springs with the right static lengths. I had LSS before the Bilsteins and they perform equally well on the road but were a little stiff for my 10k miles a year road use, hence I went to Billies... I now know longer use the car daily.

Brackets aren't the best way to adjust ride heights on a car unless you are just going for the look and to be a Sainsburys car park racer

Thanks for taking an interest though

[Mark B]

LotusEater666 said:

Mark B said:

I've got a couple of ball joints gone on mine.

How do you know when they're knackered?

Edited by LotusEater666 on Friday 16th November 13:53

On my car I have low mileage S2 dampers and there is a distinct knock driving over cats eyes/pot holes/etc and it sounds like a ball joint... I know it's not the dampers, they're fine so it leads me to ball joints... I have replaced about 8 on the car in the last 30k miles, they don't last for ever and are easy to change...