Has anyone noticed front end suspension noise? Normal?

[venams03]

My '08 has only 800 on the clock and I noticed there is some noise when running over small cracks or bumps in the road, not unlike a higher mileage car that has loose tie rods.

I put 160 miles on it from the ride home from the dealer on a local route (to avoid rock chips etc on the freeway) which many bumps, but didn't hit any pot holes.

I'm wondering if it's just a characteristic of this car since it is nose heavy and wears some pretty low profile tires?

 

[svt2205]

I wonder if this is the same suspension noise some Mustang GT's have. My 06 had a thud or thumping noise that came from the suspension when you ran over small bumps at slow speeds. Dealer claimed it was normal and others I talked to said the same. I wonder if your GT500 has the same characteristic.

I know my post isn't really helpful, but I think you're not alone when it comes to this.

 

[skyhighsd]

Yes, I had it before and on another board I talked to a guy who isolated his strut tower brace and he claimed it went away. He also had talked to his dealer and they claimed it to be normal. I no longer run that brace and a lot of the noise went away. That is until I lowered my car and now the noise is different more so from riding a lot harder. He had just went to a hardware store and had picked up some thin rubber sheeting and cut a piece to go under the brace. Its something simple to try at least.

 

[venams03]

Thanks guys. Never thought it might be the strut tower.

I can live with it if I know that is "normal" and that most 500s have it. Just didn't want to keep driving it in case something really broke or went bad under there

 

[sveetgt500]

I was the person that tried to isolate the brace. It helped hide the noise, but that is all it did, hide it. Removing the brace also helps "hide" it, but it is still present.

I have since decided I am going to pursue this to the highest level I can with Ford. This cannot be normal.

My front end sounds like something is moving around at speeds under about 20mph. I can't believe this is "normal" other than that Ford really cheaped out on something in the design if they say it is normal.

We all need to pursue it, because they are going to keep considering it "normal" until enough of us make an issue and get them to redesign the strut mounts if that is what it is.

I think the strut mounts are to blame, but I could be wrong.

The '05-'07 GTs really made alot of noise, and Ford redesigned the strut mounts and made them the subject of a TSB, WHICH DOESN"T APPLY TO THE GT500's. However, our strut mounts in our GT500's are more like the old GT mounts with harder rubber components. I think we need a redesigned strut mount with GT500 specification rubber.

I am only "arm chair" engineering here, and I certainly don't have all the info that Ford does.

All I know is that I have a $55K Mustang that make more front end noise than any car or truck I have ever owned, and that can't be right.

Please take your cars to the dealer and make a complaint. Otherwise they will just keep telling me "nobody else is complaining and we think it is normal".

Just because many of us have this same problem, doesn't mean it is normal for a front end to be noisy in a car.

 

[Supercharger]

Those noises are not a normal characteristic of the car, despite the claims of some dealers, and the problem should be fixed by a dealer under warranty, especially considering your car has only 800 miles.

About a year or more ago, there was a lot of discussion among GT owners about this problem (which involved popping noises at low speed and while turning). Ford's TSB fix (which involved new, stronger strut mounts) apparently resolved it for most folks, including me with respect to my 2006 Mustang GT. From those discussions, it was my understanding that the GT500's strut mounts were stronger and not prone to the popping, particularly if the suspension was not modified.

I have seen a number of posts where suspension noises were resolved by finding a loose fastener, so I would diligently look for one of those if you have not done so already.

In my case, the popping started after I installed Roush suspension components, resulting in the cheapo front strut mounts breaking down. I am willing to bet that if you modify your suspension, even with the GT500, you run the risk of the popping problem.

My dealer performed the TSB-prescribed fix, even though I had a modified suspension, without any complaint.

 

[sveetgt500]

I agree. I even found some posts on another forum that said that the GT500 mounts wouldn't fix the problems that the GT/V6's where having. The source of this info was a Ford technical employee that was appartently involved in the redesign and subsequent TSB that fixed all the the GT / V6 problems.

He stated that the GT500 mounts were the same earlier design that was making noise in the GT's / V6's from 2005-2007. He directly told everybody with GT's / V6's to make sure they get the revised part and don't try the GT500 mounts as they too may make noise.

So.....I asked my dealer to put the revised part in, knowing that I might sacrifice a bit of "handling" since it would be softer rubber, and Ford said no. It can't be done. I understand that maybe the "30% stiffer" rubber in the GT500 mounts is to deal with the heavy engine, so it may not make sense.

My answer to Ford is then, I'll stop my armchair engineering, and it is time for you to put somebody on this to fix it. I wouldn't want the front end noises in my car in a 15K Kia, much less a $55K GT500.

What gets under my skin is that you put this much of your money into a car like this, to purchase a halo car from Ford, and my car has been back 3 times, and nobody can figure it out. As of right now I am up to almost 1 full first summer with my dream car making noises that I still don't know will ever get fixed....

I don't blame the dealer, as they have been doing everything they can to get this resolved. My assumption at this point, is Ford is supplying a bad part, either due to manufacturing tolerance, or just poor design, and short of getting about a dozen of these and finding the two with the least play, I don't know what else to do???

 

[Supercharger]

Only other thing to do is buy aftermarket heavy duty strut mounts. I have not done that but it seems most were buying Maximum Motorsports or Steeda mounts.

 

[snakecharmer03]

Normal

I have owned 3 GT 500's and they are all kinda thumpy sounding- almost as if you had a loose battery hold down bracket. It threw me off a little at first but now I realize it is characteristic of the car.

 

[sveetgt500]

I have owned 3 GT 500's and they are all kinda thumpy sounding- almost as if you had a loose battery hold down bracket. It threw me off a little at first but now I realize it is characteristic of the car.

After all my ranting and raving about how this can't be normal, I am starting to get worn out mentally trying to figure it out and take it back endless times to the dealer, praying everytime that it comes back without paint damage, etc... So far so good on that front, but I worry everytime it is there....

Mine is alot better than it was, now that I have new struts and mounts. Maybe mine is good enough now that I should consider it "normal". I really don't know, but I am starting to think that they can replace the parts 50 times and each time may be different, but not that it will ever be 100%. Maybe I should leave it alone now as good enough and stop stressing and risking the car going back again....

Thus I may give up and just enjoy it the way it is. If anybody ever gets this noise eliminated in there car, PLEASE SHARE WITH THE GROUP, how it ws accomplished so we can take ours in with the solution to the dealers.