# Mysterious 3 piece wheel clicking...searched...need help!



## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ok so here's the deal. I'll keep this short and sweet. I have searched for about a month on various forums and have not found a solution to the problem.

My car is a 2006 Audi A3 FWD. Weds Kranze ER-M wheels are making a clicking noise. This noise occurs when I drive straight or I turn. 

I checked the cv joint, wheel bearing, tires for nails, anything hitting the wheels on rotation and have found nothing wrong. I changed out the axle bolt and torqued that down to spec along with checking the lug bolts and torquing those down to spec. The clicking noise remains.

When the car is on jack stands in the front, without the wheels on and wheels spinning, there is no clicking. With the Kranze wheels on and front wheels in the air, there is no clicking. ONLY under load.

I swapped out to stock lug bolts, and the wheels still click.

The only time that the clicking is GONE is when I run my VMR 710s.

The differences between the two wheels are that the VMRs came 5x112 and the Kranze wheels are re-drilled to 5x112. The VMRs are hubcentric and the Kranze wheels are not hubcentric (Approximately 72mm centerbore). The Kranze wheels are 3 piece and the VMRs are single piece. 

I checked each individual wheel bolt/rivet on the kranze wheels and torqued them all back down in a star pattern to 22ft/lb. I also tried to remove the center cap and drive and clicking continues.

The kranze wheels are 9s in the front with a 215/35 stretch and the VMRs are 8.5 with 235/35 tires. The rear kranze wheels are 10s with a 225/40 stretch and I do not hear any clicking from the rear wheels, just the fronts.

This problem is boggling me and am totally confused! :banghead: Any wheel guru help would be wonderful! Thanks again!


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## DoctorDoctor (Oct 18, 2006)

Just because I didn't see you mention it in the initial post, but are you running hub rings?


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

No...I am not running hubcentric rings on either the front or rear wheels...but I only hear a clicking noise from the front wheels...


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## DoctorDoctor (Oct 18, 2006)

It could be the stress on the lug bolts since you're not running hub rings (assuming the Kranze wheels are not hubcentric). Besides, at $10 for a set of rings, it wouldn't hurt to see if that would be causing the issue.

Either way, GL and hope that it isn't anything too serious :thumbup:


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ya...I'm gonna get those hubcentric rings as long as I can figure out the exact centerbore size for the wheels...I hope that fixes it...so weird that it only happens on the front wheels and not the back...:screwy:


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

i'm clueless man..that's really strange...i would definitely get the hub rings though..and what bolts are you running? just normal OEM bolts? how noticeable is the noise? very loud, very subtle? and both front wheels, or only one in particular?


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Both front wheels make noticeable clicking noises. When the windows are up, I can't hear it anymore though. I tried both the OEM lug bolts and some aftermarket conical locking lug bolts with no success...


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

BoostBeeyatch said:


> Both front wheels make noticeable clicking noises. When the windows are up, I can't hear it anymore though. I tried both the OEM lug bolts and some aftermarket conical locking lug bolts with no success...


 that's so strange...and the rear wheels don't do it at all? this might be a bit of a stretch, but what if you put the rear wheels in the front and vice versa? i can't imagine anything else possible creating this nosie. there is the inner barrel, outer lip, centers, and bolts...as long as everything is lined up and all the bolts are properly torqued, there is nothing to move and make clicking nosies.. 

there's no chance the inner lip is hitting or rubbing against any part of the car, like the strut or anything like that, is there?


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Inner wheel is clear from any rubbing on both sides...I may try to throw the fronts in the back and see if the noise follows. The 3 piece wheels have the lip and inner barrel welded together so I can't see clicking happening from anything other than the face to the lip/barrel. :banghead: 

After I washed my car yesterday however, I didn't hear it right away on the right side...left side I could hear it...then soon after the right side I could hear it.


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

BoostBeeyatch said:


> Inner wheel is clear from any rubbing on both sides...I may try to throw the fronts in the back and see if the noise follows. The 3 piece wheels have the lip and inner barrel welded together so I can't see clicking happening from anything other than the face to the lip/barrel. :banghead:
> 
> After I washed my car yesterday however, I didn't hear it right away on the right side...left side I could hear it...then soon after the right side I could hear it.


 that's really strange. that honestly leads me to think that it's not the wheels. if you think about it, what actual part of the wheel itself could be moving and clicking, making noise? kind of hard to imagine. if the weld is all done properly, and everything is torqued down, then there is nothing physically that could be moving and clicking from the actual wheel itself..


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

I know what you mean! The wheels balance out at 0 but all 4 wheels seem to wobble a little up and down on the balancing machine...I didn't notice any clicking before and I don't get any weird vibrations when I drive... 

I can't figure out what exactly about the wheels is making a clicking noise but when I switch to the VMRs it goes away...could my offset be too low and width too wide that it's making odd noises when those wheels are ok...not specifically the wheels but any wheels with that width and offset...


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

hummm how very very odd 

so they are 3 piece but welded, who did the redrill on them, check EVERYTHING up front i bet its rubbing on the fender liners or something is loose up there, if its not the bearings or axle or joints its gotta be something rubbing somewhere 

what are the specs on the wheels


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

JettaGT8V80 said:


> hummm how very very odd
> 
> so they are 3 piece but welded, who did the redrill on them, check EVERYTHING up front i bet its rubbing on the fender liners or something is loose up there, if its not the bearings or axle or joints its gotta be something rubbing somewhere
> 
> what are the specs on the wheels


 unless you had wheels with extremely low, or negative offset, which could have maybe caused too much stress in the suspension...but even if that was the case, i highly, highly doubt it...i'm stumped man. :screwy:


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

pattrick02 said:


> unless you had wheels with extremely low, or negative offset, which could have maybe caused too much stress in the suspension...but even if that was the case, i highly, highly doubt it...i'm stumped man. :screwy:


 not even it depends on the specs of the wheels 

if they are at least 8" wide with an offset lower than say 38 they will rub something up front 

its just weird that it only happens with the wheels on under load 

i was thinking something inside the tire but it would show up at anytime


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ok...new update...it does NOT do the clicking in reverse...at least in about the 20feet or so I reversed back = no clicking.


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

have you checked absolutely everything up front it could be hitting 

its gotta be the axle


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

If something were hitting the wheel, wouldn't it still hit when the car was driven in reverse? When I drive in reverse, there is no clicking but the moment that I put the car back into gear, it clicks again...


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

i don't think it's the wheel, honestly....have you checked your axles?


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

I tried to spin the axle by hand and it doesn't spin freely...it also doesn't have any up or down play...both cv boots are in tact and there is no excessive grease anywhere...


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## FlybyGLI (Jun 20, 2008)

Im going to say its something with your CV shafts/boots. But for what its worth, I had the SAME EXACT problem (I have 3-piece Tracers). Had my alignment checked, it was way off so I had it fixed and the noise was gone completely. So I say check your alignment.


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ya...I gotta get the car aligned...installing new rear LCAs and then I'll be switching out to my VMRs to get the front and rear re-aligned just to make sure. I'll switch back to the Kranze wheels after alignment and see if it eliminates the sound...IDK how the wheels could have set the car out of alignment. I had alignment done when I was still static and then I went air.


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## FlybyGLI (Jun 20, 2008)

Im not sure how wheels would cause alignment issues either, but I was static then went to air as well and thats what threw the alignment WAY off, about 2 degrees or more of toe on each side. The tire wouldn't rotate straight on the ground and for some reason that caused a click, maybe too much stress on the wheel bearing or somthing like that. Really I have no clue, I just know that the moment it was aligned properly, the noise vanished, and I feel as though that was not a coincidence.


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ya...that'll be the next option then...Align the car at drive height pressures and then switch back to kranze and see...


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## [email protected] (Jun 9, 2009)

hmmm...maybe it could be..let us know how that goes.


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Ya...gonna actually switch the front wheels to the back and see if the clicking follows...if its now in the back, I'd guess it is the wheels...if it stops...then it's back to a drivetrain component...and just with the kranze wheels in the front, it causes more stress therefore clicking...Which in that case, I would go back to guessing it's axles...


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Update: The front wheels were switched to the rear and the clicking noise went to the rear.

At this point I think it would be safe to say that those 2 wheels have something that is causing it to click. Specifically those two wheels since the other rear wheels didn't make noise at all. Just the ones that were in the front, and then in the back for testing purposes. 

I'm gonna get the car aligned later this week but I doubt that'll cure the problem of the clicking following those 2 wheels.

On another note, I installed rear lower control arms from MCA and I have a TON of clearance now and my airlift XL slam rears don't touch the control arm cup at all! Hit them up for your control arm needs. *Shameless plug*

I'll keep you guys posted on the mystery...


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## dr770 (Dec 31, 2011)

HiI am an engineer at an alloy wheel company, first of all re drilling is not a case that is acceptable, check for the bolts that connect 3 piece, check for fatigue cracks especilly around hub bolt area . use hubrings thats a must. what is the original PCD of the wheels?


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

Started off 5x114 then went to 5x120 (re-drill) then now 5x112 (second re-drill). The person who did the re-drill said he was doing this for 10+ years now. He's up in Cali and he posts here on the vortex, which is where I found the wheels. 

I checked each wheel bolt and torqued them down to 22ft/lbs in a cross/star pattern. All bolts were fine and none were excessively loose. 

The rear wheels are making no noise whatsoever and they are re-drilled to 5x112 and I am not using hubcentric rings. Just the fronts make noise. And when the fronts go to the back, they make noise in the back. But there is no noise when the car is in reverse, just in gear...


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE WHEELS 

there is no other logical explanation, to the guy saying redrilling isnt safe has no clue sorry but its been done for YEARS ive never heard of anything bad happening from a PROPERLY DONE redrill


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## BoostBeeyatch (Dec 7, 2005)

I may try dismount the tire and check to see if the valve stem is causing a clicking noise...it's so weird that the noise goes away when the car is in reverse though...that boggles me...:screwy:


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## dr770 (Dec 31, 2011)

*redrilling*

Well ,i am an R&D engineer we are a very big OEM supplier for most of car manufacturers including volkswagen , audi. You can say that ypo have never seen something happening but İ have customer feedbacks and accident reports. we are making FEA analysis and several tests for inpact and fatigue what ever you say i know the effects or redrilling .


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

dr770 said:


> Well ,i am an R&D engineer we are a very big OEM supplier for most of car manufacturers including volkswagen , audi. You can say that ypo have never seen something happening but İ have customer feedbacks and accident reports. we are making FEA analysis and several tests for inpact and fatigue what ever you say i know the effects or redrilling .


 im not saying your wrong but almost all wheels are drilled for bolt patterns once they have been forged already you are not changing the properties of anything if done correctly or creating any sort of weakness if done correctly 

also you should really run hubcentric rings


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## Lowmk6tsi23 (Sep 10, 2019)

Even though this tread is probably dead I just got a set of those exact wheels, Weds kranze erm that are the same deal 3 piece construction, lips and barrels are welded and same specs and my fronts are doing the exact same thing. Looked for days and swapped them from front to back and side to side and still can’t figure out the clicking noises. Just curious if you ended up figuring it out.


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