Silly Clicking Noise Question
 

Hey All -

Do you all hear a constant clicking/ticking noise from the rear tires throwing pebbles into the rear wheel wells?

I don't know why but I started hearing it one day on the highway and I can't stop hearing it.

Do the ZL1s have some sort of protection in the wheel wells like my 2017 GMC Sierra (like a carpet like material) that stops this type of noise?

Almost sounds like popcorn popping.

Unless you're driving on a gravel road, rocks wouldn't make a constant noise. I'd check out the lug nuts and the rear axle bolts asap.



Nigel

It only happens on the highway above 60mph. Not a rotational noise or a rhythmic noise that would go with a turning tire p.. It is definitely a Random noise like pebbles hitting the fender wells. Had my wife ride back there with the seat down. She said she heard it on both sides under the car in the fender wells. It is faint but definitely audible.

I check the lug nuts every time before autocross. Also it isn’t the clicking noise from the wheels under load in a turn. I have already fixed that and know it’s volume well.

I can check the axle bolts. Seems kind of like a long shot but I guess you never know.

What bolts would those be and what are their torque spec?

Mine does it all the time, specially at low speeds around my neighborhood (not even gravel roads). Throws all sorts of crap.

I doubt it's the axle, sound like it's road debris to me. Have you tried testing this on a smooth, clean road? But, if you want to check the axle nut torque just to be safe, the spec is 185 ft-lb.

I can't say I notice this on my car on the highway unless I'm going over a "dirty" surface. However, in parking lots, at lower speeds, I do hear rocks flinging around.

Your comment on the wheel well liner has me perplexed... are you maybe missing the wheel well liners???

I just looked and I was wrong. I didn’t think this car had them. My apologies.

Well hell. Why do I hear stuff hitting the rear fender wells if there are wheel liners in there

Are you sure that's what it actually is? Unless you're driving on a highway that's coming to pieces as you drive on it, I have a hard time believe what you're hearing are actual rocks hitting the inner fender. Sure, I'll hear rocks bouncing off the inner fenders at maybe up to 30 to 40 MPH, but never anything at highway speeds, certainly nothing I would call even remotely constant. Unless you're just being super sensitive?

No I am not sure that is what I am hearing. If I am driving down the highway with the radio off I can definitely hear a sound like pop corn popping in a microwave. Both sides of car, trunk area near the fender wells.


I am having a hard time figuring this one out. I have had it to the dealer once, and he did a TSB that was supposed to fix a noise coming from the rear window and the trunk. unfortunately that didn't fix it, because the noise is coming from under the car.

Did the dealer hoist it to inspect for any possible crap that keeps releasing whilebyou drive at speed? Another thought would be something in the tires? Maybe your tire sensors got lose? From what you are describing it would be a classic sound of tires kicking up rocks. But if thats not the root cause then either there is crap somehere under your car, or perhaps inside the tires? Cant think of anything else.

Yea he did hoist it up to change my rear diff fluid when I told him about the issue. He also did a ride along with me to confirm the noise and where it was coming from. Granted, the TSB he completed didn't rectify the noise.

I am really at a loss on this one, I thought for sure others would claim they hear the same noise all the time. Has me worried.

Take it back and ask them to pull a fuse for the baffles. That will lock them in an open position.
They can be noisy. Not popcorn like but who the heck knows at this point...