Cleaned wheels and calipers - no more vibration

[FerragamoNakamichi]

Sprayed brand new wheels (about 4k mi on them and the tires), brake calipers (they are 30 years old), and brake disks (about 20,000 mi on them) with Sonax wheel wheel cleaner. The one that turns purple on contract. Then pressure washed them. Went on a 60 mile trip, and it's as of my wheels went from being to somewhat poorly balanced to being properly balanced. Car rode measurably better. I was bewildered and surprised. I wasn't aiming for this, just wanted cleaned my new wheels from accumulated brake dust...

Anyone ever experienced this?

 

[MRC01]

 

[wwillson]

Yes, vehicles that travel often on gravel roads get lime dust built up on the inside of the wheels and will shake like mad when some of it either falls out or gets washed out. The only way to stop the shaking is to clean all of the lime dust out, then the whole process starts again.

 

[FerragamoNakamichi]

Yes, vehicles that travel often on gravel roads get lime dust built up on the inside of the wheels and will shake like mad when some of it either falls out or gets washed out. The only way to stop the shaking is to clean all of the lime dust out, then the whole process starts again.

My car, a sedan, only travels on paved roads. Wheels are brand new and only have about 4,000 miles on them. Although genuine Merc pads are very dusty, there couldn't have been much - weight wise - pad material on the wheels. They got "washed" several times in a regular, automated car wash.

Calipers have 30 years worth of brake dust on them though. How much weight-wise, I don't know, but apparently enough came off after only 5 minutes (per instruction) of soaking in Sonax wheel cleaner, to make such a measurable difference. It was truly unexpected and bewildering

 

[bdcardinal]

Next try taking the wheels off the car and scrubbing the insides of the barrels. I do it whenever I have the wheels off the Mustang. I just need to remember to take time to really do it next time I get tires.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Mud can throw off wheel balance too. Had that happen when I lived in the boonies with an unpaved driveway after days of rain.

 

[Kira]

1) I'm happy for your improved condition / situation. Go out and spread the joy with others.
2) I'd never think of "30 years of crud (whatever) on the calipers" would make a difference as the calipers do not spin.
3) In the inner surface of the wheels of Sis' old Jeep I discovered a pile of grease (big, thick pancake). I scraped them off and washed the wheels. I didn't tell her and she later asked what I had done as the XJ drove smoother. Ever since I daub cheap car wax on the insides of wheels and let it dry. I figure it improves the chances of any accumulated dirt being flung away automatically.

 

[Boomer]

And don't forgt the unbalancing properties of snow caked on the inside of the rims. That has driven me crazy some winters.

 

[Hall]

Mud can throw off wheel balance too

In colder climates, snow and ice will do it too

 

[MRC01]

Yes, vehicles that travel often on gravel roads get lime dust built up on the inside of the wheels and will shake like mad when some of it either falls out or gets washed out. The only way to stop the shaking is to clean all of the lime dust out, then the whole process starts again.

Yep. I used to live on an island at the end of a 2 mile gravel road. Island driving, we never went fast enough to feel any vibration. But whenever we took the ferry to the mainland and drove on the freeway the wheels would shake. I'd have to use the tire iron from the spare wheel kit to scrape off all the dust and dirt stuck to the inside of the wheel rims. Then it ran smooth.

 

[FerragamoNakamichi]

2) I'd never think of "30 years of crud (whatever) on the calipers" would make a difference as the calipers do not spin.

Thing is, I'm don't know what exactly was the culprit of vibration. I know that some cars have vibration dampeners on calipers from the factory (mine doesn't), so theoretically, calipers could be the cause of vibration(?)

 

[Jetronic]

My car, a sedan, only travels on paved roads. Wheels are brand new and only have about 4,000 miles on them. Although genuine Merc pads are very dusty, there couldn't have been much - weight wise - pad material on the wheels. They got "washed" several times in a regular, automated car wash.

Calipers have 30 years worth of brake dust on them though. How much weight-wise, I don't know, but apparently enough came off after only 5 minutes (per instruction) of soaking in Sonax wheel cleaner, to make such a measurable difference. It was truly unexpected and bewildering

Maybe the sonax cleaned the pad material off the brake discs... You could have had uneven deposits causing a shimmy there

 

[FerragamoNakamichi]

Maybe the sonax cleaned the pad material off the brake discs... You could have had uneven deposits causing a shimmy there

Yes, such a thought also flew though my mind. I drove for 50 miles today and the improvement is still there.

 

[nthach]

Maybe the sonax cleaned the pad material off the brake discs... You could have had uneven deposits causing a shimmy there

Unless you used ceramic pads, which I doubt the Germans used in the 1980s-1990s I can’t see that being plausible.

 

[FerragamoNakamichi]

Unless you used ceramic pads, which I doubt the Germans used in the 1980s-1990s I can’t see that being plausible.

MB pads are semi-metallic . I believe pad material still does transfer to disks

 

[97prizm]

Yes. I worked for a Lexus dealership and a guy came in with "horrendous wheel shake " pn his LX570.. He lived on a ranch, and rarely had it on the road. He accumulated 20 pounds of dirt on the wheels, which caused a severe out-of-balance. Needless to say a power wash fixed that.